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Free innovative ultrasound workshop offered to nursing students and clinicians

On May 28 and 29, 2021, UH Manoa Nursing hosted an inaugural Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) workshop for 43 DNP students and primary care advanced practice providers from the Waianae Coast Community Health Center (WCCHC) Nurse Practitioner Residency Program and several community providers.

students practicing ultrasound

The goal of the event was to provide education on the use of ultrasound in patient care in the community provider office setting.

Point Of Care Ultrasound has been a mainstay in outpatient settings including cardiology, radiology, and obstetrics/gynecology for decades. With increases in portability and affordability of bedside ultrasound machines, there has been a widespread adoption of ultrasound in ambulatory primary care.

“Nurse Practitioners provide excellent holistic patient care. By providing our students, faculty and community members with introductory POCUS education, we prepare NP’s to use ultrasound in their workplaces thereby increasing access to care for patients,” said Rick Ramirez, DNP Program Director and coordinator of the free event. “Nurse practitioners can be at the forefront of using ultrasound at the patient’s bedside. Bedside ultrasound may decrease time to diagnosis, rule out disease or injury, and increase patient satisfaction. POCUS is the future of primary care medicine and it was important for us to train our students and community providers in this advancing technology.”

The all-day workshop provided participants with multiple lecture sessions accompanied by hand-on skills stations to bridge concept and implementation.

students learning about ultrasound

“Having workshops like the ultrasound course provides incredibly valuable training for future advanced practice providers in the State of Hawaii,” said Rachel Graham, a DNP nursing student residing in Maui. “For those of us on neighbor islands, being able to independently use diagnostic imaging will assist us in helping our local population even though we may have limited resources.”

UH Manoa Nursing plans to offer this innovative workshop annually. In addition to educating students, the school is committed to providing continuing education opportunities for practice partners. Bringing students and clinicians together to learn creates a valuable experience that contributes to the safe delivery of quality patient care.

“The workshop was thorough and provided real-world recommendations for use with a best-practice focus,” said Christina M.B. Wang, DNP, MPH, APRN-Rx, AGPCNP-C, medical director with the Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center. “As an alumni of the UH Manoa nurse practitioner program, I am committed to always learning more to better my practice. This workshop taught me new skills so I can bring new technology and skills to my patients to aid in their treatment.”

Special thanks to FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. and the volunteer ultrasound models and facilitators. For more information about this workshop contact Rick Ramirez at rjr64@hawaii.edu.

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