The sonographic digital portfolio: a longitudinal ultrasound image tracking program

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Ultrasonography (US) education for medical students is evolving with technological advancements.
• Increasing exposure to ultrasound necessitates methods for documenting student experience and competency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of a digital portfolio for medical students to record their ultrasonography (US) experience.
• To assess the volume and distribution of US images and videos collected by students over two academic years.

Main Methods:

• Medical students engaged in didactic and hands-on ultrasonography (US) training.
• US images and videos were collected and cataloged from July 2006 to June 2008.

Main Results:

• Over two years, 10,074 images and 1,227 videos were amassed by 381 medical students.
• Fourth-year students accumulated the highest number of images and videos in both academic years.
• Data shows a significant increase in collected media from the first to the second academic year.

Conclusions:

• A digital ultrasound portfolio effectively enables medical students to document their practical experience.
• The portfolio serves as a valuable instrument for tracking and potentially verifying ultrasound proficiency in the absence of standardized training requirements.