Solid, Cystic, and Tubular: Novice Ultrasound Skills Training Using a Versatile, Affordable Practice Model

In spite of the recognized benefits of ultrasound, many physicians have little experience with using ultrasound to perform procedures. Many medical schools and residency programs lack a formal ultrasound training curriculum. We describe an affordable ultrasound training curriculum and versatile, inexpensive practice model.

Participants underwent a didactic session to teach the theory required to perform ultrasound-guided procedures. Motor skills were taught using a practice model incorporating analogs of common anatomic and pathologic structures into an opacified gelatin substrate.

The Marcia and Eugene Applebaum Simulation Learning Institute, Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI; a private nonprofit tertiary care hospital associated with the OUWB School of Medicine, Rochester, MI.

The model was tested in a cohort of 50 medical students and general surgery residents.

The gelatin model can be constructed for $1.03 per learner. The solid, cystic, and vascular structural analogs were readily identifiable on ultrasound and easily differentiated based on their echotextures. Eighty-four percent of participants successfully aspirated the cystic structure, 88% successfully biopsied a portion of the solid structure, and 76% successfully cannulated the tubular structure. Overall, 82% of participants achieved a passing score for the exercise based on a validated Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill instrument. There were no significant differences between the medical students and residents.

This model can be used to teach basic ultrasound skills such as aspiration, biopsy, and vessel cannulation, providing a foundation for the use of ultrasound in a broad range of clinical procedures, as well as providing practice opportunities for medical students and residents to gain increased ultrasound competency and confidence.