An Innovative Ultrasound-Guided Approach: Stimulating Student Query in Advanced Nursing Health Assessment

An ultrasound curriculum was developed to enhance advanced health-assessment delivery of didactic and laboratory content to advanced practice nursing students. Ultrasound (US) focused on cardiac, pulmonary, and abdomen image acquisition and interpretation. A convenience sample of 80 advanced practice nursing students from the nurse anesthesia program and the family nurse practitioner program were enrolled in the study. Time frame coincided with their Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning course program curriculum. Utilizing a survey, self-reported data were obtained for measures assessing the curriculum and confidence levels pre and post implementation. Survey data indicated students felt the US curriculum improved their understanding of anatomy (n = 76; 98.75%) and more effectively helped them learn physical exam skills (n = 75; 97.4%). When comparing confidence levels (M = 5.62, SD = 1.71) from before the health-assessment course to confidence levels (M = 2.82, SD = 1.19) following the US curriculum, a significance difference was discovered, t(77) = 14.99, P < .001. The physical examination is a key component of the patient-anesthesia provider interaction. With the use of US technology, students can learn in a positive environment, while improving their physical health-assessment skills.