Integrating an Undergraduate Longitudinal POCUS Curriculum to Enhance Anatomy Learning: A Short Report

With the increasing role of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in clinical practice, its integration as a teaching tool in undergraduate medical programs is rapidly expanding. In 2017, the Université de Sherbrooke implemented a 4-year longitudinal POCUS curriculum integrated into its anatomy teaching using a flipped classroom model. Evidence regarding the educational outcomes of such curricula, particularly knowledge-retention over time, remains limited.

This short report describes the evaluation of our longitudinal undergraduate POCUS curriculum several years after its implementation. Two questionnaires were administered anonymously to the 190 students of the 2023 graduating cohort to assess perceived educational impact and anatomical knowledge using Likert-type questions and multiple-choice questions (MCQ), respectively.

The response rate was 54%. Among respondents, 98.1% agreed or strongly agreed that POCUS sessions helped consolidate anatomical knowledge, and all respondents reported improved integration of anatomical concepts into clinical contexts. Near the end of medical training, and without prior notification or preparation, students achieved a mean score of 90.7% on the MCQ knowledge-retention assessment.

These findings suggest that the curriculum may contribute to the retention of anatomical knowledge and to the integration of anatomical and pathophysiological concepts. The involvement of residents as instructors emerged as a perceived strength of the program.

This program evaluation suggests that a longitudinal POCUS curriculum may contribute to anatomy learning in undergraduate medical education. The observed outcomes and the feasibility of implementation across a multi-campus program support its potential relevance as a pedagogical tool in undergraduate medical curricula.