Integrating Point of Care Ultrasound into Nephrology Fellowship Training: Insights from a Pilot Program

Abstract

In nephrology, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has multiple applications including the rapid evaluation of acute kidney injury, enhancing the initial evaluation of chronic kidney disease, direct evaluation of vascular access, and improved fluid balance management in acute and chronic settings [1, 2]. Recently, the role of POCUS has been formally acknowledged by the American College of Physicians and curricula specific to nephrology have been proposed [3, 4]. However, the integration of a novel clinical skill into a field comes with its unique set of challenges. Above all, most nephrologists in leadership roles within fellowship training programs lack POCUS experience, which represent a significant barrier for adequate exposure and teaching. Although educational curriculum centered on nephrology have been proposed, the optimal model to ensure adequate POCUS exposure considering the scarcity of expertise among educators is not known.

Keywords

• Point-of-Care ultrasound
• medical education
• imaging
• renal ultrasound