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UTHSCSA
DEAN’S MESSAGE
of ultrasound images to allow readers to quickly access images on a Diagnostics. Point-of-care ultrasound is vital in emergency medi-
tablet or laptop. The book is now available in Chinese and is also cine, where time is of the essence. In a rural setting, this may be the
being translated into Spanish. only real diagnostic imaging that is available quickly.
Dr. Soni’s interest in ultrasound began in his medical school days, Therapeutics. Point-of-care ultrasound offers applications for pro-
when the focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) cedural guidance, such as vascular access in chronically ill patients.
exam emerged as one of the main protocols for evaluating patients
in the emergency department. He wondered aloud why physicians Screening. Ultrasound can quickly and efficiently screen patients
do not use ultrasound with all patients and became committed to for specific conditions such as an abdominal aortic aneurysm. De-
expanding the use of the technology tected early and easily with point-of-care ultrasound technology,
physicians can refer patients to vascular surgeons for appropriate
He credits the technology with saving many patients during his treatment, thereby saving lives.
years on night shifts at the University of Chicago. In addition to de-
veloping proficiency with the tool, he solidified his belief that ultra- It should be emphasized that point-of-care ultrasound does not re-
sound has much more potential in a variety of medical applications. place radiologists. There are certain conditions that can be safely
In fact, seeing the potential to teach and train other physicians in the identified with point-of-care ultrasound, while others require more
use of ultrasound is one of the reasons Dr. Soni came to us in 2012. detailed analysis. The in-depth analysis provided by advanced imag-
In addition to his work with students, Dr. Soni provides CME train- ing and radiology will continue to be vital and may become increas-
ing locally, nationally and internationally. ingly so as ultrasound becomes more widely used. In addition,
point-of-care ultrasound may lead to improved communication be-
Together with Dr. Soni, Craig Sisson, MD, RDMS, FACEP, As- tween physicians and radiologists, fostering the continuum of care
sociate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, is co-director of between many specialties.
the School of Medicine’s ultrasound curriculum. Our School is one
of only a handful of medical schools around the country that inte- Ultrasound will play an increasingly greater role in health care as
grates ultrasound into the curriculum of each year of medical school we move toward more efficient, higher-value patient care. Equipment
so that even undifferentiated students learn how ultrasound is used will become increasingly more affordable and readily available with
in various environments and have the opportunity to choose electives portable ultrasound equipment apt to become as common as a blood
to further explore point-of-care ultrasound. pressure machine in patient care settings. It is quite possible that
smaller hand-held devices will become as common as stethoscopes
This curriculum will reduce one of the primary limitations of the are today.
technology: provider training. Today’s medical students are the next
innovators; they will devise new ways to use the technology to de- As these advances happen, the School of Medicine will remain fo-
crease patient risk and improve outcomes. That is why our goal is to cused on training clinicians to explore the diverse applications and
introduce them to ultrasound as early as possible in their medical tremendous potential point-of-care ultrasound can bring to our
training to expose them to the possibilities of the technology. providers and their patients.
No other medical school in the United States has a center such as The next workshop on point-of-care testing for providers is Feb.
the Center for Clinical Ultrasound Education, making our School a 12-13, 2016. If you would like to enroll or just learn more about
national model for the multidisciplinary integration of ultrasound point-of-care ultrasound, visit our website at:
into healthcare education. The facility is a 1,000 square foot labora- http://cme.uthscsa.edu/ultrasound.asp
tory containing eight ultrasound stations, each equipped with cam-
eras and 40-inch plasma screens to share images, along with an Francisco González-Scarano, MD
adjacent 1,700 square foot lecture hall. This resource gives students Dean, School of Medicine
valuable hands-on exposure in both using the equipment and inter- Vice President for Medical Affairs
preting ultrasound images while providing videoconferencing capa- Professor of Neurology
bilities that enable up to 145 students to simultaneously benefit from John P. Howe, III, MD,
the curriculum. Distinguished Chair in Health Policy
The University of Texas Health
Bedside ultrasound offers four main Science Center at San Antonio
application areas: scarano@uthscsa.edu
Education. Ultrasound can teach students anatomy and help them
understand the structural relationship between different organs in
the body.
visit us at www.bcms.org 31
