Ultrasound Education for Nurse Practitioner Students: Strategies for Curricular Integration

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), the bedside application of ultrasound offering rapid assessment to support diagnosis and management in real time, provides expanding clinical applications across the health care delivery spectrum. There is a growing trend to educate health care providers in the concepts, techniques, and applications of POCUS to ensure continued efficiency, quality, and safety within health care delivery. Although graduate medical school education includes resident training in ultrasound, no standard exists for POCUS educational preparation of nurse practitioners. This article describes one university’s experience in the development of an innovative course introducing nurse practitioner students to POCUS skills.