Passing the Baton

Tony Joseph, MD

Fellow in Emergency Medicine, PHS

PGY 3

            At the end our 4 weeks we have successfully trained severe members of the surgical house staff in point of care ultrasound. These guys and girls see an incredible high volume of trauma and now have proven that they have the skills to make the right calls for the right patients. Several of our midwives have even started running their own course for their peers on using ultrasound in all trimesters of pregnancy. We hope that this group will take their new skills and run with it as they advance in their medical training.

            

We were able to run a trauma course with a modified ATLS approach to trauma and along with that incorporate the extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma (E-FAST) exam. 

Fortunately most of the surgical residents were already up to speed on their ultrasound skills having spend the last 4 weeks with us that they would not spend the course focusing on chest tubes and intubation.  

   

There were times when we ran out of power for the machine, or gel to use as a medium to use between the patient and the ultrasound probe/transducer. For a normal guy like me this would have put an end to the day, but as seen in the photo below, the surgical residents here are very creative in using their resources. This chest tube drain is the simplest water seal I have ever seen and is also incredibly effective. Excited to see how far our trainees turned  instructors take their new skills when we come back for our next visit.