The new guidelines set by ACGME in family medicine recommend that family medicine residents receive point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training. In response to these recommendations, Ryan Paulus, DO, an assistant professor in the UNC Department of Family Medicine, recognized the national need to develop more POCUS educators in family medicine. A little over a year ago, Paulus presented a proposal in front of the Society of Teachers at Family Medicine Board to start the first longitudinal family medicine-focused certificate program to train family medicine educators in POCUS. The board selected him and provided $60,000 to start the certificate program. Paulus selected and led a team of eighteen family medicine residency faculty members from all over the country to develop the certificate program.
The certificate program was created in less than a year and was launched at the STFM annual conference on May 2nd of this year. “I’m incredibly proud and thankful for the work we’ve done with STFM to bring this program to life. The STFM FM POCUS Educator’s Certificate Program (stfm.org/pocus) is more than just a course—it’s a longitudinal opportunity with virtual and hands-on experiences to create POCUS educators,” says Paulus. Paulus is joined by fellow UNC Department of Family Medicine faculty member John Doughton, MD, who serves as a core faculty member in the certificate program.