Introduced by: Rupalakshmi Vijayan East Central Regional Chapter
Whereas, family physicians throughout Ohio provide comprehensive care across outpatient, inpatient, emergency, obstetric, procedural, and rural practice settings where timely bedside diagnostic information can enhance clinical decision-making and patient care, and
Whereas, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an increasingly utilized clinical skill with applications relevant to family medicine practice, including pulmonary, cardiac, abdominal, vascular, musculoskeletal, obstetric, soft tissue, and ultrasound-guided procedural care, and
Whereas, Ohio family medicine residency programs are incorporating POCUS education through various approaches, including didactic instruction, simulation, supervised scanning experiences, practical assessments, and clinical application, and
Whereas, competency-based medical education emphasizes direct observation, structured assessment, feedback, and documentation of learner progression; however, approaches to POCUS curriculum design, faculty development, competency assessment, and documentation vary among residency programs, and
Whereas, collaboration among Ohio family medicine residency programs can promote sharing of best practices, strengthen graduate medical education, and support preparation of future family physicians to safely integrate POCUS into clinical practice, therefore be it
Resolved, that the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians support collaboration among Ohio family medicine residency programs to identify, share, and promote best practices in competency-based point-of-care ultrasound education, assessment, and documentation, and be it further
Resolved, that the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians encourage development and dissemination of educational resources, faculty development opportunities, and collaborative forums to support sustainable integration of point-of-care ultrasound education within Ohio family medicine residency programs.
Fiscal Note: Implementation would primarily require coordination through existing OAFP educational infrastructure, communication platforms, and collaboration with Ohio family medicine residency programs. Potential activities may include sharing educational resources, facilitating discussions among residency educators, and incorporating POCUS-related topics into existing educational programming. Significant new infrastructure investment is not anticipated.
Explain how this issue is in line with OAFP Policies and/or the Strategic Plan.
This proposal aligns with OAFP’s mission to advance family medicine through physician education, advocacy, leadership development, and support of the family medicine workforce.
- Graduate medical education and residency training
- Preparation of future family physicians for evolving clinical practice
- Innovation in medical education
- Improving physician readiness across diverse practice environments, including rural and underserved communities.
By facilitating collaboration among Ohio residency programs, OAFP can support educational excellence while allowing programs flexibility based on local resources and patient populations.
Existing Evidence
Point-of-care ultrasound has become an increasingly important clinical skill across multiple areas of medicine and has demonstrated applications relevant to family medicine, including diagnostic evaluation, procedural guidance, and bedside clinical decision-making.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recognizes the importance of resident experience with point-of-care ultrasound during family medicine training while allowing flexibility in how programs implement curricula. This flexibility has resulted in variation among residency programs regarding curriculum structure, competency assessment methods, faculty development, and documentation approaches.
Competency-based medical education emphasizes demonstration of clinical skills through structured assessment, direct observation, feedback, and longitudinal documentation of learner progression. Establishing shared educational approaches and assessment strategies may help residency programs strengthen POCUS training while maintaining flexibility.
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Family Medicine establishes expectations for resident clinical education and competency development.
- American Academy of Family Physicians. Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training for Family Medicine provides educational resources demonstrating the relevance of POCUS to family medicine practice.
- Moore, C. L., & Copel, J. A. (2011). Point-of-care ultrasonography. New England Journal of Medicine, 364(8), 749-757.
- Dietrich, C. F., Goudie, A., Chiorean, L., Cui, X. W., Gilja, O. H., Dong, Y., … & Blaivas, M. (2017). Point of care ultrasound: a WFUMB position paper.
- Ultrasound in medicine & biology, 43(1), 49-58.
- Frank, J. R., Snell, L. S., Cate, O. T., Holmboe, E. S., Carraccio, C., Swing, S. R., … & Harris, K. A. (2010). Competency-based medical education: theory to practice. Medical teacher, 32(8), 638-645.
I strongly support this resolution. Establishing greater collaboration and consistency in competency-based POCUS education across Ohio family medicine residency programs would help ensure that residents receive meaningful, structured training in an increasingly valuable clinical skill.
A shared approach to education, assessment, faculty development, and documentation could promote patient safety, strengthen resident competency, and better prepare graduates for diverse practice settings, while still allowing individual programs flexibility based on their resources and clinical environments. This is a practical and forward-looking initiative that can strengthen family medicine training across Ohio.