Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access Simulation-Based Educational Training Improves Skills and Confidence in Preclinical Medical Students: A Pilot Study

Purpose: Early development of the ultrasound skills relevant to a career in anesthesiology, like ultrasound-guided IV placement, is often overlooked in nationwide preclinical curricula. This single center, pilot study aims to compare the performance of preclinical medical students on their ultrasound guided vascular access skills before and after their participation in an ultrasound workshop. Methods: Participants were administered a clinical simulation scenario for ultrasound-guided vascular access prior to undergoing an interactive educational ultrasound workshop. Students were randomized into a medical student teacher cohort or an attending physician teacher cohort. Two weeks later, the clinical scenario was re-administered. The clinical scenario involved simulation of attaining “vascular” access by cannulating an IV on a balloon within a tofu model. The clinical scenario was scored in accordance with the P-UGVA rating score; a composite score developed through a Delphi consensus study that evaluates eight elements of proficiency in ultrasound guided vascular access skills. Results: Post-workshop performance scores from twelve medical students demonstrated increases from baseline across all eight P-UGVA domains (n=12, p< 0.005) for all students. There were no statistically significant differences in post-test performance between the medical student peer-teaching cohort and the attending physician teaching cohort across any category. Following the workshop, participants reported a greater degree of confidence using ultrasound, teaching another student basic ultrasound skills and a better understanding of peripheral vasculature anatomy. Conclusion: The educational intervention of an ultrasound workshop was effective in improving preclinical student participants’ procedural efficiency and confidence in attaining ultrasound-guided vascular access on a tofu model. Medical students may be effective teachers of their peers for procedural skills. The small sample size limits the generalizability of this study. Keywords: POCUS, ultrasound-guided IV placement, medical education, simulation training