Cureus, 2026/05, 18(5):e108097. doi: 10.7759/cureus.108097, type of study: observational study

Free full text   (https://www.cureus.com/articles/449305-integrating-focused-assessment-with-sonography-for-trauma-fast-ultrasound-training-into-the-osteopathic-medical-student---year-1-oms-i-curriculum-a-prospective-observational-study-of-student-perceptions-and-confidence#!/)

Keywords:

confidence [12]
curriculum [301]
diagnosis [412]
medical students [694]
observational study [246]
osteopathic medicine [2109]
perception [146]
trauma [125]
ultrasound [56]
USA [1752]

Abstract:

Introduction Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has seen rapid growth in recent years and has become a key part of everyday diagnostic assessments in clinical practice. With the growing concern over the frequency of unnecessary testing in hospitalized patients, often leading to increased discomfort, potential harm, and rising healthcare costs, POCUS offers a practical solution by providing immediate bedside evaluation that can reduce reliance on more invasive or redundant diagnostic procedures. Because of this, medical schools have started to incorporate POCUS training into their curriculum. Objective First-year medical students (OMS-1) at the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine met to form the Ultrasound Club, an interest group to gain familiarity with and early experience in ultrasound. As part of this initiative, a physician-led Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) exam workshop was conducted. The objective of this study is to evaluate students' knowledge, perceptions, and confidence levels before and after the intervention, using pre- and post-workshop surveys. It was hypothesized that students would demonstrate improvements in self-reported knowledge and confidence with ultrasound following the workshop. Methods Twenty-nine OSM-1s participated in a physician-led FAST exam workshop. The session included a live demonstration and guided hands-on practice. Students completed pre- and post-workshop surveys assessing self-reported knowledge, confidence, and attitudes on a seven-point Likert scale. Results A total of 29 students attended the workshop; all 29 completed the pre-workshop survey, and 26 completed the post-workshop survey. Results showed that the students overall felt more confident and competent in their ability to perform the FAST exam. Student interest and support for continued ultrasound education increased from the pre-workshop survey to the post-workshop survey.  Conclusion Early ultrasound training was associated with improvements in medical students’ self-reported confidence, interest, and perceived ultrasound-related skills. These findings support the integration of ultrasound into preclinical osteopathic curricula to reinforce anatomy and promote hands-on, holistic care.