We’re excited to kick off a new project with the faculty of University of Santo Tomas (UST). The focus is on building point-of-care (POCUS) capacity, enabling UST faculty to validate their POCUS expertise while establishing high standards of care and instruction that will be passed on to their medical students.

The UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (UST FMS) has a >10 year history of training its faculty members to teach POCUS to medical students. In 2022, UST’s Dean, Dr. Ma. Lourdes D. Maglinao, announced that a new Simulation Laboratory and Research Center, including an Ultrasound Skills Laboratory, would be established for UST faculty.

In support of this initiative, the new joint project will be critical for increasing POCUS utilization among UST faculty and students. “I’m really excited to work on this project with UST and help build capacity within the region.” says Steve Reid, Founder of Presuna. By creating a virtual pathway for POCUS training and certification, the program will elevate the quality of ultrasound education at UST, setting up the UST FMS faculty to provide ongoing training to additional students for years to come.

Along with UST faculty and students, we are joined by additional partners Zedu, Presuna and the Anrgyroi Foundation. “We know how important it is for doctors to have capabilities, and competency, and confidence in their skills to be able to use this (POCUS) to impact the management of their patients.” says Suean Pascoe, Owner/Director Zedu Ultrasound Training Solutions. In collaboration we will implement a three staged approach comprised of training, peer review and certification.

A signing ceremony was held in late June with global representatives from all partnering organizations in attendance. ANARGYROI: FMS Foundation, Inc., Executive Director Ms. Annet Ward’s remark embodied the sentiment of all involved in the project, “This initiative specifically targets ones’ educational enrichment that will no doubt cascade to the learning of the students … I appreciate its profound significance, embodying the essence of transformative education.”

Building a global community of proficient POCUS users will require quality education, continuous feedback, leveraging the ingenuity of technology with the culmination of validated skills. This project is a blueprint for how other institutions can increase POCUS capacity.

Are you interested in building a similar POCUS training and certification program for your faculty and students? Contact us today.