CBS News created a list of jobs that were nonexistent eight years ago. These positions were not on anyone’s radar before 2010. The list included roles such as Social Media Manager, Drone Operator, Sustainability Manager, App Developer, and Data Scientist. All jobs that sprung forth from the growth and movement of technology shaping and molding the way we live, work, and play in our current society. Technology has called us to review our current landscape and drive innovation forward. It is one of those calls that we all must answer. In answering, there is a question that must be addressed. When new occupations form to meet the needs of our dynamically changing world, how do we determine the set of skills, foundational knowledge, and expertise required to perform them effectively? In other words, how do we know who qualifies for the job?
As medical professionals, we are faced with the same challenge. We may not see technology creating new fields in medicine, but we sure are seeing it change how we practice. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is one example of how advancement in healthcare technology has impacted almost every area of medicine. It is revolutionizing patient care and reenergizing the professionals who use it. However, with this handheld device, like any new technology, the questions “What constitutes proficiency in POCUS?” and “How do we define competency for POCUS users?” beg to be answered.
Competency is defined as the ability to do a specific task successfully or effectively. It is having the capability and the know-how to master a set of skills proficiently. In short, it is difficult to be viewed as an expert without a set of competency benchmarks by which to evaluate said skills.
When it comes to POCUS skills, the Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certification Academy™ wants to ensure such measures are in place. It is through POCUS25 that we seek to address a lack of clarity and consistency in the global medical community about the scope of POCUS with the goal of bringing uniformity and credibility to the overall movement with what we call the POCUS25.
The POCUS25 shall be a list of the top 25 point-of-care ultrasound practices identified as core POCUS skills needed to improve healthcare worldwide. The goal for this list is to become a comprehensive global resource for education and training on the top 25 ultrasound procedures or protocols required to be deemed a POCUS expert.
POCUS25 was initially developed by the Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certification Academy’s internal team of clinicians, in consultation with approximately 20 subject matter experts in the field of diagnostic ultrasound, along with thorough reviews of published research, manuscripts, society guidelines and recommendations for point-of-care ultrasound.
The intent is to have input from POCUS users around the world to define the POCUS25 list and to update it periodically. We seek to do so by surveying a global spectrum of POCUS users, which include physicians, nurse practitioners, sonographers, and other healthcare professionals actively using point-of-care-ultrasound. Your survey responses will be used to produce an updated POCUS25 list that we hope to publish this year.
We fully understand to create core practice domains for point-of-care ultrasound, the involvement of its users and dedicated advocates is a must. We need your voice to be included to get this right. Here are all the ways to ensure you are heard:
- complete the POCUS25 survey
- share on social with #POCUS25 to help spread the word
- volunteer to be part of ongoing POCUS25 development efforts
- join the POCUS Certification Academy’s POCUS Community
- reach out to our team at POCUS@inteleos.org
Join us in this quest to ensure that point-of-care ultrasound’s potential is seen and felt across the globe.
We look forward to developing POCUS25 with each of you.
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