Start Your POCUS Journey

POINT-OF-CARE ULTRASOUND CERTIFICATION ACADEMY
Home » Start Your POCUS Journey

1. Start Your POCUS Journey

Learn about POCUS Certificates and Certifications

The point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) program is the only POCUS Certificate and Certification program endorsed by ARDMS® and APCA™. The affordable online assessments are available 24/7 from your own location and widely recognized for distinguishing skills and abilities in handheld ultrasound.

Individual clinical Certificates and specialty Certifications in point-of-care ultrasound enable healthcare professionals like you to demonstrate your clinical proficiency, pride in your profession, and your ongoing commitment to patient care and safety.

Get the POCUS Application Guide

Everything you need to get started learning about POCUS Certificates and Certifications.

2. Earn Your POCUS Fundamentals Certificate

By completing your two-part POCUS Fundamentals Certificate, you’ll be eligible to earn either an individual clinical Certificate or a POCUS specialty Certification.

The POCUS Fundamentals Certificate requirement is waived for clinicians who have passed the Sonography Principles & Instrumentation (SPI) examination within the last five (5) years, or who hold specific credentials offered by APCA or APCA’s companion council, ARDMS.*

*While the POCUS Fundamentals Certificate is waived for ARDMS and APCA Certificates holders for the purpose of prerequisite eligibility for other POCUS Certificates and Certifications, this does not apply to CMEs.

3. Earn a Clinical Certificate OR Specialty Certification

In order to complete your certificate(s) and certifications, you will need to earn one of these.

Start with the
POCUS Fundamentals Certification

New to POCUS? We recommend you start here.

The POCUS Fundamentals Certification is a prerequisite to being able to take assessments for individual and specialty certifications.

POCUS FUNDAMENTALS CERTIFICATION DETAILS

By completing your two-part POCUS Fundamentals certification, you’ll demonstrate your knowledge in point-of-care ultrasound and be eligible to earn either other individual clinical POCUS Certifications and Advanced certifications.

Continuing medical education (CME) credits are currently unavailable. If you have any questions, please contact our team.

*While the POCUS Fundamentals Certificate is waived for clinicians who have passed the Sonography Principles & Instrumentation (SPI) examination within the last five (5) years or ARDMS® and APCA™ Certificate holders, this does not apply to earning CME credits.

EXPLORE EDUCATION PROVIDERS

Need help preparing for the assessment?

Explore our network POCUS Education Providers, experts in providing educational instruction for individuals or groups looking to get certified with POCUS.

POCUS Clinical Certificates

Individual clinical certificates test your knowledge and expertise within a specific clinical area.

Prerequisites:

  • POCUS Fundamentals Certificate or meeting waiver requirements
  • Actively practicing and in good standing health care professional
  • Performance of and participation in interpreting cases in the clinical areas. See clinical certificate page(s) for details.

POCUS Clinical Certificates

More than 12 individual clinical certificates are currently offered.

Each Clinical Certificate is comprised of two assessments: a clinical case-based assessment and peer evaluation. Case-based assessments present clinical scenarios with ultrasound media and assessment questions embedded throughout. A peer evaluation is a short questionnaire that is completed by a healthcare provider who is familiar with your ability to obtain clinically-relevant, content-specific POCUS images.

Current Clinical Certificate Offerings:

Select your POCUS Package

POCUS Specialty Certifications

Specialty certifications test your knowledge and expertise in a set group of clinical areas related to a medical specialty.

Prerequisites:

  • POCUS Fundamentals Certificate or meeting waiver requirements
  • Actively practicing and in good standing health care professional
  • Performance of and participation in interpreting cases in the clinical areas. See clinical certificate page(s) for details.
What's Included?
  • Abdominal Trauma
  • Cardiac
  • Lung
  • Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue
What's Included?
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
  • Abdominal Trauma
  • Cardiac
  • Hepatobiliary/Spleen
  • Inferior Vena Cava
  • Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis
  • Lung
What's Included?
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
  • Abdominal Trauma
  • Cardiac
  • Hepatobiliary/Spleen
  • Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis
  • Lung
  • Obstetrics First Trimester
What's Included?
  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
  • Cardiac
  • Hepatobiliary/Spleen
  • Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis
  • Lung
  • Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue
  • Obstetrics First Trimester
  • Renal/Genitourinary
What's Included?
  • Obstetrics First Trimester
  • Obstetrics Second/Third Trimester
What's Included?
  • Musculoskeletal Lower Extremity
  • Musculoskeletal Upper Extremity
  • Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue
What's Included?
  • Cardiac
  • Inferior Vena Cava
  • Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis
  • Lung
  • Renal/Genitourinary
  •  

In-Depth Guide to the POCUS Certification

Want to learn more about the POCUS Certification process? This guide is here to help you become a POCUS master.

Learn How to Prepare

Get a better understanding of how to prepare for your assessments, the POCUS Fundamentals outline/format, and how the peer evaluation works.

Need More Information?

Talk to a one of our POCUS team members about the POCUS Certification process and get informed.

Recent Posts

Dirofilariasis in Humans: A Rare POCUS (Point-of-Care Ultrasound) Spot Diagnosis

by | Sep 17, 2024 | Primary Care Medicine | 0 Comments

By Victor V Rao MBBS, DMRD, RDMS Introduction A 39-year-old male presented to the hospital with pain in the right mid-thigh region for one week. The patient had no...

Why POCUS is a Personalized Way to Provide Patient Care

by | Sep 16, 2024 | POCUS Education | 0 Comments

By Hector Lopez-Cardona, MD Introduction Considering the technological advances in today’s healthcare systems, an important aspect in delivering patient care is to be...

World Heart Day

by | Sep 3, 2024 | Cardiac | 0 Comments

By Raphael Bibas According to the CDC (1): Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for most groups of people (men, women, and people of most racial groups)....

Embracing Diversity in Healthcare: A Path to Improved Patient Safety

by | Sep 2, 2024 | General Medicine | 0 Comments

By Salima Subratie Healthcare systems are evolving every day, and the need for inclusive, diverse healthcare has become increasingly apparent. Embracing diversity in...

Role of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Diagnosing Ascites

by | Aug 19, 2024 | Primary Care Medicine | 0 Comments

By Victor V Rao MBBS, DMRD, RDMS Ascites is defined as a pathological accumulation of ascitic fluid inside the peritoneal cavity. The word “ascites” is derived from the...

POCUS Test

Top 10 Reasons for Reimbursement Denials in POCUS and How to Avoid Them

by | Jul 29, 2024 | General Medicine | 0 Comments

This blog comes from our friends at Peachtree POCUS. Visit their site for the original post and for additional resources.   Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is an...

Expanding POCUS Expertise and Training Capacity in the Philippines

by | Jul 17, 2024 | Primary Care Medicine | 0 Comments

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...

Role of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Grading of Hydronephrosis – A Simple Approach

by | Jul 16, 2024 | Renal | 0 Comments

By Victor V Rao MBBS, DMRD, RDMS Hydronephrosis is defined as the dilatation of the major and or minor calyces and the renal pelvis due to an obstruction to the flow of...

Role of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Assessment of the Right Upper Quadrant to look for Evidence of Free Fluid in the Morison’s Pouch in a Patient with Abdominal Trauma

by | Jun 27, 2024 | Abdominal Trauma | 0 Comments

By Victor V Rao MBBS, DMRD, RDMS Introduction Trauma is one of the leading causes of death in individuals less than 45 years old. Approximately 80% of individuals...