In 2021, it still felt tough to shed the remnant of defeat and weariness that engulfed us in 2020. To many, it felt like a nightmarish kind of Groundhog Day. When thoughts of leaving a tough year behind danced like sugar plums in our minds, the world continued to go toe-to-toe with the pandemic and all the changes it brought us.
The good news is, however—the world continued. Though the changes were hard, they tested and challenged us, and we became and resumed to be better. Particularly our medical community. On the frontlines, with the entire globe watching and looking to us for answers, we sharpened our skills, braved each and every day, and charged forward in our quest.
We here at the Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Certification Academy™ are so proud to be a part of you. The medical community has been an extraordinary example of courage and tenacity in the past two years. You became role models and even designated heroes to so many. With everything you faced, you continued to dedicate yourself to improving and revamping medicine beyond today’s circumstances but for the benefit of what will be tomorrow.
Being an organization passionate about continual learning and the evolution of providing high-quality and compassionate patient care through the skillful use of POCUS, we are thrilled to have achieved significant landmarks and milestones because of the support and commitment of our fellow healthcare comrades. In partnership with medical providers, also sincere about the growth and impact of POCUS, the POCUS Certification Academy has accomplished incredible feats. We invite you to celebrate these wins with us as each amounts to wins for us all, including our patients.
POCUS certification continues to cross borders. The POCUS Certification Academy has expanded our partnership with several European, Singaporean, and Australian organizations. The POCUS Fundamentals Certificate was translated into Spanish in 2021. The rephrased approach assisted and supported an increase in POCUS-certified users by over 50% globally. Also, healthcare professionals worldwide analyzed our POCUS25 findings, resulting in a peer-reviewed article submitted for publication.
These findings were presented at the only-of-its-kind POCUS World Virtual Conference, launched in September 2021. The conference offered more than 50 sessions led by diverse POCUS experts from over 53 countries. The educational impact and feedback received so exceeded the expectations of our staff and attendees, we decided to do it again. Just announced is the 2022 POCUS World Virtual Conference happening again in September.
POCUS education and training did not stop there. The POCUS Certification Academy collaborated with one of our POCUS Education Providers (Global Ultrasound Institute) and trained and certified over 60 attendings at the largest public hospital system in New York City, the NYC Health + Hospitals. Additionally, we produced 11 FOCUS on POCUS™ podcast episodes, hosted 10 webinars, and expanded our POCUS Education Provider (PEP) program by doubling the number of providers. This network now includes international providers from India, Australia, Canada, and Latin America.
We recognize that none of this could have taken place without our volunteers, who are the bedrock of our organization. The POCUS Certification Academy strengthened our ties with our volunteers through our newly launched POCUS Ambassador Program. Our inaugural cohort includes nine ambassadors spanning six continents. This revolutionary program allows us to partner with POCUS experts worldwide to discover and uncover the possibilities of POCUS in medicine. The goal is to help increase awareness of POCUS, share resources with the global healthcare community, and expand the message and importance of ensuring patient safety through the proficient use of POCUS.
As a non-profit organization, we thrive only because of our volunteers. We are driven by them and their shared passion for advancing POCUS globally. These successes are largely due to those in the medical community who come alongside us in our journey to standardize POCUS education for the sake of improved and accessible patient care. To honor them, we worked with several volunteers from all over the globe and launched a digital badge program to recognize the POCUS Certification Academy’s volunteer contributions. Now the world will know what we know—how vital our volunteers are.
Though still not ideal, we encourage us all to look back at what 2021 had to offer. The wins are there. They just may be hidden. You made an impact, and someone has influenced you—may the memory and results of what they have done start your 2022 off just right.
We also invite you to join us in 2022 as we continue to work with our volunteers to shed light and create transformation where it’s needed most. If you are interested in contributing, learn how to do so here.
Happy New Year!
The POCUS Certification Academy™
