Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2020 - 48

CASEBOOK

HOW VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY CONQUERED
THE IMPOSSIBLE: AFFORDABLY SCALING
ULTRASOUND TRAINING
BY JEFFRY GORDON, PH.D., AND CHRISTIE CALAHAN

Ultrasound is the stethoscope of the
21st century. It is the only imaging tool
that can be brought directly to the
patient rather than forcing the patient to
go to the imaging device. Not only is that
better for the patient who may not have
the mobility but it also allows for imaging
scheduling to be more flexible, available
and safe during a time where infectious
diseases can be transmitted in a waiting
room. In fact, for even greater flexibility
in acquiring diagnostic images, the
probes on the ultrasound device can
now be attached to a cell phone.
SUPPORTING HIGH-DEMAND
CLINICAL SKILLS
Like many universities, Vanderbilt has
a growing nursing student population.
Between an aging population with a
longer life expectancy and advances
in healthcare technology, nurse
practitioners are in high demand -
especially those with ultrasound training.
Aside from scheduling convenience
and practicality factors, sonography is
quickly becoming a staple of modern
medicine and is considered the gold
standard for monitoring a developing
infant's health throughout pregnancy. As
a result, Vanderbilt has a strong interest

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in training nurse students to become
proficient with the technology.
However, the typical training delivery
- which relies on face-to-face training
with hands-on experience - is just not
scalable for the magnitude needed.
There are not enough instructors or
ultrasound devices to come close to
meeting the demand. The cost of hiring
additional instructors and purchasing
enough devices to provide that level of
hands-on training would be hundreds of
thousands of dollars, which is far outside
Vanderbilt's budget.
Like many institutions, Vanderbilt is not
alone in this. Every nursing program and
medical center faces a serious shortage
of trainers and devices that can be
released for training and removed as a
clinical resource.
THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES OF
SCALING TRAINING IN A CLINICAL
ENVIRONMENT
Since much of the education that
students receive is already online,
migrating ultrasound training to an online
environment is a natural progression.
However, traditional authoring tools

have limitations. While eLearning
can show students how to set up
the ultrasound console, it cannot
adequately demonstrate to clinicians
how to properly use the probe on
a patient, especially when trying to
identify the anatomy being scanned.
Furthermore, it's difficult to show
the ultrasound output in real-time or
recreate the experience without some
form of immersive media.

MIGRATING ULTRASOUND
TRAINING TO AN ONLINE
ENVIRONMENT IS A
NATURAL PROGRESSION.

Healthcare educators, both in academic
and practice settings, continue to seek
the most realistic simulations for their
students. However, the rising cost of
healthcare equipment - alongside a
heightened focus on patient safety
- make it difficult to provide ample
opportunities for students to practice
new skills.
Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2020

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