Number
417
Name
Use of Ultrasound to Support Student Learning of Physiology in an Osteopathic Medical Curriculum
Date & Time
Monday, June 16, 2025, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location Name
Exhibition Hall C
Speakers
Brett Condon - Rocky Vista University - Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine
Presentation Topic(s)
Instructional Methods
Description

Purpose
Ultrasound has been widely used to support learning of anatomy both in allopathic and osteopathic medical schools across the US. In osteopathic medical schools, ultrasound is used to effectively support learning of both anatomy and clinical techniques but is rarely used to support physiology instruction. Our study aimed to implement supplemental ultrasound learning sessions reinforcing cardiac and pulmonary physiology at an osteopathic medical school and assess their efficacy.

Methods
Study participants were volunteer, first-year osteopathic medical students during a three-week Cardiovascular/Respiratory (CV/Resp) Course. Participants attended three 30-minute ultrasound sessions focused on 1. Thoracic anatomy, 2. Cardiovascular physiology, and 3. Respiratory physiology. Each session groups of five students worked directly with a trained facilitator to complete a worksheet designed to reinforce physiological concepts using measurements obtained using ultrasound equipment. Students completed pre- and post-session surveys regarding their preparation and understanding of relevant physiologic principles. After the study, course grades, exam scores, and performance on relevant physiology questions were compared between study participants and non-study participants in the same course.

Results
Study participants (n=50) performed significantly higher on all relevant course assessments and earned a 4% higher overall course grade than non-study participants (n=100) in the same course (p < 0.05). Importantly, participants did not perform significantly better in non-study relevant disciplines (i.e. histology). Most participants reported the sessions were beneficial to their learning (86% agreed), and exam preparation (79% agreed), and should be incorporated into the curriculum (82% agreed).

Conclusion
Both objective and subjective measures from this study suggest that integrating ultrasound with physiology instruction was beneficial to first-year osteopathic medical students as a supplement to their CV/Resp curriculum. These preliminary data suggest there may be value in applying this approach to other systems courses.