Ultrasound Fellowship

[Doctor John]

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Completing an US fellowship seems like it would be very useful if you were a hospitalist. For those that have done it, is it worth the fellowship time diagnostically and financially?

 

[thecalccobra]

Completing an US fellowship seems like it would be very useful if you were a hospitalist. For those that have done it, is it worth the fellowship time diagnostically and financially?

Not worth the opportunity cost in my opinion. Take a few weekend courses in bedside US at most and practice and you’d be more than equipped as a hospitalist.

 

[blue.jay]

I don't think you need a fellowship. I started doing bedside US and echos using resources in my hospital. I talk to uotradoun techs and ask them to teach me their techniques. Our ER has a great machine (which they rarely use except for lines) so take them around for my rounds. For fun sake I took and passed NBE critical care echo boards In case someone asks me if I'm competent to do echos. It makes work more fun.

You can do echo, lung us, gall bladder, diagnosed SBO, cellulitis/abscess. I also ultrasound thyroid just for learning purpose (I saw thyroid inferno sign in a graves pt once)

 

[mszzeta]

Completing an US fellowship seems like it would be very useful if you were a hospitalist. For those that have done it, is it worth the fellowship time diagnostically and financially?

The biggest problem for hospitalist to use ultrasound, in my opinion, is that there is no universal certification process in my knowledge, that will offer you good legal protection (maybe a formal fellowship can be better than informal training in residency. But I am not in medical legal field). By any chance if you miss a DVT or some wall abnormalities on echo and get sued, you could be in trouble

 

[blue.jay]

The biggest problem for hospitalist to use ultrasound, in my opinion, is that there is no universal certification process in my knowledge, that will offer you good legal protection (maybe a formal fellowship can be better than informal training in residency. But I am not in medical legal field). By any chance if you miss a DVT or some wall abnormalities on echo and get sued, you could be in trouble

I doubt a one year US fellowship is going to make a hospitalist better than a radiologist or cardiologist. The fellowship is basically for academics, to buff up CV or teach students some basic ultrasound. I do POCUS but I don't document findings other than IVC diameter. No point in documenting when you cannot bill for the procedure. My colleagues think I waste time doing ultrasound but I personally like doing it to know what is going on with my patient.

I think fellowship is useless if you've resources to learn by yourself. Greatest resources are your echo techs and US radiology sonographers to learn imaging techniques plus there are tons of online/youtube resources.