Background: Ultrasound (US) is widely used among physicians. There has been no standardized curriculum in US for undergraduate medical students. This study aimed to assess the US image acquisition skill of final year medical students after adding 2 weeks dedicated radiology rotation.
Methods: At our institution, there are two hospital affiliations. Two-week radiology rotation was added for the final-year students of one affiliation. These students had a chance to do the US in real-life clinical settings proctored by radiologists. At the end of the academic year, US image acquisition skill was assessed by objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in students from both affiliations.
Results: From 48-final-year medical students, 28 students finished the 2 week radiology rotation. OSCE mean score of the students who received radiology rotation was significantly higher than other groups with a score of 65.5 compared to 53.3, respectively (P = 0.006). The student background characteristics had no relationship with the OSCE score (P = 0.565).
Conclusion: Results showed that exposure through a dedicated radiology rotation in only 2 weeks is helpful to improve the US skill of the medical students regardless of their background performances. Exposure to live patients is essential for students' experiences. OSCE can be used as a standardized assessment tool.
Keywords: Medical education; teaching; ultrasound.