A National Point‐of‐Care Ultrasound Competition for Medical Students

SONOSIM SUMMARY: Since the first recorded “Ultrasound Challenge” in 2006, competition-style ultrasound events have been growing at medical institutions across the nation. From smaller scale, intra-institutional “Ultrafests” to the nationwide “SonoGames” focused on emergency medicine, the gamification of ultrasound has garnered a foothold at all levels of medical education.

AIUM’s SonoSlam is the largest ultrasound competition geared exclusively towards medical students with different ultrasound-related challenges. Challenge topics include ultrasound physics and knobology, normal sonographic anatomy and physiology, and live scanning of real pathologies achieved through simulation via SonoSim LiveScan®. During the competition, students acquire and identify normal structures, diagnose pathologic conditions, and integrate ultrasound findings into clinical decision making.

These gaming events have proven to be an educational success and have stimulated interest in ultrasound education during the earlier years of medical education. Students leave these events improving their scanning skills, increasing their image interpretation knowledge, and enhancing their confidence about conducting exams. SonoSlam and similar competitions allow students to practice scanning pathologies and making diagnoses and treatment plans with little-to-no risk, enabling them to focus on honing technique and acquiring knowledge in a competitive, fun way.