Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has rapidly evolved into an essential clinical tool across healthcare settings. Whether guiding procedures or enhancing bedside diagnosis, its role in patient care is now well-established. Yet, as POCUS becomes more ubiquitous, a critical gap in healthcare education persists—especially in nurse practitioner (NP) programs.
A recent study published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners by Ventura et al. sheds light on this issue, examining the outcomes of a two-day POCUS course designed for adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) students. The results offer both a promising model and a reminder of how far the field still has to go.
The study reflects what many educators already sense: POCUS has become the standard of care in many clinical environments, but its formal inclusion in NP training remains inconsistent. Unlike some physician training pathways—such as emergency medicine residencies—NP programs aren’t widely required to offer POCUS instruction. This leaves many students underprepared to meet the realities of modern clinical practice.
The Ventura study team tackled this challenge by implementing a multimodal, NP-led course combining asynchronous pre-learning, didactic sessions, and hands-on scanning with standardized patients. The hands-on training used real ultrasound devices and emphasized applications across cardiac, pulmonary, abdominal, and vascular systems. Students reported marked improvements in confidence, comfort, and understanding—a strong indicator that the approach was effective.
What made this initiative especially notable was how the training was tailored specifically for NP learners and led by NP faculty with POCUS experience. This peer-to-peer design may have contributed to the course’s success, creating an environment where students could engage with ultrasound concepts in a way that was both approachable and clinically relevant.
The use of structured prework, real-world pathology, and small group scanning exercises mirrors trends seen in other areas of medical education. Past research has shown that combining didactic and practical training—especially in small cohorts with guided instruction—tends to produce better outcomes in both skill acquisition and long-term retention. The Ventura study reinforces these findings in the context of graduate nursing education.
Despite growing recognition of its importance, POCUS instruction is still rarely embedded into the core NP curriculum. Factors like limited access to ultrasound equipment, lack of trained faculty, and absence of standardized requirements contribute to the slow adoption. This isn’t unique to nursing; many areas of medical education continue to wrestle with when and how to introduce POCUS training.
However, as more data like Ventura’s emerges, the case grows stronger for earlier and more deliberate integration—ideally aligned with courses like anatomy, pathophysiology, and physical assessment. There’s also value in exploring longitudinal exposure, so students can gradually build their image acquisition and interpretation skills over time.
This study doesn’t claim to offer all the answers—it had a small sample size and focused on self-reported outcomes—but it contributes meaningfully to the ongoing conversation about how best to prepare NP students for real-world clinical demands. Its take-home message is clear: structured, multimodal POCUS training, even in a short time frame, can improve learner confidence and readiness to use ultrasound in practice.
One of the consistent challenges across all healthcare training environments is access—access to equipment, patients, and trained instructors. For programs looking to close this gap, simulated scanning environments and asynchronous learning tools are increasingly being used to supplement limited in-person opportunities. These resources can help normalize POCUS exposure early and provide more equitable access to high-quality training.
SonoSim was designed with these challenges in mind. While not a replacement for bedside learning, this platform provides virtual access to real pathologic scanning cases, guided scanning practice, and assessment tools. This proprietary POCUS ecosystem can support educators as they work to expand ultrasound education, particularly in resource-limited settings.
As the healthcare system continues to evolve, so too must the way we prepare clinicians. Point-of-care ultrasound is here to stay, and education needs to reflect that reality. Thoughtfully integrating POCUS into NP training is not just about teaching a new skill—it’s about aligning education with the future of patient care.