POCUS Quick Start
Free US Learning Resources
Resource | Description | Topics | Professional | Cost |
YouTube channel with comprehensive and practical 5-20 min videos, ranging from beginner (e.g. liver) to advance applications (e.g. pulse wave doppler). Videos range from quick limited topic videos to long lecture-like videos. | General (ED scope, including OB/gyn) | Jared T. Marx, MD, AEMUS, FPD Ultrasound Director, UNMC Department of Emergency Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center | Free | |
YouTube channel that correlates well with their own website online course and book. The website is very easy to bookmark and reference on the go and at the bedside (e.g. cardiac views). UMass folks recommended this resource to us all. | General (ED scope, including OB/gyn) | Vi Dinh, MD FACEP RDMS RDCS Professor of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Critical Care Ultrasound Director and Fellowship Director Loma Linda School of Medicine | Free (Book is $135 on amazon) | |
5-minute videos of various topics and procedures, image review videos, and longer podcast videos. Has some good GI-related videos which is unique (e.g. hernia). | General (ED scope) | Jailyn Avila MD Associate Ultrasound Director and the Director of Faculty Development UHS SoCal MEC Emergency Medicine Residency in Temecula, California | Free | |
YouTube channel with 5-minute quick videos (e.g. supraspinatus) and longer lecture-like full joint assessment (1 hour) videos for MSK (e.g. shoulder). Very good for nuances and practical tips for MSK scanning. Good for beginners and good for deep learning. | MSK | Professional group of Radiologists and Sonographers from Australia | Free |
Free Video Courses & Online Resources
Resource | Description | Topics | Professional | Cost |
YouTube channel with more than a hundred videos of an intelligent soft-spoken radiologist showing side-by-side examples of pathological US scans comparing them to normal. Labeled images. Many OB/GYN topics covered (e.g. abnormal pregnancy). | General (but not ED focus); Heavy OB/GYN, fetus; thyroid, abdomen, breast | Radiologist | Free | |
YouTube channel with many videos; the most useful ones are the webinars which are 30 min long but thorough grand-round like lectures on various topics. MSK ones are very good (e.g. hip). | MSK | Ultrasound manufacturer | Free | |
YouTube channel with some decent 2-minute procedure videos. Good procedure videos. Not comprehensive how-to guides but confidence building in that it makes scanning and procedures look easy! MSK webinars are insightful (e.g. shoulder). | Decent MSK, soft tissue, abdomen, lung, breast | Ultrasound manufacturer | Free | |
Free website and atlas of pathological/abnormal sonograms. It’s fun to look for specific pathology or just to browse! They also have some great guides (e.g. appendix) | Very comprehensive (including eye, pediatrics, trauma) | Michael Macias MD, Ultrasound Director and Co-Fellowship Director Southwest Healthcare Medical Education Consortium | Free |
Free Video Courses & Online Resources
Resource | Description | Topics | Professional | Cost |
A family medicine resource! It’s rare to find family medicine made resources online. It looks like they only started in 2023 and have 20 videos so far. The AAA screening lecture is really good (AAA link). | General; heart, lung, abdomen, MSK | Waco Family Medicine Residency | Free | |
My personal pathology library, going through real clinical case examples, side-by-side normal vs pathology, and relevant review of the literature. It’s primarily for me personally but some folks have found it useful. | General | Me | Free | |
One-page guide and slide deck for learning DVT rule out. I compare sonograms to anatomy and cadaver anatomy as well. I also review the relevant literature. | LE vasculature | Me | Free | |
One-page guide and slide deck for learning AAA screening for family physicians. I compare sonograms to 3D anatomy models.I also review the relevant literature. | Abdominal aorta | Me | Free |
Free Video Courses & Online Resources
Resource | Description | Topics | Cost |
A very practical ebook with traditional textbook chapters. Great for learning EFW and dating. | OB/GYN | Free | |
Quick reference guides for MSK. Search online for the free pdfs (e.g. knee, hip, shoulder). I use often at the bedside for reference! | MSK | Free | |
Great general reference and beginner POCUS book (lung, heart, etc but little MSK and OB/Gyn) | General | $93 on amazon | |
Quintessential MSK US book (also available as an e-book which is nice to search through). Lots of pathology examples. | MSK | $58 on amazon | |
Outpatient centered general book including procedures. Also includes billing. | General | $82 on amazon | |
Uptodate has a detailed article with pathology examples | MSK | Uptodate subscription |
Free or Low-cost Books, PDFs, and Other Resources
Resource | Description | Modality | Cost |
3D app that allows you to +/- organ systems and organ layers. I used it to learn tendons, ligaments, gallbladder, really anything! I take screen shots to use when annotating my notes and correlating with scans. | Phone app | $39.99/y student $99.99/y attending | |
Free labeled radiological images. I use the axial CT abdomen particularly to help me learn AAA screening and surrounding vasculature (e.g. Axial CTAP). The CTAP stacks and pelvis MRI stacks are free at least. They offer other paid courses and anatomical areas I haven’t explored yet. | Website | Free (CTAP at least) | |
Free labeled MRI scans of MSK anatomy. For example, to learn US of the greater trochanter for steroid injection, I can review how the gluteal muscles insert (e.g. MRI hip) | Website | Free | |
Free transverse cross-sections of cadavers. Very helpful to me especially for learning DVT rule out and AAA screening (e.g. abdomen) | Website | Free |
Anatomy Resources
Free Resources List QR Code
POC handheld US reviews
Perez-Sanchez, A., Johnson, G., Pucks, N. et al. Comparison of 6 handheld ultrasound devices by point-of-care ultrasound experts: a cross-sectional study. Ultrasound J 16, 45 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13089-024-00392-3
VScan Air CL Review
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Lumify Review
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Butterfly Review
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Other Handheld/Pocket Ultrasounds
Ultimately just get any ultrasound and start learning and scanning
Billing Resources
Billing Links
One Year of Potential Billing (Single heavy use provider)
Educational Scanning Consent
PRIME POCUS Learning Network
PRIME POCUS Learning Network
PRIME, which stands for POCUS Research, Innovation, and Medical Education, was launched with support from a grant from the American Board of Family Medicine Foundation.
ABFM requirements for POCUS in FM residencies
POCUS for Family Physicians Presentations::
Protocols and Guides:
Ultrasound Pathology Library for Family Physicians:
A small icon of a probe denotes which US images are from my own scans
Lumify Curvilinear
Lumify
Linear
Lumify
Phase Array
VScan Curvilinear
VScan Linear