Emergency Ultrasound

At the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, our commitment to a robust ultrasound curriculum sets us apart from other institutions. The Division of Emergency Ultrasound is a leader of point-of-care ultrasound at UW Health and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, with other specialties modeling our operations. Almost all of our departmental faculty have active ultrasound privileges.

We consider practical training in emergency clinical ultrasound to be among the foundational components of residency, so we invest in a strong ultrasound curriculum and incorporate this training into clinical care. At UW, we offer:

1. More highly trained faculty. The UW DEM has nine diverse fellowship-trained ultrasound faculty, which underscores our commitment to an environment of ultrasound excellence. As a resident, you will work side-by-side with these faculty to develop knowledge and skills in bedside ultrasound.
2. More state-of-the-art equipment. We have several clinical ultrasound machines — including machines with equipped with AI tools — which help trainees build their ultrasound skills instead of spending time searching for “the machine.” Every scan performed in the emergency department is reviewed for QA purposes, and we employ multiple high-fidelity simulators.
3. Opportunities for advanced training. We offer a competitive, accredited advanced emergency ultrasound fellowship designed to train newly graduated resident physicians to be expert sonographers as well as leaders in point-of-care ultrasound education, administration, research, and global health applications.
4. Training from day one to day 1095. In their first month, PGY-1 residents complete a hands-on ultrasound workshop, followed by a dedicated rotation that uses asynchronous didactics to maximize bedside learning with faculty. Ultrasound training continues throughout all three years, reinforced by an award-winning small group workshop series that covers all 12 ACEP-recognized clinical indications.
5. More use at the bedside. With our growing cohort of ultrasound fellowship-trained faculty and most department faculty having ultrasound privileges, we create a clinical environment that encourages the use of ultrasound in clinical practice.