What is Practical POCUS Teaching?

Learn about how we are furthering access to amazing ultrasound training across Missouri for FREE!

What is POCUS?

Point of Care Ultrasound

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is new to many of those in healthcare, but has major advantages that physical exam alone or other imaging cannot perform. It allows them to more quickly identify what is going on with patients as well as perform certain procedures better such as IV access with the assistance of ultrasound.
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FAQ

  • How long does it take to complete the online version of the Portable Ultrasound Master Class?

    The Portable Ultrasound Master Class takes 24 hours to complete.

  • What desktop platforms are supported?

    Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.

  • What mobile platforms are supported?

    iOS Safari: 11 and up, Chrome, and Samsung Internet.

  • What are the technical specifications required to run the online courses?

    The most recent version of a web browser listed above, Javascript enabled, PDF plugin, graphic and audio output capability, and broadband internet connection with a minimum speed of 5Mbps (recommended).

  • What are the requirements to complete a course?

    Each quiz and the final test require a passing grade of 80%. There is also a pre-course and post-course survey to help assess for growth in learning.

  • Who do I contact if I am needing support or help?

    Our site has a help area or you can contact us [email protected] directly for help.

  • Who helped plan and develop the courses?

    Chip Lange and Yomi Olusanya planned and developed the courses.

  • Are there any disclosures?

    None of the faculty or administration personnel have any relevant financial disclosures.

  • Is there any commercial support for the courses?

    This course is not commercially supported.

Key Learning Objectives

  • Ultrasound Basics

    Recognize how point of care ultrasound (POCUS) can be used in clinical settings, the basics of how to operate the device, review core concepts such as physics, and address common administrative topics.

  • Vascular Exams and Procedures

    Review the various vascular exams such as evaluating the aorta and IVC, identify pathology including DVTs and aortic aneurysms/dissections, as well as how to perform vascular access using POCUS.

  • Cardiac Exams

    Review the four main cardiac windows (parasternal long axis, parasternal short axis, apical, and subxiphoid) and how to apply them to various clinical scenarios.

  • Lung Exams

    Evaluate the lungs using POCUS and use the images obtained to assist in diagnosing a variety of clinical conditions.

  • Critical Care Exams

    Review both the eFAST and RUSH exams that are used in critically ill and injured patients in different clinical situations as well as identify how POCUS can be used in airway management.

  • Ocular Exams

    Diagnose a variety of pathologies using POCUS such as retained foreign body, lens dislocation, vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, and retrobulbar hematoma.

  • Abdominal, Retroperitoneal, and Pelvic Exams

    Identify the various roles for POCUS to assess the genitourinary tract (including kidneys and bladder), obstetrics (primarily the first trimester), gallbladder, appendix, small bowel, and pylorus.

  • MSK and Soft Tissue Exams

    Evaluate the various roles of POCUS to access musculoskeletal (MSK) structures, the skin, and soft tissues.

  • Needle Guidance Procedures

    Assess the various roles that needle guidance improves with POCUS such as with vascular access, arthrocentesis, and nerve blocks.

Improve your skills and provide better patient care!

Signing up is easy and free!

We believe in the importance of providing point of care ultrasound (POCUS) education. Click on the button below and sign up for dates that work for you. Once we are able to verify your eligibility to take these free courses you will receive access to our full online course and be registered for the live sessions. Seating is limited so make sure to sign up early!
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Ultrasound-Guided IV Access Value & ROI Calculator

Estimate the potential clinical, nursing-capacity, and financial impact of implementing ultrasound-guided peripheral IV (UGPIV) access for patients with difficult intravenous access (DIVA).

Conservative evidence-informed defaults Facility inputs are editable Direct savings separated from RN capacity value

1. Patient volume

Use an estimate from annual encounters, or replace it with your known annual DIVA volume.

Example facility volume used in Gala et al.
Published model default: 75%.
Published model default: 22%; local data preferred.
Operational assumption; reduce for partial adoption.

2. Clinical effect

Defaults use the lower-benefit edge of the 95% confidence interval from the 2025 Zaki meta-analysis.

Conservative default: 0.33. Published pooled estimate: 0.83 fewer attempts.
Conservative default: 4.06 min. Published pooled estimate: 9.75 min.

3. Financial and escalation assumptions

All values are editable. Facility-specific finance and vascular-access data should replace defaults when available.

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Labor excluded here to avoid double counting.
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National benchmark; local loaded labor cost is preferred.
Weakest default: derived from expert-opinion escalation assumptions in Gala et al.
Conservative implementation estimate derived from Amick et al.
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$190 midline − $1.53 UGPIV catheter in the 2026 INS report.
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Enter local incremental cost for longer catheter, cover, gel, etc.

4. Program investment

Enter actual implementation costs to calculate ROI and payback.

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$
Leave at $0 if suitable equipment already exists.
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Methodology & evidence

These notes are intentionally visible so users can audit where the assumptions come from.

Patient volume and DIVA assumptions
Estimated DIVA patients = Annual encounters × PIV rate × DIVA rate × Program reach

Gala S, Alsbrooks K, Bahl A, Wimmer M. The economic burden of difficult intravenous access in the emergency department from a United States' provider perspective. Journal of Research in Nursing. 2024;29(1):6-18. Full text

Attempts and nursing-time effect
Avoided attempts = Addressable DIVA patients × Attempts avoided per patient
RN hours returned = Addressable DIVA patients × Minutes saved ÷ 60

Zaki HA, Elmelliti H, Ponappan B, et al. Outcomes of POCUS-Guided Peripheral Intravenous Access in Difficult Venous Access Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Ultrasound. 2025;53(8):1846-1859. doi:10.1002/jcu.24059. Full text

Midline avoidance
Avoided midlines = Addressable DIVA patients × Baseline midline escalation rate × Midline reduction

Amick AE, Feinsmith SE, Sell J, et al. Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Insertion Training Reduces Use of Midline Catheters in Hospitalized Patients With Difficult Intravenous Access. Journal of Patient Safety. 2022;18(3):e697-e703. PubMed

Hall W. Analyzing Midline and Ultrasound-Guided Peripheral Intravenous (UGPIV) Catheter Utilization Trends (2021–2024). Infusion Nurses Society. Published March 17, 2026. INS article

RN labor benchmark

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: registered nurses mean hourly wage $48.76. BLS wage table

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, March 2026: private-industry wages and salaries represented 69.9% of total employer compensation. BLS compensation table

Planning estimate only. Results are not guaranteed financial savings and do not constitute medical, accounting, or reimbursement advice. Facility-specific data should replace literature-derived defaults whenever available. This version deliberately excludes monetized CLABSI, central-line complications, patient-satisfaction effects, physician time, ED throughput, and length-of-stay effects.