“Sonographic FAST and Internal Jugular Line Insertion Simulations: Exposing Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Students to Hands-On Skills.”

Sonography is a proven and important addition to the assessment and management of patients in acute settings by healthcare providers. Additionally, there is now robust evidence and multiple government organizations and societies advocate real-time ultrasound guidance for a number of needle-based procedures. It is evident that sonographic skills will play an important role in the future of acute care healthcare providers including nursing practitioners.

Acute care nurse practitioner students with no prior sonography experience can develop a level of introductory knowledge in basic Sonographic skills through participation in didactic sessions and a lab with sonography of a model patient under the supervision of an American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) Certified Sonographer.

We used a lab environment to introduce sonography to nurse practitioner students. The sonographic skills evaluated were the ability to differentiate artery from vein for central line insertion and components of the FAST exam (Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma) which includes assessing for free abdominal fluid by visualization of the liver kidney and liver spleen interface, the aorta, pericardium and bladder. Students completed an online test pre and post event to assess their ability to identify structures. Educational intervention after the pre-survey included pre-event assigned sonography reading materials, brief didactic sessions, and a skills lab with experienced sonographers who monitored each scan and confirmed skill application. The primary outcome was the change pre-survey to post-survey in the students on-line test and the students ability to perform scans and identify the anatomic structures.

ACNP students can acquire basic sonographic skills from an introduction program. This program was intended to evaluate the introduction of sonography into nurse practitioner education. Sonography has been added to the clinical skills labs for our Adult-Gerontology ACNP program.