The Mount Sinai School of Medicine recently welcomed its incoming first-year class in its traditional White Coat Ceremony. In a day filled with inspirational talks by prominent faculty and medical leaders, students don their new white coats and receive a stethoscope at a special ceremony attended by family, friends and faculty members.

This year, Sinai’s medical students were also introduced to a new curriculum in point-of-care ultrasound:

“First-year medical students traditionally learn about the human body by dissecting the cadavers and eventually by examining the patients, and the examination ranges from inspection and palpation to listening with the help of a stethoscope and interpreting the sounds of the heart, lungs and blood vessels,” says Jagat Narula, MD, PhD, who is the principal investigator of this research study and the director of the cardiovascular imaging program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “With handheld ultrasound, our medical students will have the ability to see live images of inside the body projected onto a handheld screen in real time.  It’s an innovative educational concept that can modernize medical education.”

As part of an educational research study, GE Vscan ultrasound machines will be distributed to groups of medical students who will learn to use the technology to image the heart, lungs, and abdomen. Mount Sinai is the first school in New York to initiate such a curriculum.

David Muller, MD, dean of medical education at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, says of the research study, “First-year medical students will learn how to identify and assess the anatomical structures within cardiac, thoracic and abdominal applications. We are excited to incorporate the portable ultrasound in our curriculum as we strive to revolutionize the way medicine is taught.”

The curriculum will augment what is being taught in the Art and Science of Medicine course, which is the students’ introduction to physical examination.

Bret Nelson, MD, RDMS, FACEP, associate professor and director of emergency ultrasound in the department of emergency medicine at Mount Sinai, will be leading the new curriculum with Dr. Narula. Says Dr. Nelson, “Point-of-care ultrasound represents a distinct skill set beyond physical examination. Te increased penetration of sonography through a variety of clinical practice environments means students will need to understand this technology to excel in patient care through their careers.”

FROM LEFT: Jagat Narula, MD, PhD; David Muller, MD; Mike Harsh, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, GE Healthcare; Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, The Mount Sinai Medical Center; Tom Gentile, President and Chief Executive Officer, GE Healthcare; Bret Nelson, MD; and Lisa Kennedy, Director, Strategic Marketing, healthmagination

“Today, we are thrilled to play a part in this important research project by providing Mount Sinai’s first-year medical students with the power of portable ultrasound technology, as they take the first step towards becoming our next generation of doctors,” says Tom Gentile, president and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems. “Tools like Vscan have the ability to help transform the physical exam and today’s announcement reaffirms GE Healthcare’s commitment to research and improving patient care by helping enhance the physician’s ability to quickly and accurately diagnose patients.”

For the full story, please check out the October 1 edition of Inside Mount Sinai.

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