Ultrasound Fellowship

Our Mission

UCSD’s Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Fellowship was created in 2010 out of a desire to advance the use of bedside emergency ultrasound to improve patient care and create educators within the field. Our program is based on the ACEP Guidelines, however we encourage our fellows to go above and beyond, with our ultrasound faculty tailoring advanced topics to meet the fellow’s interests and ideas. We focus on providing specialized training in ultrasound technique, interpretation, and application to clinical practice. Our fellows are trained to become leaders in both academic and community settings.

Fellow Responsibilities

Teaching

The fellow will be responsible for a large amount of teaching of medical students rotating in Emergency Ultrasound. This will be both in clinical and didactic sessions. Additionally the fellow will be actively involved in didactic teaching and hands-on courses involving emergency residents, as well as with our new School of Medicine second year ultrasound curriculum. We are also constantly exploring international opportunities for teaching, with prior trips to Mozambique, Nepal, and Mexico.

Conferences

There are US conferences given 6 times per year to Emergency faculty and residents during the year. The fellow will be expected to give two of these lectures. Additionally,the fellow will be actively involved in teaching faculty conferences once or twice a year.

Quality Assurance

QA will be lead by the fellow four times a month and attended by at least one ultrasound faculty, and all rotating residents and medical students. All scans done in the ED will be reviewed in video clip format. QA sessions will involve saving interesting scans for future didactics and feedback to residents, medical students and faculty regarding their scans.

The fellow will complete one quality assurance project during fellowship to improve upon the practice, organization or teaching of emergency ultrasound.

Journal Club

During each QA session the fellow is expected to review and critique articles chosen by the medical students and residents rotating with the division.

Scanning shifts

The fellow will do scanning shifts at UCSD Jacobs Medical Center and Hillcrest Medical Center. We are also looking at the possibility of expanding to the Rady Children's Hospital and VA Medical Center. During scanning shifts the fellow will provide active teaching to medical students, residents and faculty in the emergency department during the shift.

Billing and Credentialing

The fellow will learn the details of billing of emergency ultrasound. At completion of the year the fellow will be knowledgeable in the credentialing process of emergency ultrasound.

Clinical Shifts

Fellows with a background in Emergency Medicine are expected to maintain their primary board skills in the ED. Opportunities are available at both UC San Diego Health sites, Rady Children’s Hospital, and El Centro Regional Medical Center.

Research

The fellow is responsible for designing an ultrasound study and getting it approved through the Institutional Research Board to be ready to start at the beginning of fellowship. Additionally, the fellow is required to submit an abstract to a national convention. During the fellowship year the goal is to start two research projects under the guidance of the ultrasound faculty.

Salaries

Full benefits including medical and dental will be provided by UCSD during the fellowship. Four weeks of vacation are available during the fellowship. All conferences at which the fellow presents research will be paid for by the Emergency Department.

Faculty Leadership

• Sukh Singh, M.D., Fellowship Director
• Colleen Campbell, M.D., Division Director
• Anthony Medak, M.D.