The Current State of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Education in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Programs

Abstract Background Exposure to musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) is now a mandatory component of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR 61% had mandatory MSUS training (28.2% when including nonrespondents); and 44.4% had a formal curriculum (20.5% when including nonrespondents). The most common MSUS educational tools used were lecture (88.9%), outpatient clinic (86.1%), and hands-on workshops (86.1%). Sixty-one percent of responding programs evaluate residents with formal assessment tools. Overall, faculty at 38.8% and 44.4% of programs believed that at least 50% of residents who graduate are competent in diagnostic and interventional MSUS, respectively. These rates were significantly associated with the use of formal assessment. Conclusion MSUS education is growing in PM&R, but many programs still have not adopted a formal educational curriculum. Formal assessment to evaluate resident MSUS skills significantly improves faculty-perceived MSUS competency.