How we started an elective in emergency bedside ultrasound

The expanding use of bedside ultrasonography in the practice of emergency medicine and other specialties is accompanied by the need to train medical students in its applications and interpretation of its results. In this article, the authors describe their successful design, launch, and management of the ultrasound elective at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Because the course has been so well received, the authors are now exploring ways of presenting its content and skills-building opportunities in more venues, including the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course.