Prehospital Ultrasound Academy — Bend, Oregon

Adventure Medics teaches the Prehospital Ultrasound Academy in Bend, Oregon — a three-day, hands-on point-of-care ultrasound course built for EMS providers who need to acquire and interpret images in the back of a rig, on a scene or in the backcountry, not in a hospital bay. Didactic instruction, scanning stations and simulation across pulmonary, focused cardiac, carotid and eFAST ultrasound, taught by Drew Congdon, BASc, FP-C, CCP-C.

A $100 deposit holds your seat; the balance is due once the class reaches minimum enrollment. Central Oregon EMS and medical providers: email us for a discount code that saves over $100. Seats are limited — see all upcoming dates on our class schedule.

What the Prehospital Ultrasound Academy covers

This course prepares prehospital providers to integrate point-of-care ultrasound into their EMS system: how the machine makes an image, how to get a usable window on a moving patient, what the image is telling you, and what you do differently because of it. Roughly the entire course is hands on — scanning stations with instructor coaching, image interpretation exercises and simulation-based scenarios, with emphasis on clinical integration, quality assurance and the evidence-based use of ultrasound findings in patient assessment, treatment decisions, resuscitation strategy and destination planning.

• Ultrasound Physics and Image Acquisition
• Pulmonary Ultrasound Assessment
• Focused Cardiac and Carotid Ultrasound Assessment
• Ultrasound-Guided Cardiac Arrest Assessment
• Trauma Ultrasound and the eFAST Examination
• Clinical Integration and Decision-Making
• Quality Assurance and Program Implementation

Three-day course schedule

The Academy was formerly a five-day course; the same content is now covered in three days. You can read the full course syllabus, including medical director and agency approval sections.

Minimum scan requirements

You leave with documented reps, not just lecture notes. Every student completes and documents the following minimum number of supervised ultrasound examinations during the course, and must demonstrate image-acquisition proficiency as determined by course faculty and the Medical Director.

Examination	Minimum number
Pulmonary ultrasound	20
Focused cardiac ultrasound	20
eFAST examinations	10
Carotid pulse Doppler / cardiac arrest assessment	5

Learning objectives

On successful completion of the Academy, participants will be able to:

• Explain ultrasound physics, image generation, probe selection and machine operation relevant to prehospital care
• Set up and optimize an ultrasound system and acquire images using infection-control practices that work out of hospital
• Identify normal sonographic anatomy of the thorax, heart, abdomen, pelvis and major vascular structures commonly assessed in EMS
• Acquire and interpret lung views for lung sliding, B-lines, pleural effusion, pneumothorax and consolidation
• Obtain standard focused cardiac views and recognize pericardial effusion, tamponade, right ventricular strain, gross left ventricular dysfunction and cardiac standstill
• Perform carotid ultrasound and carotid pulse Doppler assessment during cardiac arrest resuscitation
• Perform a complete eFAST examination and recognize free intraperitoneal fluid, hemothorax, pneumothorax and pericardial effusion in trauma
• Integrate ultrasound findings with history, exam and physiologic data to support clinical decision-making and patient disposition
• Describe the indications, limitations and pitfalls of prehospital ultrasound, and when to seek physician consultation or further diagnostic evaluation
• Apply quality assurance principles, image documentation standards and the protocols needed to implement a prehospital ultrasound program

Assessment and course completion

Formative assessment runs daily: image acquisition practice with instructor feedback, simulation-based scenario assessment, image interpretation exercises and case-based debriefings. Summative assessment is a written examination covering ultrasound physics, image interpretation, clinical integration and the indications and limitations of prehospital ultrasound, plus a practical examination of pulmonary, focused cardiac, carotid pulse Doppler and eFAST examinations in scenario-based clinical integration. Successful completion requires a minimum score of 80% on both the written and practical examinations and demonstrated competency in pulmonary, cardiac, carotid and eFAST image acquisition and interpretation.

Equipment and materials

All ultrasound equipment, simulation equipment and training aids are provided, so you do not need to ship or borrow a machine to attend. Students may train on their own agency-issued ultrasound devices with instructor approval — worth doing if you are about to put those probes into service. All course reference materials are provided, and supplemental reading and image interpretation guides are distributed electronically.

Who should take this course

• Paramedics, critical care and flight crews adding point-of-care ultrasound
• EMS agencies standing up a new prehospital ultrasound program
• Search and rescue, wilderness and remote-duty medical providers
• Physicians, PAs, NPs and nurses working in prehospital or austere settings
• Medical directors and program directors evaluating POCUS for their system

Your instructor

The Academy is led by Drew Congdon, BASc, FP-C, CCP-C, a nationally recognized educator and pioneer in prehospital ultrasound education. The course reflects how ultrasound is actually used in the field — including the parts most hospital-based POCUS courses skip: scanning in poor light, on uneven ground, mid-resuscitation, and building the quality assurance and documentation structure an agency needs before it can run a program at all.

Where it happens, and getting to Bend

The Academy is held at Lava Rock Ranch, 64395 Deschutes Market Road, Bend, OR 97701, on the north side of Bend. Redmond Airport (RDM) is 15 minutes away and several car rental agencies operate from the terminal. Adventure Medics can provide a discounted rate at the Fairfield Inn Bend, and there are plenty of other lodging options in town. You can also stay on the ranch: tent and car camping is $20, and a full RV hookup is $45 per night. Tell us when you register so we can hold your spot and send arrival details.

Bringing ultrasound to your agency

If you are standing up a prehospital ultrasound program rather than adding a personal skill, the last block of the course is for you: quality assurance principles, image documentation standards and the system-specific protocols an agency needs in place. We also teach the Academy on site for agencies, fire departments and hospital systems — call (541) 639-9993 and ask for training, or email train@advmedics.com.

Frequently asked questions