Diagnostic POCUS Certificate Program

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs 1 - 9 below | FAQs 10 - 16

It’s a five-part online pathway to learn and improve your competence in POCUS image acquisition and interpretation skills to facilitate diagnosis and management of various acute pathologies to inform clinical care. Developed exclusively for physician anesthesiologists by practicing anesthesiologists with extensive POCUS expertise, this program complements clinical training through:

Access to peer-reviewed and approved POCUS courses
Mentored* image acquisition skills development and competency assessment.
Image interpretation competency assessment of real patient cases and pathologies

*IMPORTANT: Prior to purchase, you will need to decide if you will use a local mentor or use ASA faculty to attest to your work in Part 3 of the program. See price points for each option and review the role/qualifications of the mentor below.

This program is offered exclusively to physicians and designed specifically for physician anesthesiologists. It’s the only specialty-specific program of its kind.

The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) have identified diagnostic POCUS of the heart, lungs, and gastric antrum as core competencies for practicing anesthesiologists and anesthesiology trainees.

The standardized POCUS training safely and ethically aids diagnosis/treatment.
A convenient online curriculum helps you learn, access, practice, and improve your diagnostic POCUS skills at your own pace.
As the only Diagnostic POCUS Certificate Program created by physician anesthesiologists, you’ll learn directly from your peers with a curriculum built for you.

Focuses on diagnostic ultrasound of the heart, lungs, and stomach – the three POCUS organ systems identified by both the ABA and ACGME as core competencies for practicing anesthesiologists.
Culminates into a certificate of completion that will help you demonstrate competence in diagnostic POCUS to hospital credentialing/privileging committees.
Earn digital badges to recognize and validate your qualifications in each content area and share them on your LinkedIn or other platforms.

Purchase online at Shop ASA. There are two purchase options (available March 1):

Purchase option 1: Self-appointed local mentor designated to supervise image acquisition competency
Purchase option 2: ASA faculty mentor assigned to supervise image acquisition competency

This activity awards a maximum of 40 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and up to 10 points toward MOCA Part 4 requirements of the American Board of Anesthesiology.

This Certificate Program emphasizes focused diagnostic ultrasound evaluation of the heart, lungs, and gastric antrum, which are the diagnostic POCUS organ systems identified by the ABA and ACGME as being of highest relevance to the field of anesthesiology. The portfolio may be expanded to include additional organ systems in future releases.

The Diagnostic POCUS Certificate Program offers a certificate of completion that does not expire. It is not a certification which would award credentials upon completion and require recertifying.

Part 4 of this program requires a mentor to oversee and attest to the quality of your portfolio of POCUS studies. This program offers two mentor options, at different price points:

Local mentors are qualified physicians who agree to supervise the validity and accuracy of your hospital on-site studies and complete an attestation form in each of the relevant POCUS domains.
1. See local mentor qualifications posted below.
2. See sample attestation forms. Cardiac Mentor Attestation Gastric Mentor Attestation Lung Mentor Attestation
ASA faculty will act as mentors if you do not have a local mentor.
1. ASA faculty will review and provide approval or feedback on images not approved.
2. Remove all Protected Health Information (PHI) from clips before uploading them. (ClipDeidentifier is a free tool you can use to remove patient data. Download of the de-identification tool is available within Part 4 of the program).

Mentors must be physicians with demonstrated competence in POCUS or diagnostic ultrasound expert practicing in any specialty (e.g., cardiology, radiology, internal medicine, critical care, and/or emergency medicine).

Qualified mentors should meet the following requirements for each POCUS domain.

Lung (pleural/pulmonary) ultrasound local mentors must meet one of the qualifications below:

Completion of one of the following national certificates in lung ultrasound:

(1) ASA Certificate of Completion in Diagnostic POCUS;
(2) CHEST/ACCP Certificate in ICU POCUS; or
(3) If the mentor has completed a national/international certificate or certification not listed above, they may enter on the form for consideration.

Served as faculty at a CME course (local, regional, or national/international) teaching lung ultrasound.
Personally performed and interpreted at least 50 lung ultrasound exams under appropriate supervision.
Current Director of Lung POCUS in a department/division/practice area.

Gastric ultrasound local mentor must meet one of the qualifications below:

Completion of the national certificate in gastric ultrasound: ASA Certificate of Completion in Diagnostic POCUS.
Served as faculty at a CME course (local, regional, or national/international) teaching gastric ultrasound.
Personally performed and interpreted at least 50 gastric ultrasound exams under appropriate supervision.
Current Director of Gastric POCUS in a Department/Division/Practice Area.

Focused Cardiac Ultrasound (FoCUS) local mentor must meet one of the qualifications below:

Completion of one of the following national certificates in transthoracic heart ultrasound:
Served as faculty at a CME course (local, regional, or national/international) teaching transthoracic cardiac ultrasound.
Personally performed and interpreted at least 150 FoCUS exams under appropriate supervision.
Current Director of Cardiac POCUS in a department/division/practice area.