Patience Agborbesong, MD, didn’t go to SHM’s “Essential Procedures for the Hospitalist” seminar on a whim. In fact, the medical director of Wake Forest Inpatient Physicians of Winston-Salem, N.C., skipped her own hospital’s career day to attend the society’s One-Day Hospitalist University (ODHU) session where she received four hours of hands-on training in the use of ultrasound equipment for vascular access, paracentesis, and thoracentesis.
“When I was training, we didn’t use ultrasounds to routinely do central lines,” says Dr. Agborbesong, an ODHU rookie. “Now that is something that is recommended as a patient safety measure. When we do the procedure without ultrasounds, you’re blind-sticking and going by the anatomic landmarks.”
The course was one of four one-day seminars that drew nearly 200 hospitalists to Atlanta. CME credit is awarded for all of the ODHU courses. The program also included “Best Practices in Managing a Hospital Medicine Program,” “Critical Care Medicine for the Hospitalist,” and “Fundamentals of Inpatient Coding and Documentation.”
Like many hospitalists, Dr. Agborbesong used ODHU as a chance to expand the skill set of her 15-hospitalist group. In addition to relaying what she learned during the ultrasound course to her colleagues, she’s also planning to hone her skills with help from radiologists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
“I didn’t come here thinking I would be an expert,” she says. “It was a very good place to start.”
To stay updated on SHM-sponsored training programs, visit the SHM Web site.