More About POCUS in Family Medicine and the Certificate Program
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is sometimes referred to as the 21st century stethoscope. POCUS can help make decisions quickly for patients at the bedside, decrease time to diagnosis, and better triage who needs subspecialty care.Now, the updated ACGME guidelines recommend teaching this in family medicine residency education. Yet, there is a gap in trained faculty and established curriculum for teaching POCUS.The STFM Family Medicine POCUS Educator Certificate Program targets these gaps and focuses on solutions to help grow and support POCUS education in family medicine.Participants in the certificate program receive:
- A POCUS curriculum tailored for family medicine faculty
- Robust in-person and virtual workshops
- A series of case-based online modules on targeted topics
- Image review with feedback by experienced faculty
- Monthly education review sessions to review POCUS cases
- A final assessment with both written and in-person skills exams
How to Apply for the POCUS Educator's Certificate Program
The application window for the 2026–2027 cohort of the FM POCUS Educator's Certificate Program is open through January 15, 2026.To apply, submit the following:
- Complete the application form.
- Be prepared to upload your CV, a letter of support from your department chair or program director, and a sample ultrasound clip.
Benefits of the Family Medicine POCUS Certificate Program
Hands-On Training
Practice POCUS techniques and image acquisition, understand clinical indications and evidence on the use of POCUS at the bedside, and learn how to communicate and document POCUS scans.
Building a POCUS Program
Receive practical guidance on how to advocate as a POCUS champion, bill for POCUS, and make financial arguments for implementing POCUS training at your institution.
Eligibility, Schedule, and Cost
Eligibility
Applicants must be or have:
- Current STFM members (if you're not a member and you're interested in the fellowship, you can join STFM online)
- A family medicine faculty member with resources to practice POCUS regularly, including access to ultrasound equipment for both faculty and residents
- A letter of support from your program director or chair stating you have the time and resources to fully participate
- The ability to share deidentified ultrasound images with STFM's image review software
- Committed to attend the following:
- Monthly 2-hour virtual education review meetings
- Two in-person workshops on May 1–2, 2026, and March 20–21, 2027
- Virtual full-day workshop in fall 2026
- In-person skills assessment connected to the second in-person workshop
If you have any issues with your application, contact Jenni Minor at jminor@stfm.org.
Schedule
Cost
The registration fee for the STFM FM POCUS Educator's Certificate Program is $4500. This covers the session fees for two in-person preconference workshops, a full-day virtual workshop, monthly image review, a set of 10 online modules, and more. Participants pay travel expenses.
You and/or your department or institution will need support for:
- Travel to the workshop at the 2026 STFM Annual Spring Conference
- Travel to the 2027 Advanced Workshop
- Time investment for monthly meetings and scanning to fulfill the education and image review requirements
Related POCUS Resources
Questions?
If you have questions about this conference, contact Jenni Minor at (913) 800-5651 or the email link below.
EMAIL QUESTIONS