POCUS360: Integrating Ultrasound Into Outpatient and Inpatient Care 2026
Diagnostic Ultrasound · Guided Procedures · Critical Care · RUSH Protocol
Build practical point-of-care ultrasound skills for outpatient clinics, inpatient care, emergency medicine, critical care, vascular assessment, focused cardiac evaluation, lung ultrasound, and ultrasound-guided procedures.
Bring practical ultrasound skills into everyday clinical care
The use of ultrasound to diagnose disease and guide procedures continues to grow rapidly. Evidence increasingly supports its ability to improve procedural success while helping reduce complications.
This course presents current techniques for diagnosis and ultrasound-guided procedures in both outpatient and inpatient settings. The curriculum combines foundational ultrasound principles with real clinical applications that can be incorporated into existing practice.
Participants review abdominal, vascular, lung, cardiac, thyroid, renal, bladder, FAST, vascular access, shock assessment, and procedural ultrasound topics.
- Review the basic science and diagnostic use of ultrasound
- Assess thyroid, gallbladder, kidneys, bladder, aorta, and DVT
- Use ultrasound in FAST, lung, IVC, and cardiac assessment
- Improve peripheral and central venous access technique
- Apply the RUSH protocol to shock and hypotension
Why This Course Matters
Develop a structured approach to diagnostic and procedural point-of-care ultrasound.
Each section addresses practical examination, interpretation, equipment, safety, positioning, needle placement, and clinical integration challenges encountered across outpatient and inpatient care.
Strengthen outpatient diagnosis
Review ultrasound assessment of the thyroid, gallbladder, kidneys, bladder, abdominal aorta, deep veins, RUQ, and common abdominal pathology.
Improve procedural guidance
Understand patient preparation, indications, contraindications, safety protocols, positioning, equipment, and needle placement for common ultrasound-guided procedures.
Evaluate critically ill patients
Integrate FAST, lung, IVC, focused cardiac ultrasound, vascular access, shock assessment, and respiratory failure evaluation.
Apply the RUSH protocol
Use the pump, tank, and pipes framework to assess hypotension, hemodynamic compromise, and the major forms of shock.
Complete POCUS360 Curriculum
Open each course day to review the lectures, workshops, faculty, and simulation sessions.
Thursday, May 7, 2026 — Outpatient Day 9 sessions
-
7:45 am
Opening
Welcome and Introduction
John Hanicak, MD and Shetal N. Shah, MD
-
8:00 am
Fundamentals
Basics of Diagnostic Ultrasound Lecture
Shetal N. Shah, MD
-
8:45 am
Outpatient Imaging
POCUS for Thyroid, Gallbladder, and Kidney/Bladder
John Hanicak, MD, Shetal N. Shah, MD, and Joyce Shin, MD
-
9:30 am
Vascular
POCUS of Abdominal Aorta and DVT
Douglas Joseph, DO
-
10:30 am
Workshop
Hands-On POCUS Workshop: Vignettes with Guided Practice
John Hanicak, MD, Douglas Joseph, DO, Shetal N. Shah, MD, and Joyce Shin, MD
-
12:45 pm
Procedural Basics
Patient Preparation, Equipment, and Technique
Alex Ockerse, PA-C, D. Alex Paratore, DO, and Shetal N. Shah, MD
-
1:15 pm
Clinic Procedures
Joint Injections, Nerve Blocks, and Soft Tissue Aspirations
John Hanicak, MD, D. Alex Paratore, DO, Robert Stenberg, MD, and Jessica Tomazic, MD
-
1:45 pm
Fluid Procedures
Thoracentesis, Paracentesis, and Arthrocentesis
Lacey Grego, PA-C, John Hanicak, MD, Eileen Nelson, APRN, CNP, and Daniel K. Schneider, MD
-
2:45 pm
Workshop
Hands-On Procedural POCUS Workshop: Vignettes with Guided Practice
Lacey Grego, PA-C, John Hanicak, MD, Eileen Nelson, APRN, CNP, Alex Ockerse, PA-C, D. Alex Paratore, DO, Chris Riwniak, DO, Daniel K. Schneider, MD, Shetal N. Shah, MD, Robert Stenberg, MD, and Jessica Tomazic, MD
Friday, May 8, 2026 — Inpatient Day 8 sessions
-
7:45 am
Opening
Welcome and Introduction
Courtney Smalley, MD
-
8:00 am
Technique
Quick Ultrasound Technique Review and Introduction to the Day
Katherine Lang, DO
-
8:30 am
FAST Workshop
Oh, the Pain! Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma
Lead: Brian Makowski, DO. Assistants: Joshua Jacquet, MD, Katherine Lang, DO, and Martina McDermott, MD
-
8:30 am
Lung and IVC
Intrathoracic and Intravascular Compromise
Lead: Ajit Moghekar, MD. Assistants: Siddharth Dugar, MD, Lacey Grego, PA-C, Katherine Lang, DO, and Martina McDermott, MD
-
11:00 am
Cardiac POCUS
Show Me Where Your Pump Is
Leads: Ben Alencherry, MD and Gary Parizher, MD. Assistants: Joshua Jacquet, MD, Katherine Lang, DO, Brian Makowski, DO, and Martina McDermott, MD
-
1:00 pm
Vascular Access
Peripheral IV and Central Venous Access Lectures
Aanchal Kapoor, MD and Michael Taylor, MD
-
1:30 pm
Workshop
Peripheral IV and Central Venous Access Workshops
Aanchal Kapoor, MD, Michael Taylor, MD, and Avneep Aggarwal, MD
-
3:50 pm
Shock
Introduction to RUSH and Shock
Siddharth Dugar, MD and Martina McDermott, MD
-
4:00 pm
Simulation
Putting Your Skills Into Practice: Diagnosing Shock with POCUS
Siddharth Dugar, MD, Lacey Grego, PA-C, Joshua Jacquet, MD, Katherine Lang, DO, Brian Makowski, DO, Martina McDermott, MD, Ajit Moghekar, MD, and Courtney Smalley, MD
Saturday, May 9, 2026 — Simulation Workshops 4 modules
-
8:00 am
Workshop Rotation
RUSH Into Your Practice — Group A
Assessing critically ill patients in shock
-
8:00 am
Workshop Rotation
POCUS360: Waves in the Longitudinal Clinic — Group B
Outpatient abdominal and procedural ultrasound
-
10:15 am
Workshop Rotation
RUSH Into Your Practice — Group B
Pump, tank, pipes, shock recognition, and simulated cases
-
10:15 am
Workshop Rotation
POCUS360: Waves in the Longitudinal Clinic — Group A
RUQ, renal, abdominal, thoracentesis, paracentesis, and aspiration skills
A practical review across the major areas of POCUS
Each track connects examination technique, interpretation, clinical use, and procedural safety.
Diagnostic POCUS
Thyroid, gallbladder, kidney, bladder, abdominal aorta, DVT, RUQ, renal, and common abdominal pathology.
Critical Care
FAST, lung ultrasound, IVC evaluation, focused cardiac assessment, shock, and respiratory failure.
Guided Procedures
Joint injections, nerve blocks, soft tissue aspiration, thoracentesis, paracentesis, arthrocentesis, and vascular access.
RUSH Protocol
Hemodynamic compromise, pump-tank-pipes assessment, simulated cases, and ultrasound findings across shock states.
Learning objectives, audience, and activity directors
A practical course for clinicians using ultrasound across outpatient and inpatient care.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
Thursday – Outpatient Day – POCUS360: Waves in the Longitudinal Clinic
- Summarize the basic science and diagnostic use of ultrasound imaging.
- Describe the basics of ultrasound to assess the thyroid, gallbladder, kidneys, and bladder.
- Describe the most effective diagnostic use of ultrasound to assess vascular abnormalities including aortic pathology and deep venous thrombosis.
- Demonstrate competency for understanding the indications and contraindications, patient preparation and universal safety protocol, patient positioning, and needle placement for each of the ultrasound-guided procedures listed below.
- Describe the fundamental principles and necessary equipment for ultrasound-guided joint injections, nerve blocks, and soft tissue aspirations.
- Describe the fundamental principles and necessary equipment for ultrasound-guided thoracentesis, paracentesis, and arthrocentesis.
Friday – Inpatient Day – 360 Seconds: Hands-On POCUS Skills for Critically Ill Patients
- Summarize the basic science and diagnostic use of ultrasound imaging.
- Review the role of ultrasound in a focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) exam to assess for free fluid in the abdomen or around the heart.
- Summarize the basics of using ultrasound to assess lungs.
- Describe the protocols, evaluation, and best use of echocardiography in critically ill patients.
- Describe the fundamental principles, indications, and necessary equipment for ultrasound-guided peripheral and central venous access.
- Demonstrate competency for needle placement for peripheral IV access and blood draws.
- Recognize complications and discuss aftercare related to each of the ultrasound-guided procedures listed above.
- Practice the evaluation of shock and respiratory failure with integration of skills utilizing the Rapid Ultrasound for Shock and Hypotension (RUSH) exam in a simulated setting.
Saturday – Hands-On Simulation Workshops
“RUSH” Into Your Practice: Assessing Critically Ill Patients in Shock
- Identify the hemodynamically compromised patient.
- Describe the three components of the Rapid Ultrasound for Shock and Hypotension (RUSH) exam: Pump, Tank, and Pipes.
- Utilize the Rapid Ultrasound for Shock and Hypotension (RUSH) exam protocol in simulation cases.
- Explain the ultrasound findings seen in the four types of distributive shock.
POCUS360: Waves in the Longitudinal Clinic
- Describe how to perform and recognize common pathologies using RUQ, renal, and abdominal ultrasound in the outpatient setting.
- Perform paracentesis, thoracentesis, and soft tissue or large-joint aspiration, including describing patient preparation, indications and contraindications, the universal safety protocol, needle placement, and recognition of common complications of these ultrasound-guided procedures.
Who Should Participate
This activity is designed for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, fellows, and residents working across outpatient, inpatient, emergency, hospital, and critical care environments.
Department of Classical Hematology
Cancer Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Department of Family Medicine
Primary Care Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Department of Diagnostic Radiology
Diagnostics Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Department of Emergency Medicine
Integrated Hospital Care Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Meet the Cleveland Clinic faculty
A multidisciplinary teaching team from emergency medicine, critical care, radiology, cardiology, surgery, and primary care.
Lacey Grego, PA-C
Department of Classical Hematology
Cancer Institute
Cleveland Clinic
John Hanicak, MD
Department of Family Medicine
Primary Care Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Shetal N. Shah, MD
Department of Diagnostic Radiology
Diagnostics Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Courtney Smalley, MD
Department of Emergency Medicine
Integrated Hospital Care Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Avneep Aggarwal, MD
Department of Intensive Care and Resuscitation
Ben Alencherry, MD
Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
Marina Boushra, MD
Department of Critical Care
Department of Emergency Medicine
Siddharth Dugar, MD
Department of Pulmonary Medicine
Joshua Jacquet, MD
Department of Emergency Medicine
Douglas Joseph, DO, RVT, RPVI
Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
Aanchal Kapoor, MD
Department of Critical Care Medicine
Katherine Lang, DO
Department of Emergency Medicine
Brian Makowski, DO
Department of Emergency Medicine
Martina McDermott, MD
Department of Emergency Medicine
Ajit Moghekar, MD
Department of Critical Care Medicine
Lauren Moore, MD
Department of Critical Care
Department of Emergency Medicine
Eileen Nelson, APRN, CNP
Department of Diagnostic Radiology
Alex Ockerse, PA-C
Department of Critical Care Medicine
D. Alex Paratore, DO
Department of Diagnostic Radiology
Gary Parizher, MD
Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
Chris Riwniak, DO
Department of Emergency Medicine
Daniel K. Schneider, MD
Department of Diagnostic Radiology
Joyce Shin, MD
Center for Endocrine Surgery
Robert Stenberg, MD
Department of Emergency Medicine
Michael Taylor, MD
Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Jessica Tomazic, MD
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Brian Kissinger, MSN, RN
Simulation and Advanced Skills Center
Eduardo Mireles-Cabodevila, MD
Simulation and Advanced Skills Center
Department of Critical Care Medicine
Build a more practical and confident approach to point-of-care ultrasound
Review the complete outpatient, inpatient, procedural, critical care, and simulation curriculum and revisit the topics most relevant to your clinical practice.
Download Course





6 reviews for Meetings By Mail Cleveland Clinic POCUS360 Integrating Ultrasound Into Outpatient and Inpatient Care – 2026 Update