The annual World Congress of Ultrasound in Medical Education (WCUME) is promoted by the Society of Ultrasound in Medical Education (SUSME).
The first WCUME took place in Columbia, SC in 2011. The following editions were held in Columbia, SC (2013), Portland, OR (2014) and Lubbock, TX (2016).
One of the most dramatic changes in medicine today is taking place in ultrasound imaging technology. Portable, high-quality, digital imaging is now possible at virtually any patient point-of-care site from the emergency department to a disaster location to the space station. This point-of-care technology is significantly improving the quality of healthcare and saving lives daily. Ultrasound applications have increased many-fold in the past decade, and the spectrum of users of ultrasound now includes a wide variety of every practitioner from primary care providers to almost every physician subspecialist. Ultrasound is also proving to be a powerful teaching tool in such basic science courses as anatomy and physiology.
This World Congress has been designed to bring together educators, practitioners, healthcare and education administrators, innovators, students, trainees, and those concerned about the quality of today’s healthcare to share experiences, expertise, and their thoughts on how best to incorporate the power of ultrasound into education and clinical practice. This is also a Congress to introduce the novice to ultrasound and serve as their starting point to future utilization.
The potential exists for ultrasound to fundamentally change how we teach and practice medicine, and it is imperative that it be done right.