On today’s episode of the Ultrasound Powered Clinician, Ohad speaks with Dr. Thomas Cook, Program Director for Emergency Medicine at Palmetto Health/University of South Carolina. They discuss Dr. Cook’s longtime use of ultrasound for quickly diagnosing patients, his twenty-five years of training other doctors to reap ultrasound’s benefits, and how he wows his patients with the technology.

Topics discussed:

• How Dr. Cook learned ultrasound through a serendipitous moment, and why he’s essentially traded in his stethoscope for a handheld ultrasound device.
• The ways in which ultrasound has evolved in both capabilities and size, from massive lab-based machines to a handheld device that can be carried in the back pocket “like a wallet.”
• How Dr. Cook saw ultrasound usage and training expand as it resulted in more positive results and important life-altering diagnoses for patients.
• Why handheld ultrasound overcomes the barrier of logistics and hesitancy to rolling in a cart-based system during busy times — it’s already in your pocket and ready to use.
• Why patients view ultrasound as “the ultimate wow” and how seeing inside their body helps patients better understand their illnesses.
• Advice for practitioners just getting started in ultrasound, including the need to practice, practice, practice.
• The opportunities for advancement in ultrasound technology, and how AI models can improve in order to provide better training and guidance.

Resources Mention:

3rd Rock Ultrasound: 3rdrockultrasound.com