SonoSim

The SonoSim Ultrasound Simulator is a specialized medical simulator that is a pivotal component of effective ultrasound education. Because ultrasonography is non-invasive and non-radioactive, it has become an indispensable imaging alternative in today’s healthcare world. Being proficient at using an ultrasound device is critical for healthcare imaging and diagnostic professionals, as well as physicians and other allied health professionals. This means that learning how to operate ultrasound equipment—and produce consistently clear images—has become ever-important within the field of healthcare. Clinical Simulation is a highly effective way for ultrasonography learners to achieve their training goals.

What Is an Ultrasound Simulator?

An ultrasound simulator is a tool used during medical simulation training to help learners develop ultrasound skills. When using an ultrasound, a learner must first understand the basics of how to hold an ultrasound probe and correlate what they’re doing manually with what they are seeing on the monitor. It takes practice to learn how to “drive” an ultrasound machine, and an ultrasound simulator gives students the opportunity to grow their skills and get ample practice using a simulator instead of a live patient. The images that they see are drawn from an actual case database, and they’re able to receive feedback as they advance through modules.

All About the SonoSim Ultrasound Simulator

Founded in 2011, SonoSim is an integrated ultrasound training solution that offers engaging didactic healthcare simulation courses, hands-on training, and knowledge assessments. The SonoSim Ultrasound system is the most comprehensive ultrasound education ecosystem available. Especially in a world that has changed rapidly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SonoSim helps learners overcome the barriers to ultrasound training by providing learning opportunities anytime and anywhere.

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SonoSim is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, but SonoSim’s technology can be accessed through personal computers virtually anywhere via the cloud. This means that healthcare professionals interested in learning about ultrasonography have access to the SonoSim Ultrasound Training Solution to enhance their skills, regardless of their location throughout the world. The SonoSim learning module is ideal for physicians, residents, nurses, medical students, DMS students, allied health professional students, out-of-hospital care providers, and combat casualty care providers.

The SonoSimulator uses actual patients and real patient findings while preserving critical ultrasound imaging artifacts traditionally encountered during the ultrasonography learning process. By preserving the elements that exist in real-time learning, the training modules offered by the SonoSimulator give users the information and experiences necessary to begin recognizing key anatomical landmarks and pathologies.

Benefits of SonoSim Solutions

Because SonoSim solutions meet the demand for comprehensive ultrasound learning materials—by providing engaging material and real cases—the SonoSim Ultrasound Training Solution perfectly caters to an ultrasonography learner’s educational needs. Another benefit of the SonoSim Ultrasound Training Solution includes SonoSim’s wireless delivery of comprehensive ultrasound education and training at any time from any location. This makes the product infinitely convenient and accessible, with thousands of patient cases accessible around the world, every day. Additionally, SonoSim’s solutions are simple to navigate and intuitive to use.

The SonoSim company states that its training programs integrate didactic courses, hands-on training, and knowledge assessment in an effective, easy-to-use, and engaging way. SonoSim refers to the design of its training solutions as “refreshingly simple” and “incredibly effective.”

Says Cathy Ruff, RVT, the Digital Sales Adaptation Leader at GE Healthcare, “The SonoSim Ultrasound Training solution is one of the more comprehensive and easy-to-use ultrasound training solutions available. In my over 25 years of experience with ultrasound and my exposure to multiple, different training courses, programs, and teachers, [the solution] is one of the best ones I have personally been exposed to.”

Other Highlights of the SonoSim Solution

In addition to these benefits, SonoSim’s Medical Simulation training materials are also highly effective because they are accompanied by a variety of tools and resources. Learners are exposed to a library of actual patient cases, ranging from “normal” conditions to pathologic conditions. These cases provide numerous educational examples and exercises for learners to use as a reference as they practice treating patients. SonoSim’s case library contains more than one thousand patient cases, and new cases are added regularly.

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An ultrasound training solution needs to replicate the real experience of scanning a patient in order to help learners master the nuanced skill of ultrasonography. SonoSim’s cases are obtained from real patients, and this training solution allows for an on-demand, hands-on, and authentic scanning experience. SonoSim also helps teach learners how to use the exact probe movements that expert sonographers used to scan the original patients. By replicating the exact tactile movements of an actual ultrasound probe to scan a real patient, the SonoSim delivers a maximal education experience. SonoSim’s courses are in an interactive multimedia format using still and dynamic ultrasound imagery, audio narration, computer graphic imagery, and animation.

SonoSim’s solutions are all sourced from leading ultrasound experts. SonoSim notes that all courses provided are developed by leading experts in ultrasonography and medical education. This adds to the quality of the SonoSim modules and the effectiveness of the educational tool overall.

SonoSim’s Knowledge Assessment Features

After a training module has been completed, SonoSim’s solutions then offer students immediate probe-positioning ultrasound guidance and expert feedback. System administrators are able to track and monitor user performance and progress as well. Learners may also insert a SonoSim Probe into their USB port and instantly transform their personal computer into a bedside ultrasound training environment. This “anywhere and everywhere” access is another reason why SonoSim integrated training solutions are superior learning tools.

Knowledge assessments give users the opportunity to answer in-module and end-of-module questions to help evaluate their skills and the information they have learned. In-module questions are accompanied by direct question-and-answer feedback, and end-of-module questions are automatically scored with real-time results provided to users.

At the completion of a training solution, all of a user’s hands-on training cases can be saved, annotated, and archived for a later performance review.

Training Personalization Options with SonoSim

Various training personalization options are available with SonoSim. The USB-powered probe that can accompany a SonoSimulator allows users to scan using a variety of approaches. They can scan using a traditional manual approach on either a live volunteer or on a mannequin. Learners who are using the USB-powered probe are guaranteed to receive immediate expert instruction and probe-positioning guidance using a laptop computer, according to SonoSim.

To help learners get the most out of their ultrasound training solutions, SonoSim also provides a series of content choices, which are separated into individual SonoSim modules. Modules allow educators to deliver expertly-created training cases, didactic instruction, and detailed knowledge assessment that is personalized to each learner’s needs. SonoSim offers four categories of modules. Each module is designed to deliver a single SonoSim Course, knowledge SonoSim Assessment, and SonoSim hands-on training case.

  • The anatomy and physiology modules focus on the foot, ankle, elbow, heart, and other various anatomical areas.
  • The advanced clinical modules offer more specific practice topics, including GYN ultrasound, normal adnexa, first-trimester pregnancy, and second- and third-trimester pregnancy (broken down into parts I and II).
  • The core clinical modules target areas of learning such as the lower extremities, ocular assessment, or cardiology.
  • The procedure modules are even more specific, providing insight into highly-technical skills such as ultrasound-guided subclavian vein cannulation, ultrasound-guided femoral line placement, and peripheral venous access.

By providing these modules with integrated didactics, knowledge assessment, and hands-on training, SonoSim technology converts a laptop computer into a personal ultrasound training platform. The company delivers comprehensive ultrasound training anytime, anywhere, and enables learners to obtain continuing medical education (CME) by completing designated CME-accredited courses at their own pace.

Quantitative Analysis of the SonoSim’s Impact on Healthcare Learners

SonoSim technology has been measured to assess its effectiveness with healthcare learners. Through performance measurement research conducted by the SonoSim company, analysts concluded that the various training solutions offered by SonoSim will boost a learner’s basic scanning procedures by 121 percent, their window interpretation by 133 percent, their window identification by 474 percent, and their diagnostic interpretation by 535 percent. These quantitative improvements are just one more reason why SonoSim technology can be such as critical tool when it comes to ultrasonography education.

SonoSim’s Competitive Landscape

SonoSim is a proven-effective method that can help learners develop the hand-eye coordination that is demanded of a competent ultrasonographer in a relaxed clinical simulation setting. Other ultrasound simulator companies provide learners with ultrasound teaching within a Clinical Simulation realm as well. These SonoSim competitors include CAE Healthcare simulators such as the COVID-19 Lung Ultrasound Simulator and Vimedix, the Gaumard Ultrasound Simulator, Simulab, Intelligent Ultrasound, and Simbionix. These ultrasound training solutions can help learners advance their ultrasonography skills, with various features and technological offerings.