05/03/2026
Today I came back from a few days at Otago University doing the Midwife-led Rural Basic Early Pregnancy Ultrasound course after gaining my certificate in ‘Physics in Ultrasound’. So grateful to have been allowed to do this course and so far I have been absolutely loving every part of it!
Now the next step is to go into a period of doing ‘basic early pregnancy ultrasounds’ UNDER SUPERVISION and for this I welcome anyone in the first trimester that would like to help me in my learning. (Ph 0276399005)
I’m looking very much forward to bringing this new skill into practice and extending my scope. The result ll be to have the ability to do ‘point of care ultrasounds’. What does this mean?
- POCU scans are bedside
- in midwifery setting they are only on indication based e.g. spotting, abdominal pain with positive pregnancy hormones (hCG)
- they are to indicate an intra uterine pregnancy viable/ non viable and exclude ectopic. If suspicious of abnormality each scan would be followed up by a formal ultrasound through the ultrasound services.
The scope is limited, but I’m able to make a difference as
- better client experience; easy to access ALL days of the week (even holidays), providing reassurance, reducing travel and cost (no cost for the scan). POCUS can decrease the time of initial concern to diagnosis from days to hours.
- enhancing and streamlining patient care, improving efficiency, and reducing ED visits
So, yes… I’m absolutely thrilled and look forward to work through the next stage which is a period of scanning under supervision.
😉 Charlotte
