POCUS Journey: The Transformative Leap from Learner to Leader in Ultrasound Training | Feb 2025 Newsletter

In many parts of Ghana, access to ultrasound is limited, making early detection of pregnancy complications a challenge. The Global Ultrasound Institute (GUSI), in partnership with the Society of Family Physicians of Ghana (SOFPOG), Ghana Health Service, and Grand Challenges, led a POCUS workshop in emergency obstetrics in Busua, Western Region. Four family physicians, all graduates of GUSI’s OB POCUS Fellowship, trained 32 midwives, many of whom traveled up to 18 hours by bus to attend.

These dedicated midwives gained essential skills in obstetric ultrasound, enabling them to identify high-risk conditions such as low-lying placenta, twin pregnancies, abnormal fetal heart rates, and more. As they return to health facilities in the Western and Sahara regions—many without existing ultrasound access—their new expertise will help safeguard the lives of countless mothers and babies.

Our guest blog contributor this month, Dr. Adjoa Boatemaa Bonsu, shares her inspiring journey from trainee to trainer and the transformative impact of this workshop. For more inspiring voices, see participant Modesta speak about working as a midwife in rural Ghana, and her excitement about scanning. 

Earlier in my journey, an elated first-time pregnant woman walked into the clinic for an ultrasound scan. She radiated joy, eager to see the first glimpses of life growing inside her. But the doctor’s worried expression did not match her excitement. Instead of a baby, he had found a molar pregnancy. 

The news was devastating, but through it all, I remember his steady reassurance: “Thankfully, we are seeing it early.”

In Ghana, where many conditions are diagnosed too late, early detection is a rare but invaluable gift. This doctor—a dedicated family physician—was the first to bring and operate an ultrasound machine in my small town. As a high school student shadowing him, I witnessed firsthand how technology could alter the course of a patient’s story. That was my first encounter with ultrasound–it was more than just an observation; it was a revelation. It was the moment I fell in love with diagnostic imaging, all because of a pregnant woman’s story.

Years later, I find myself standing on the other side of the journey. Now a radiology resident, I never imagined that my first experience teaching POCUS would be to midwives—women who dedicate their lives to ensuring safe pregnancies and deliveries. They stand as the first line of defense, the trusted hands guiding mothers through the uncertainties of childbirth. With ultrasound at their disposal, these midwives could detect complications at the point of care, preventing tragedies before they unfold. It was a profound full-circle moment, bridging my earliest inspiration with my current calling.

I was honored to be part of GUSI’s OB POCUS Fellowship, in partnership with the Society of Family Physicians of Ghana (SOFPOG). The program was designed to build POCUS teaching capacity, followed by a week of hands-on training for midwives and ongoing mentorship. The opportunity was thrilling, but as the training approached, so did the doubts.

A week before the program began, I was consumed by imposter syndrome. 

“How can we expect to equip ‘ultrasound-naïve’ midwives with these skills in just four days?” 

“What if I fail as a trainer?”

“What if the training isn’t effective?” 

The fears were relentless, gnawing at my confidence. But what I didn’t realize was that I was about to witness something extraordinary.

With eager and passionate learners, GUSI’s structured curriculum, and a clear set of scanning protocols, the impossible became possible. By the end of the very first day, my anxieties melted away like morning mist under the sun. The midwives absorbed the knowledge with remarkable speed, their hands growing steadier with each scan, their confidence blooming with each success. The progress was nothing short of phenomenal.

At the conclusion of the program, the midwives left not just with new skills, but with the power to change lives. They would return to their communities, armed with the ability to detect complications and safeguard the health of countless mothers and babies. But what I gained was equally invaluable. I left with an overflowing heart, a sense of fulfillment so deep that it silenced every doubt I had before. I realized, in that moment, that being a trainer was not just something I was capable of—it was something I was meant to do.

Ultrasound skills are too crucial to be reserved for only a select few. The ripple effect of training spreads far beyond the classroom, reaching mothers, families, and entire communities. And as these newly trained midwives go on to teach others, a new generation of trainers will rise. The impact will be limitless, a cycle of knowledge and empowerment that will continue long after we have moved on.

And that, I believe, is the true power of teaching.

 

 

Adjoa Boatemaa Bonsu, MD
Vice President of Ghana Association of Doctors in Residency 
Radiology Resident Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana