In late 2014, I attended the AIUM MSK ultrasound course that was held at the USOC facilities in Colorado Springs. Why, you might ask? Well, here are four reasons I did.

1. Focus—I do a lot of MSK ultrasound (I have my RMSK and my practice is AIUM accredited) but I do not see a lot of hand and wrist. Since the focus was going to be on upper extremity I felt that this would be a chance to get a good review of hand, wrist and elbow.
2. Killer faculty—Jay Smith, Lev Nazarian, Tony Bouffard and Jon Jacobson were all on the schedule. Combine them with a limited number of attendees and I knew I would get to interact with them on a more personal level.
3. Great format—The way the content was structured really appealed to me. I like how we had a lecture, followed immediately by a live scan and then the ability to scan patients. It was excellent and really brought the lecture material right into practice.
4. Location and price—I had never been to Colorado Springs, much less the Olympic training center. And when I looked at how focused the course was as well as the faculty, I felt the price was very reasonable—especially with the option of staying on site.

For me, the thing that stood out most at the course was getting an appreciation for scanning the scapholunate ligament (SLL). My scanning preceptor was very adept at showing us how to visualize the ligament and how to easily locate it. When I went back to the office and actually had an SLL injection, I was able to do it effectively and get my patient good relief.

I hope that if or when the AIUM does this course again, or another MSK course, they keep the number of participants limited and the topics varied. At some point, I think the course could become stratified so that whether you are at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level, you can participate and learn. Personally I’d like to see a course focusing on the hip and spine with injections.

All in all, given the hosts, the course faculty, the limited number of attendees and topic scope, the price and location, this was one of the best MSK ultrasound courses that I’ve attended.

What’s the best course you have attended? How can AIUM make its courses better? Have you heard about AIUM’s newest MSK Course? Comment below or let us know on Twitter: @AIUM_Ultrasound.

Amadeus Mason, MD, is Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Family Medicine at Emory Sports Medicine Center in Atlanta.