FAST Focused Ultrasound: POCUS Training for Emergency & Cruise Line Medical Professionals

Meets ACEP’s POCUS training requirement for Cruise Line Medical Professionals.

When you’re the only provider onboard—or the first responder in a trauma bay—every second matters. This one-day, hands-on course equips you with the skills, speed, and confidence to make life-saving decisions using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS).

Following American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) guidelines, you’ll learn to perform a Focused Assessment by Sonography in Trauma (FAST) exam to quickly identify internal bleeding or injury in the peritoneal, pericardial, and pleural cavities.

The course blends focused lectures on ultrasound physics, anatomy, and scanning protocols with live model scan labs for extensive hands-on practice and immediate image interpretation.

Course Highlights

• ACEP-approved: Meets POCUS training requirements for cruise line medical professionals

• Hands-on scan labs: Real-world practice with live models

• Rapid trauma assessment: Focused training for emergency and acute care settings

• Flexible delivery: Mobile training available at your facility

• Global expertise: AHEC has trained physicians across the U.S., China, and South America

Prepare to make critical, life-saving decisions with confidence—whether on land or at sea.

Faculty: Shawn Shanmuganathan, BS, RDMS, RVT- No relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Tuition

• Advanced Registration $495 = more than 60 days before the course

• Regular Registration $695 = 30-60 days before the course

• Late Registration $895 = 30 days or less before the course

Target Audience

Emergency medicine physicians, trauma surgeons, critical care physicians, intensivists, internal medicine and family practice physicians who perform and interpret emergency ultrasound examinations. Emergency personnel—including sonographers, technologists, paramedics, EMTs, nurses, and other frontline healthcare professionals—who manage trauma patients and perform emergency ultrasound assessments.

CME Credits

• “The Advanced Health Education Center, Ltd. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.”

• “The Advanced Health Education Center, Ltd. designates this educational activity for maximum of 6 hours AMA PRA Category 1™. Physicians should claim commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.”

Recommended Material

Sound Advice: Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Protocols by Thomas Whelan, RT(R), RDMS, RDCS, RVT, FASE

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Interest for Individuals in Control of Content

As an ACCME-accredited provider, Advanced Health Education Center (AHEC) is committed to ensuring balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. 

In accordance with ACCME Standard 3, AHEC requires that all individuals in control of content—including planners, faculty, committee members, and administrative personnel involved in the planning, development, or production of educational activities—disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the past 24 months. A financial relationship is considered relevant if it exists between the individual and an ineligible company whose products or services are related to the content of the educational activity.

AHEC has implemented mechanisms to identify, mitigate, and disclose relevant financial relationships to prevent commercial bias in its educational activities. All disclosed relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the educational activity.

The individuals listed below are acknowledged by AHEC as having control of the content, planning, development, or administrative support of all educational activities.

• Marilyn Sackett, M. Ed, RT (R), Committee Member
  • AHEC: President
  • No relevant financial interest to disclose
• Jence Garza, MHA RT(R) - Committee Member
  • AHEC: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
  • No relevant financial interest to disclose
• Peggy Hoosier, M.Ed RT(R)(M) - Committee Member
  • AHEC: Consultant
  • No relevant financial interest to disclose
• Kelli Reddix, MBA, BAAS, LVN - Program Director
  • AHEC: Senior Vice President
  • No relevant financial interest to disclose
• Nanette Joiner
  • AHEC: Administrative Support
  • No relevant financial interest to disclose
• Debbie Robertson, BS, RDMS
  • Ultrasound Faculty
  • No relevant financial interest to disclose
• Virlene Guzman, RT(R), RDMS, RVT
  • Ultrasound Faculty
  • No relevant financial interest to disclose
• Shawn Shanmuganathan, BS, RDMS, RVT
  • Ultrasound Faculty
  • No relevant financial interest to disclose

Content Validation:

All presentations designated for AMA PRA Category 1™ credit undergo a rigorous review process to ensure content validity. This process includes:

• Curriculum Committee Review: All content is reviewed and approved by members of the curriculum committee for scientific accuracy, balance, and alignment with current evidence-based practices.
• Peer Review: Where applicable, content is subjected to peer review by individuals with appropriate clinical expertise and no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.
• Conflict of Interest Assessment: Prior to the advertisement and delivery of the educational activity, all individuals involved in the planning, development, or production of the activity disclose any relevant financial relationships. Any identified conflicts are resolved in accordance with ACCME Standard 3.5.
• Identification of Emerging Topics: New and evolving topics are clearly identified as such within the program to distinguish them from established, evidence-based practices.

 This comprehensive approach ensures that all educational content is fair, balanced, and based on the best available evidence, thereby supporting safe and effective patient care.

Private Ultrasound Tutorials

We understand that you may want/need to practice your new skill set more than the regularly scheduled courses allow. You can add an extra day of scanning in addition to this course by calling AHEC and speaking to a faculty member about our private tutorial option. Additionally, this tutorial is a one on one session with our expert faculty and can be designed to enhance your already developed skills. Call AHEC at 1-800-239-1361 for more information or click here for more details. Private Ultrasound Tutorials

AHEC Cancellation and Refund Policy for Skills Courses

AHEC defines a skills course as a limited enrollment course where a received registration with payment reserves your place in a course (i.e. all Ultrasound courses, Mammography Initial Training and other theory courses). For cancellations received at least two weeks prior to the course date, a refund minus the 3% transaction fee and a 30% processing fee will be given. Within two weeks of the course, no refund is given, but a tuition credit – less a 30% processing fee – may be applied to a future course. No refunds or tuition credit is given for non-attendance. Facilities may substitute employees by notification to AHEC at least one week in advance.