Obstetric ultrasound simulation

Obstetric ultrasound is becoming an increasingly important part of the practice of maternal–fetal medicine. Thus, it is important to develop rigorous and effective training curricula for obstetrics and gynecology residents and maternal–fetal medicine fellows. Traditionally, this training has come almost entirely from exposure to ultrasound in the clinical setting. However, with the increased complexity of modern ultrasound and advent of duty-hour restrictions, a purely clinical training model is no longer viable. With the advent of high-fidelity obstetric ultrasound simulators, a significant amount of training can occur in a non-clinical setting which allows learners to obtain significant skill prior to their first patient ultrasound encounter and obtain proficiency in a shorter period of time. In this manuscript we discuss the available obstetric ultrasound simulators and ways to construct a comprehensive ultrasound training curricula to meet the increasing demands of modern maternal–fetal medicine.