The Capstone experience is a required rotation for 4th year medical students to prepare them for internship. As part of this rotation, students attend a Capstone Procedural Workshop for an afternoon. This involves training with ultrasound equipment and hands-on teaching on how to perform various invasive bedside procedures. Matt Freer, MD, director of the Internal Medicine Procedure Service, has been coordinating the paracentesis portion of this training for the last 7 years. During the workshop, a hospitalist demonstrates how to perform a paracentesis, including use of an ultrasound machine and discussion points regarding the safety of the procedure, to small groups of 4th year medical students over three hours. The workshop runs for five afternoons in the late winter to early spring every year.
