Abstract
BACKGROUND: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a bedside diagnostic and procedural tool with growing relevance in clinical medicine. While widely integrated into adult emergency medicine and increasingly introduced in undergraduate medical education, its adoption in pediatric residency programs remains limited. There is a lack of standardized curricula, and little is known about pediatric attending physicians’ perspectives on POCUS education — who are key to curriculum development, supervision, and institutional implementation. This study aimed to assess attitudes, training experiences, and perceived barriers among pediatric faculty regarding POCUS integration into pediatric residency training. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to pediatric attending physicians at two large, urban, tertiary care centers. The survey included demographic data, clinical POCUS use, prior training, perceived importance, and barriers implementing a POCUS program. Data was collected using REDCap and analyzed using descriptive statistics and subgroup comparisons. RESULTS: Of 1,000 invited faculty, 134 responded (13.4%). POCUS was used in pediatric clinical practice by 28%, primarily in emergency medicine, anesthesia, critical care, and surgery (usage ≥ 75%). Of the 28% of respondents who said they use POCUS, 84% of them stated they received some level of training, meaning 16% of providers who use POCUS report never having formal training. Faculty with fewer years in practice were significantly more likely to have received POCUS education during residency and to express interest in further training (p < 0.05). Overall, 90% of faculty supported integrating POCUS into pediatric residency programs, with the highest support in procedural specialties and among those with prior training. Common barriers included limited faculty availability, lack of equipment, time constraints, and funding needs. Perceived clinical relevance varied by specialty and training background: only half of faculty believed POCUS would have improved clinical care in the past month. CONCLUSION: Pediatric faculty broadly support incorporating POCUS into residency education, especially in high-acuity specialties and among more recently trained physicians. However, training gaps and infrastructure barriers persist. These findings highlight a need for structured, specialty-sensitive curricula, faculty development, and institutional investment to align pediatric training with evolving clinical standards and trainee expectations. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-026-08838-z.