CQUniversity Unit Profile
ECHO13007 Cardiac Clinical Unit 3
Cardiac Clinical Unit 3
All details in this unit profile for ECHO13007 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

This clinical unit will provide opportunities to apply and integrate both theoretical and practical knowledge, skills and professional behaviours in the clinical environment, independently and under the supervision of qualified professionals. You will consolidate skills in cardiovascular assessment using echocardiography. You will then apply your knowledge to the analysis of the outcomes of cardiac assessment. Analysis of clinical case studies will enable you to provide differential diagnoses, patient management plans and reflection on practice within an ethical framework of best practice and patient safety. Behavioural aspects of professional practice are emphasised and you are expected to reflect on your own performance and exhibit the highest level of safe patient care. Critical appraisal of performance will enable you to advance your professional, technical and analytical skills in a work setting under qualified supervision.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 3
Credit Points: 18
Student Contribution Band: 8
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.375

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisite ECHO13006 Adult Echocardiography AND ECHO13002 Cardiac Assessment Skills OR ECHO13008 Advanced Cardiac Assessment Skills AND ECHO12005 Cardiac Clinical Unit 2Note:ECHO13006 AND ECHO13002 OR ECHO13008 must have been successfully completed within the last twelve months. Should this time limit have elapsed the student must successfully complete one (or more) technical skill, professional behaviour and diagnostic knowledge-based assessment (s) (after completion of technical skill / knowledge revision). Details of this will be articulated in a learning contract created by the Head of Course or designate.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 2 - 2022

Mixed Mode

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 18-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 37.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 450 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Practical Assessment
Weighting: Pass/Fail
2. Professional Practice Placement
Weighting: Pass/Fail
3. Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books
Weighting: Pass/Fail
4. Case Study
Weighting: Pass/Fail

Assessment Grading

This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Student email.

Feedback

Students appreciated clinically relevant content included in tutorials.

Recommendation

Clinically relevant content will again be incorporated into tutorial delivery as this provides guidance for students transitioning from campus to the clinical environment.

Feedback from Student email.

Feedback

Students were concerned about deterioration of skills due to significant placement delays.

Recommendation

Numerous manned and unmanned scanning sessions on campus were made available to students awaiting placement allocation to maintain competency. Clinical Supervisors were contacted for those students affected by delayed placement commencement dates to explain the possibility of a temporary decline in skill level due to COVID-19 restrictions limiting opportunities for students. These methods will be employed again if delays continue to impact student placements.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Perform echocardiographic assessment in the clinical context under supervision
  2. Accurately communicate the outcomes of cardiac assessment including consideration of quality assurance
  3. Apply professional behaviour consistent with safe practice
  4. Analyse, and critically reflect on, clinical cases involving various cardiac assessment techniques.

Linked to National and International Standards
1. ASAR Accreditation Standards for Cardiac Sonography - critical practice Unit 8 - Cardiac, Foundation units of competence - 1- 5.
2. European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Core Syllabus
3. American Registry for Cardiac Sonography Core Syllabus

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Practical Assessment - 0%
2 - Professional Practice Placement - 0%
3 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books - 0%
4 - Case Study - 0%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Practical Assessment - 0%
2 - Professional Practice Placement - 0%
3 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books - 0%
4 - Case Study - 0%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Vancouver

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Shae Cromb Unit Coordinator
s.m.cromb@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Begin Date: 18 Jul 2022

Module/Topic

This unit consists of a sixteen (16) week clinical placement, to a minimum of 640 hours (16 x 40 hours).

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

This clinical unit may occur outside of standard University term dates. Please refer to the unit Moodle site for assessment details and relevant due dates.


Due dates may differ depending on individual start date of clinical placement.

Term Specific Information

The Unit Coordinator for ECHO13007 is Shae Cromb. The preferred method for contacting Shae is via the Q&A forum located on the Moodle site for content related questions. If the query is of a personal nature, please email s.m.cromb@cqu.edu.au, or phone (08) 9260 4053. Shae's workdays are: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and she is based at the Perth Campus.


The clinical window during which this practicum can be undertaken commences on Monday 18th July 2022. The clinical practicum is 16 weeks in duration with full time attendance. A total of 640 hours (16 x 40 hours) of clinical placement must be completed. Students must attend the allocated clinical placement for the entirety of each working day, including the last day of placement, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed by both the Unit Coordinator and Clinical Supervisor in writing.


This year 3 clinical unit builds on the echocardiography skills, knowledge and attributes developed during year 2 and 3 of the Bachelor of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology/Graduate Diploma of Echocardiography course offering. There are no specified texts for this unit. However, students are expected to revise previous theoretical content and prescribed texts related to the pathological knowledge and practical skills of echocardiography and cardiac physiology. Students must ensure that the texts from previous units are available to consult whilst on placement. Students are expected to consult these resources regularly to enhance knowledge and understanding during this clinical unit. Fortnightly tutorials will be held during the term. Specific times and zoom meeting IDs will be posted on the unit Moodle site.


There may be public holidays which occur during this clinical placement. These can be entered as 8 hours on the clinical attendance form and do not need to be 'made up'. If a student is unwell, please advise the Clinical Supervisor and Unit Coordinator as these hours must be ‘made up’. A medical certificate will be required by the Unit Coordinator to verify any absence due to illness. Placement disruptions due to COVID-19 will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Please advise the Unit Coordinator if there is any need to extend the placement end date in order to complete unit requirements. It is essential that the Unit Coordinator and the WIL team are linked to any placement extension negotiations.


Please note: Placement blocks are not automatically extended beyond individually advised start/finish dates due to student absences mid practicum. Placement extensions require Clinical Supervisor, Unit Coordinator and Head of Course approval. In the absence of timely notifications and submission of appropriate documentation, attendance shortfalls may delay student graduation, with outstanding hours requiring completion during an alternative practicum experience. Any students who have negotiated to extend placement dates may be eligible for assessment extensions. Any students who have placement dates which extend past the initial 16 week block must confirm assessment due dates with the Unit Coordinator via email.


Some students may complete longer rostered shifts, or varied work day patterns. Once students have completed the minimum number of clinical placement hours they are required to continue attending placement until the placement's prescribed finish date unless an alteration to the standard placement block has been approved by the Unit Coordinator, Head of Course and the Clinical Supervisor.


This is a pass/fail non-graded unit which means that each individual assessment must be awarded a pass grade in order to pass the unit. All coursework must be submitted by the due date, as there is no opportunity to apply a 5% penalty due to the pass/fail nature of the assessment tasks. If students are experiencing difficulty meeting unit assessment requirements, please contact the Unit Coordinator prior to the relevant assessment due date.

Assessment Tasks

1 Practical Assessment

Assessment Title
Practical Assessment

Task Description

This assessment task requires the student to demonstrate aptitude and overall practical competence in completing an echocardiogram to a ‘Novice’ level. A student of novice competence can complete an echocardiographic scan satisfactorily, with frequent direction and advice.


This task will be assessed by the student’s Clinical Supervisor, or a nominated delegate sonographer, using the practical assessment marking tool provided on the unit Moodle site. Students are required to provide a printed copy of this marking tool to their Clinical Supervisor at the commencement of placement.


Students are encouraged to:

  • Read the marking sheet carefully, to ensure that they understand the criteria against which their sonographic skill and relevant theoretical knowledge will be evaluated.
  • Discuss the best time to complete this assessment with their Clinical Supervisor, to ensure minimal departmental disruption and sufficient time for task completion.
  • Seek detailed feedback from their supervisor post assessment to enable identification of areas requiring improvement.


The submission must be accompanied by de-identified DICOM images of the echocardiogram performed. All clinical information must be de-identified to protect patient privacy and confidentiality. If all attempts to de-identify the echocardiography images have failed, the student must request permission from the patient to provide their images to CQUniversity for educational purposes. The patient must provide written consent by completing the form provided on the unit Moodle site.


Should a student fail this assessment, only one re-attempt will be permitted.


Students that fail the first attempt at this assessment, will be provided with detailed feedback regarding performance and areas requiring improvement. The student will be required to develop a strategy to improve their performance, and discuss this strategy with both their assessor and Unit Coordinator. Both attempts must be completed prior to the completion of the clinical placement block.


In the absence of an approved extension, students cannot complete this assessment at a later time, and will receive a fail grade for the assessment.


Students are advised to refer to the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework) document for additional university guidelines regarding assessments.


Assessment Due Date

Practical assessment is to be uploaded to Moodle by Monday of Week 13. Resit practical assessment (if required) is to be uploaded onto the Moodle site Monday following completion of clinical placement.


Return Date to Students

Clinical Supervisors will provide direct feedback following practical assessment through both verbal conversation and return of the completed marking sheet. Any students who fail the first attempt will be provided additional counsel by the Unit Coordinator prior to reattempt.


Weighting
Pass/Fail

Assessment Criteria

Clinical Supervisors are required to grade their student using criterion provided. Criterion should be considered in the context of the required competency level that students must demonstrate by the end of the clinical practicum block. For ECHO13007, this is 'Novice' level.


Criteria can be grouped into several main categories. These include:

  • Pre-examination tasks and instrumentation (including patient identification checks, consent and appropriate professional communication)
  • Scanning technique (including two-dimensional, colour and spectral Doppler optimisation, and appropriate exam extension or modification)
  • Measurement technique
  • Documentation (digital image storage and labelling)
  • Post-examination tasks (including worksheet completion and interpretation)
  • Additional tasks (incorporating ergonomics, manual handling techniques, infection control, ethical and legal requirements)


The Clinical Supervisor is required to evaluate multiple questions under each criterion grouping on the Practical Marking Tool. The Clinical Supervisor will grade each criterion question with a score out of 3:

  • A score of 0 indicates the student requires continual direction and prompts
  • A score of 1 indicates the student requires frequent direction and advice
  • A score of 2 indicates the student requires some direction and advice
  • A score of 3 indicates independent practice, requiring direction or prompting only on complex or unusual cases


To achieve a practical competency level of ‘Novice’, the student must attain a score of 1 or higher against ALL listed criteria.


The first attempt must be completed in the 12th week of the 16 week placement, and the second attempt (if required) must be conducted before the end of the 16 week clinical placement.


The final PASS/FAIL grade for this assessment will be at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Students are to submit their practical assessment online via Moodle. The Clinical Supervisor must complete and sign the assessment form before submission. De-identified DICOM images must be uploaded to a Google drive folder and shared with the Unit Coordinator. Other formats or submission variations will not be accepted.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Perform echocardiographic assessment in the clinical context under supervision
  • Accurately communicate the outcomes of cardiac assessment including consideration of quality assurance
  • Apply professional behaviour consistent with safe practice


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

2 Professional Practice Placement

Assessment Title
Global Assessments of Professional Attributes (GAPA)

Task Description

Clinical sites mention professional behaviour, particularly team work and empathy, as paramount in their decision to employ a sonographer. This assessment considers the ability of the student to communicate professionally with a diverse cultural audience of patients, staff and the general public, demonstrate professional respect for all, and function as a reliable, well organised member of the health team.


The Clinical Supervisor, or delegate, will be working in the echocardiography lab with the student, directly observing day-to-day performance. These observations and collective feedback will relate to the student's demonstration of knowledge, skills and behaviours over a span of time, not limited to a particular scan type or patient case. The observations and feedback are then used to complete the Global Assessment of Professional Attributes (GAPA) form.


There are three main sections to the GAPA form:

Section 1: Applied Knowledge

Section 2: Psychomotor skills and Standard of Work

Section 3: Professionalism


In each section there are multiple observable behaviours that the student is required to demonstrate throughout the placement. The assessor will score the performance of the student based on how frequently, and to what extent, each of the listed behaviours are demonstrated. The assessor is also encouraged to provide comments to expand on the scoring feedback.


This assessment is performed TWICE during the placement – at the midpoint (week 8) and at the completion (week 16).


The mid placement GAPA is formative. At the mid placement GAPA, the student should be given sufficient feedback to improve their behavioural performance as required. Any significant issues should be brought to the attention of the Unit Coordinator following the mid placement GAPA (or earlier if required).


If at least 50% of the criteria are not met in the mid placement GAPA, a student will be regarded as a 'Student at Risk' of failing the clinical unit overall. The student is encouraged to schedule a meeting with the Unit Coordinator to review behavioural deficits and strategies for improvement in this circumstance.


The end-of-placement GAPA assessment is summative. For any behaviour that the student scores well on at the mid-placement assessment, it is expected they will continue to meet that level of performance or surpass it for the rest of the placement.


Clinical supervisors are urged to contact the Unit Coordinator immediately for guidance if:

· Student behaviour is identified as ‘inappropriate and beyond acceptable risk’ to clinical site staff, patients and/or reputation.

· Student skill progression is deemed insufficient despite documented constructive feedback, support, and intervention.


The Unit Coordinator may request performance of a GAPA assessment at any time during a student placement. If the outcome of this GAPA is unsatisfactory, and/or the site feedback indicates that they can no longer host the student due to the risk incurred or lack of skill progression, this singular GAPA result may result in a FAIL grade and clinical placement termination immediately (prior to student completion of the allocated practicum block).


Assessment Due Date

First GAPA assessment occurs in Week 8 of clinical placement and is due Monday Week 9 of clinical placement. The second GAPA assessment occurs toward the end of Week 16 (the final week of the placement) and is due Monday following completion of clinical placement.


Return Date to Students

Feedback will be provided to students within two weeks of submission. Students identified as being at risk of failing on the mid term GAPA will receive prioritised feedback.


Weighting
Pass/Fail

Assessment Criteria

To PASS this assessment:

Students must satisfactorily demonstrate ALL criteria descriptors by the end of placement, in accordance with the competency level of a 'Novice'.


The assessor is also encouraged to provide comments to expand on the scoring feedback.


If minimum scores in the mid-placement GAPA are not met, a student will be regarded as a 'Student at Risk' of failing the clinical unit overall.


  • The Unit Coordinator will contact the student to advise of the risk of failing ECHO13007 and provide formative feedback via email. The student is required to respond to this email to show they understand the implications of this information.
  • The student must reflect on their performance and the feedback provided, and develop an action plan to address any areas of performance that are not yet at the target level for this placement, and use the remaining weeks to achieve those targets.
  • Review of the student’s progress will be completed a short time after the mid placement GAPA, at any time as requested by your Clinical Supervisor or Unit Coordinator.


If behavioural attributes within any section of the GAPA are deemed a 'patient safety risk', student placement may be cancelled immediately, prior to completion of the allocated clinical placement block.


Unsatisfactory scores obtained at the second GAPA attempt, will result in a FAIL grade for ECHO13007 overall.


Failure of this clinical unit will require the student to meet with the Head of Course to discuss the instigation of an individual learning contract with a view to remedying scanning skills, technical issues and/or behavioural issues. The learning contract will detail learning objectives, available learning resources, strategies and methods which will be used to assess the student's progress. This will likely involve attendance at on campus scanning skills labs for tuition and assessment.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Two separate submissions of the GAPA via Moodle are due at mid placement (Monday Week 9 of clinical placement) and end of placement (Monday following completion of clinical placement).

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Apply professional behaviour consistent with safe practice


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Team Work
  • Ethical practice

3 Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books

Assessment Title
Hours of Attendance Logbook and Clinical Case Logbook

Task Description

It is expected that students attend 100% of the time during clinical placement to achieve the minimum required hours of direct echocardiography observance/participation or related activities. All hours of attendance must be approved by an ASAR registered Clinical Supervisor or appropriately qualified medical practitioner.


All hours worked must be entered into the Clinical Attendance Forms. These forms must be signed by the Clinical Supervisor, or a sonographer delegated this task by the Clinical Supervisor, and submitted fortnightly. The Clinical Attendance Forms are available in the assessment block in the unit Moodle site. Please print these forms and read carefully to understand the criteria against which clinical attendance will be evaluated.


Students must not organise holidays, recreational leave or personal appointments during clinical placement periods.


Students must notify the clinical placement site PRIOR to their scheduled start time if they will be late arriving to the clinical placement site for any individual day throughout the clinical placement. For all absences due to illness, students must provide the Clinical Supervisor and Unit Coordinator with a medical certificate or statutory declaration.


Any injury that occurs while on placement must be reported immediately to the Clinical Supervisor and Unit Coordinator. Medical clearance may be required before returning to placement. For more information, please refer to the Clinical Placement Attendance Guidelines available through SONIA or the unit Moodle site.


Students who are absent from clinical placement due to illness or injury must phone their Clinical Supervisor and email their Unit Coordinator PRIOR to the scheduled start time for that day. Any clinical placement hours missed due to illness or injury must be made up.


Public holidays recognised by CQUniversity are outlined on the academic calendar. When a public holiday falls during a clinical placement block, public holiday dates can be entered as 8 hours for each day into the Clinical Attendance Forms and hours are not required to be made up. If a designated University student vacation period coincides with the clinical placement period, students are expected to attend during this time. Students must be aware that the attendance of clinical placement takes precedence over any personal work commitments.


Outside Clinical Placement Hours:


Outside of hours placement may only be used in the event of illness or injury and may not be utilised for personal leave requests.


In the event of illness and injury, students are permitted to supplement up to 25% of required unit hours from outside of clinical placement. These hours must be documented within three (3) months prior to unit enrolment for approval by the Unit Coordinator.


Supplementary hours outside of clinical placement must be verified (signed) by an ASAR accredited sonographer or appropriately qualified medical practitioner. Details of either the student’s insurance, or employment, must be entered onto the outside clinical placement attendance form.


Clinical Case Logbook:


The Clinical Case Logbook is a document designed to track clinical experience. This logbook documents all observed, partially or fully completed echocardiography cases that a student is exposed to during clinical placement. The Clinical Case Logbook will also incorporate details of case exposure obtained during any hours of attendance submitted from 'outside of clinical placement'.


The Clinical Case Logbook incorporates the following data:

1. Cover page(s) which present two tables summating the weekly cumulative case volume under descriptive headings. The summative tally is based on the actual scan findings, NOT the referral indications.
2. The date of each examination.
3. Allocation of a unique identifier for each patient to ensure anonymity.
4. Referral indications.
5. Type of echocardiogram performed (i.e. Adult, Paediatric, Stress/Dobutamine, TOE).
6. Student level of scan participation (Observed, partially, or fully completed examination).
7. Case Findings.


Maintenance of a Clinical Case Logbook helps to ensure that:

a) an acceptable volume of clinical work is achieved

b) exposure to a reasonable case variety is achieved, and

c) key practical skills are developing.

The Clinical Case Logbook entries must be signed by the Clinical Supervisor or appropriately qualified medical practitioner.


Individual student feedback will be provided only if assessment criteria deficits are identified.


Assessment Due Date

Clinical Attendance Forms are due monthly with the first due Monday of week 5 of clinical placement. The Clinical Case Logbook (spreadsheet and cover page) submissions are due at mid placement and end of placement.


Return Date to Students

Weighting
Pass/Fail

Assessment Criteria

Clinical Attendance:


In order to achieve an overall grade of 'PASS' in this assessment task, a student must:

  • Meet the minimum number of hours required on the attendance forms.
  • Ensure the documentation is complete.
  • Upload each completed assessment form into the unit Moodle site by the due date.


At the end of the scheduled placement block, if a student has not met the 100% attendance requirement AND has documented justifiable grounds for absenteeism, the student will be provided additional scheduled time to make up the time missed. This scheduled make-up time may not immediately follow the scheduled placement block, and/or may not be at the same placement site, depending on clinical availability. At the end of the scheduled placement block, if a student has not met the 100% attendance requirement AND does not have documented justifiable grounds for the absence, the student may score a 'FAIL' for this assessment item.


Clinical Case Logbook:


The Clinical Case Logbook serves as a record of the depth and breadth of experience a student has attained during placement. It demonstrates the degree of progression of skill development within and across examination types. Students should analyse this record at regular intervals to assist in the formulation of learning goals that will support achievement of the unit outcomes.


The Clinical Case Logbook is to be submitted twice during the clinical placement block (mid-placement and end of placement).


The mid-placement submission must be complete up to the end of week 8 and include the Clinical Case Log Book and Clinical Case Log Book Cover Page. The final submission must include documentation encompassing the entire clinical placement and include the Clinical Case Log Book and Clinical Case Log Book Cover Page.


It is recommended that students observe, partially or fully complete a minimum of 320 echocardiograms during this clinical placement (average of 4 scans per day). Students should regularly assess case log progress; if a student is unable to achieve the minimum number of scans, the student should contact the Unit Coordinator.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
All submissions must be uploaded to the unit Moodle site.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Perform echocardiographic assessment in the clinical context under supervision
  • Analyse, and critically reflect on, clinical cases involving various cardiac assessment techniques.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Information Technology Competence

4 Case Study

Assessment Title
Case Study

Task Description

Students will complete a case study based on a clinical study in which they have performed during this clinical placement. Students must have obtained the majority of the images for the selected case study.


Students need to read the article ‘Using a clinical decision-making framework to foster sonographer student learning in the clinical setting’ by Thoirs and Sim prior to completing this case study. The case study should be written in the framework style as described in the article. The published article and framework template are available on the unit Moodle site.


According to Thoirs and Sim (2016), clinical reasoning or clinical decision making, occurs during clinical placement when students use critical thinking based on prior theoretical knowledge relative to a specific situation or patient. A clinical decision-making framework may help students to apply theoretical knowledge in the clinical setting. This framework helps students to identify and prioritise learning, promote self-reflection and future decision making and facilitate diagnostic thought processes.


Students must use the clinical decision-making framework to evaluate the following:

  • Encounter: Did the encounter data include cultural considerations, protocols around patient and echocardiographer safety, the consent process and pre-test history? Was there an established purpose of the examination?
  • Hypothesis generation: When generating a hypothesis, were possible pathophysiology relevant to the echocardiogram examination, possible associated conditions, complications or mimics of the suspected condition included? What was the most likely condition suggested by the pre-encounter data? What are the associated conditions? Which structures are most likely involved?
  • Assessment: Did the echocardiographic assessment include a contextual analysis of echocardiographic information obtained? What protocol, image optimisation techniques, possible modifications were required due to patient presentation or echocardiogram findings? Did it include the additional data?
  • Evaluation: Did the echocardiographic examination answer the clinical question? What is the most likely diagnosis? Is a differential diagnosis possible? Did the diagnosis include normal and abnormal appearances, applicable reference measurements, and future pathways for the patient with this diagnosed condition?
  • Reflection: Did reflection of the clinical decision-making process include a critical and reflective analysis of approach? What was done well or lacking during the exam? If gaps in knowledge were identified, what is the appropriate action plan in the future?


The anonymised provisional or final echocardiographic report must be included as an appendix to the case study. The echocardiographic case study presented must be accompanied by the submission of de-identified DICOM images.


Word count: 1500-2000 words. Excess words will not be assessed. Word count does not include headings or references, but does include diagram explanations and labelling.


Referencing: Vancouver. Minimum 8 peer reviewed journal articles or relevant text books must be cited. Literature titles must be current (<5 years of age), except seminal works.


Assessment Due Date

Due Monday of week 12.


Return Date to Students

Feedback will be provided to students within two weeks of submission.


Weighting
Pass/Fail

Assessment Criteria

Students are developing aptitude and overall practical competencies consistent with that of a 'Novice' in ECHO13007.


To PASS this assessment:

Students must successfully demonstrate ALL criteria descriptors as specified on the marking rubric.

BOTH components must be passed to pass the case study overall.


A detailed marking rubric is available on the unit Moodle site.


Case studies submitted without accompanying DICOM images will not be marked.


Case studies that do not achieve a pass grade will be returned to the student with appropriate feedback. Students are permitted one re-submission opportunity only (imaging component and/or written component as required). Any re-submission attempt is required within two (2) weeks of receiving feedback.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submission to be uploaded to the Moodle site as a word document (doc., docx., not write protected) through the Moodle site so it is processed by Turnitin. De-identified DICOM images uploaded to a Google drive folder and shared with the Unit Coordinator. Other formats or submission variations will not be accepted.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Analyse, and critically reflect on, clinical cases involving various cardiac assessment techniques.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?