Work-integrated learning is a highly effective approach to help support the development of practical skills and acquisition of industry experience, and as radiographers we must understand the importance of attendance and our role as part of a healthcare team. Any unexpected absence or poor time-management can negatively impact patient care and team dynamics.

Your rostering, including daily start and end times, is determined by the clinical supervisor of the allocated placement site. The roster depends on the scheduling of imaging procedures that are relevant to your educational requirements, the typical hours of operation of the clinical facility and availability of sufficient supervision. You should not expect the roster to be modified to suit your personal life. You will not be permitted to work extra shifts to reduce the duration of placement.

You are required to achieve 100% attendance. This is defined as attending all hours relative to the quantity of time that you have been rostered by your clinical supervisor to achieve 16 weeks of full-time placement, minus any absence that is approved by both your clinical supervisor and unit coordinator. You are not required to attend on any public holidays that fall within your rostered weeks, nor are you required to make up those days.

To obtain a grade of 'Pass' for this assessment you must:

• Meet the 100% attendance requirement as defined in the task description, and
• Upload your log book within 3 calendar days of the last shift worked of every second week of the placement.

The clinical logbook serves as a record of the depth and breadth of experience attained during your placement and will be a useful tool as you apply for employment. It demonstrates the degree of progression of your skill development within and across procedure types. You should use this record to inform your reflection on learning and in formulating weekly learning goals that will support achievement of the unit outcomes.

You must record in the electronic log tool a weekly listing of every imaging procedure in which you participate. Procedure information is to be recorded in such a way as to maintain patient confidentiality. Your level of involvement in the procedure is to be categorised as observed, assisted or performed, using the definitions provided. Any performance assessments that have been attempted must also be recorded. You must also log any meetings, image critique sessions or other feedback/learning activities with your clinical supervisor or other clinical educator. Any absences from the department must be logged in the log book.

Even though you will be recording your weekly attendance and imaging examinations under the relevant week within the logbook, you will only be required to upload the logbook fortnightly, within 3 calendar days of the last shift completed of every second week of placement. Should any week's upload have noticeable gaps, errors or omissions, you will be given one week to resubmit that week's log.

In the absence of an approved assessment extension, if you have not met all of the requirements listed in the Assessment Criteria section by the stated due dates, you will fail this assessment, and because this is a pass/fail unit that means you will receive a Fail grade for the placement.

To obtain a grade of 'Pass' for this assessment you must:

• Ensure that the log book is complete and accurate in relation to attendance, your participation in imaging examinations, assessments you have attempted, as well as supervisor meetings and/or other educational activities, and
• Ensure that the log book is submitted within 3 calendar days of the last shift worked of every second week of placement, and
• Ensure that the entries in the log book maintain the confidentiality of patients and clinical staff.

Clinical placement occurs in the professional workplace. As a clinical student, you are provided access to that workplace on the condition that you demonstrate behaviours and attributes of a healthcare professional, present a positive image to the clinical facility's staff and clients and comply with the site’s policies. As a student in a regulated healthcare profession in Australia, you are also required to be working towards consistent compliance with the Professions' Code of Conduct. As a CQUniversity student you must also meet the General Behavioural Requirements of the Student Behavioural Misconduct Procedure and refrain from Misconduct as described in that Procedure.

Assessment Process:

Your clinical supervisor will be working in the imaging areas with you, directly observing your day to day performance, and/or obtaining feedback from supervising radiographers who are doing so. These observations and collected feedback relate to your demonstrated knowledge, skills and behaviour over a span of time. This is not limited to a particular procedure or patient case. The observations and feedback are then used to complete the Global Assessment of Professional Attributes (GAPA) form provided on the unit Moodle site.

There are 4 main sections to the global assessment form:

• Section 1: initiative and communication
• Section 2: responsibility and demeanour
• Section 3: overall technical knowledge and skill
• Section 4: adherence to site policies.

In each section, there are multiple observable behaviours that are required. For most behaviours, it is expected that you are aiming toward consistent performance but are still developing toward entry to practice level. These behaviours are categorised as non-critical. There is one critical behaviour: adhering to site policies. It is expected that all students, right from their first placement, are capable of full and ongoing compliance with site policies. Your assessor will score your performance based on how frequently and to what extent you demonstrate each of the listed behaviours. Your assessor is also encouraged to provide comments to expand on the scoring feedback. Your clinical supervisor (or designated assessor) will meet with you after completing each assessment to discuss it with you. This is your opportunity to get clarification on any score or comment on the assessment.

Timing of Assessment:

This assessment occurs four times during the placement. The first occurs at the end of Week 4, the second at the end of Week 8, and the third at the end of Week 12. The fourth and final GAPA assessment occurs toward the end of Week 16 (or the final week of your placement). It is your responsibility to ensure that you remind your clinical supervisor at least a week prior to the assessment that it needs to be done and book a meeting with him/her toward the end of the week that the assessment is due. This gives your supervisor the opportunity to collect feedback and to designate an alternate assessor if he/she will not be available.

Formative and Summative Use of the GAPA assessment:

These first three GAPA assessments are formative, meaning their function is to provide you and your unit coordinator with formal documented feedback on your performance, but there are no minimum required scores related to your final grade. You are expected to use that feedback to reflect on your performance, 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. For any behaviour that you score well on for these initial GAPA assessments, it is expected that you will continue to meet that level of performance or surpass it for the rest of the placement. The final assessment is summative, in that its primary use is to evaluate and document your performance relative to the stated performance targets (the minimum required scores listed in the Assessment Criteria section below).

Self-assessment:

For all GAPAs, prior to meeting with your supervisor, you must also use the assessment tool to self-assess your behaviours. Complete the form and take it with you to your meeting with your supervisor to aid in the discussion of your progress.

Documentation and submission requirements:

Once you have met with your supervisor about your GAPA, you both need to sign and date both assessment documents (your supervisor’s assessment and your self-assessment). You need to ensure that each completed assessment form has scores entered in all sections and has all required fields completed, including the name, dated signature and registration number of your assessor as well as your dated signature. Your supervisor will provide you with a copy of the completed assessment form. You must then scan the supervisor-completed and self-completed GAPA forms and upload the file into the unit Moodle site using the link provided. You are required to log these three assessment meetings in Section 3 of your relevant weekly logs, including the meeting date and a brief summary of the discussion plus the overall score of each assessment. It is your responsibility to ensure regular access to the technology needed to upload your assessment files by the submission due dates. Recognise that the clinical facility is not responsible for providing you access to computer facilities for your assessments.

Assessment Due Dates and Extensions:

If there are extenuating circumstances at the clinical facility that prevent you from being assessed during the required weeks, you must contact the unit coordinator in a timely manner to explain the situation and request an extension. In the absence of an approved assessment extension, if you have not met all of the requirements listed in the Assessment Criteria section by the stated due dates, you will fail this assessment, and because this is a pass/fail unit that means you will receive a Fail grade for the placement.

Non-critical behaviours and attributes:

The assessor will use the stated 1-6 scale to indicate the frequency and extent to which you demonstrate each of those.

Scores Descriptors for non-critical behaviours and attributes:

Score and Descriptors

NA No opportunity or insufficient opportunity to assess

1 - Never or hardly ever demonstrated (<10%)

2 - Demonstrated infrequently but less than half of the time

3 - Demonstrated about half of the time (just as likely to happen as not)

4 - Demonstrated much of the time, but still inconsistent

5 - Demonstrated consistently (nearly always, at the level expected of a new graduate practitioner)

6 - Demonstrated consistently and to a high degree (at the level expected of an experienced practitioner).

The minimum required scores for each sections non-critical behaviours and attributes are:

Section 1: Initiative and Communication

• Minimum score of 5
• No more than one score at N/A.

Section 2: Responsibility and Demeanour

• Minimum score of 5
• No more than one score at N/A.

Section 3: Overall Technical Knowledge and Skill

• Minimum score of 5
• No scores of N/A.

Critical Behaviour:

The behaviour 'Adheres to site policies on privacy, confidentiality, use of mobile devices and use of social media' is scored separately using the following scale:

• Full compliance
• One incident of non-compliance
• More than one incident of non-compliance.

A student who is non-compliant on a single occasion will receive a warning from the supervising radiographer or clinical supervisor. This incident will be considered behavioural misconduct. This warning may be issued initially in verbal form or in writing. The clinical supervisor will inform the unit coordinator (UC) of the situation. The Head of Course will then lodge a formal report of behavioural misconduct. This will be addressed separately from the scoring of the GAPA. Any student who violates site policy more than once during a placement unit (whether violation of the same or a different policy as previously) will fail the GAPA. This will result in a Fail grade for the unit. This repeated behaviour is considered Serious Misconduct and thus will also be dealt with under the procedure of Student Behavioural Misconduct.

In order to achieve a grade of 'Pass' in this assessment task, you must:

• undergo all four placement assessments by the due dates listed, and
• on the final assessment, meet the minimum required scores in all sections, and
• ensure the documentation of each assessment is complete, and
• upload each completed supervisor-assessed and self-assessed GAPA form into the unit Moodle site by the due date.

At this stage in your professional education, as a close-to-graduating radiographer, your performance should be consistent and holistic in nature, taking into account the needs of the patient and the wider care team.

During this practicum, you are required to attain entry-to-practice skills in two (2) additional areas within the scope of practice of a general radiographer. These can be any two (2) from the list below, according to what is available at the facility you are attending for the practicum. You will need to consult with your clinical supervisor to determine two (2) suitable areas of practice and to arrange your roster to attain several weeks of experience in each.

Areas of practice:

• Basic computed tomography including contrast examinations, but not including angiography examinations
• Basic fluoroscopic guidance procedures, not including theatre imaging
• Imaging procedures that require a team approach and complex imaging requirements (this may include, but is not limited to, the resuscitation area, major trauma, or highly involved patient needs)
• Theatre fluoroscopic imaging
• Interventional radiography
• Mammography

These assessments are designed to offer an overview of your performance over time rather than the "snapshot" performance assessments used in previous clinical units.

You must achieve a level of "competent" in both areas of practice. If any area of practice falls below this level, you must complete a remediation plan detailing how you intend to improve your performance in the required area/s. This remediation plan must be submitted to and approved by your clinical supervisor and unit coordinator within one calendar week of the assessment.

You are strongly advised to complete both of these assessments by week 12 in order to allow time for the development, approval and implementation of a remediation plan if needed. Within the remaining 3 weeks of your clinical placement, the area/s of practice in need of remediation must be re-assessed.

In order to successfully complete this unit, you must demonstrate all attributes as "competent" or higher, for two (2) areas of practice.

In the absence of an approved assessment extension, if you have not met all of the requirements listed in the Assessment Criteria section by the stated due dates, you will fail this assessment, and because this is a pass/fail unit that means you will receive a Fail grade for the placement.

Assessed upon:

• Team-work
• Degree of independence when performing routine procedures
• Clinical reasoning
• Effective imaging procedural knowledge and skill
• Protocol use
• Image evaluation
• Patient care
• Ability to use time efficiently
• Logical work-flow.

To achieve a grade of 'Pass' in this assessment you must:

• Submit the assessment forms for performance in other imaging procedures within 3 calendar at the end of the week in which the assessment was performed, and
• Attain a minimum score of "competent" for all attributes in both of your assessments.

At this stage in your professional education, as a close-to-graduating radiographer, your performance should be consistent and holistic in nature, taking into account the needs of the patient and the wider care team.

At weeks 8 and 16 of your placement, your clinical supervisor or a supervising radiographer who has been delegated this role will perform an assessment of your performance in general imaging examinations using the standard assessment form provided on the unit Moodle site.

These assessments are designed to offer an overview of your performance over time rather than the "snapshot" performance assessments used in previous clinical units.

At week 8 - You should achieve a minimum level of "competent" in all attributes. If any attributes fall below the required level, you must complete a remediation plan detailing how you intend to improve your performance in the required attribute/s. This remediation plan must be submitted and approved by both your clinical supervisor and the unit coordinator by the end of week 10. During week 12, the attribute/s in need of remediation must be re-assessed. The assessments in week 8 and 12 (if required) are formative but you should aim for a level of "competent" if you are to succeed in the final summative assessment in week 16.

At week 16 - In order to successfully complete this unit, you must demonstrate all marking rubric attributes as “competent” or higher.

In the absence of an approved assessment extension, if you have not met all of the requirements listed in the Assessment Criteria section by the stated due dates, you will fail this assessment, and because this is a pass/fail unit that means you will receive a Fail grade for the placement.

Assessed upon:

• Degree of independence when performing imaging examinations
• Clinical reasoning
• Protocol use
• Effective general imaging knowledge and skill
• Image evaluation
• Patient care
• Time efficiency during imaging
• Logical work-flow.

To achieve a grade of 'Pass' for this assessment you must:

• Submit the assessment form for performance in general imaging examinations within 3 calendar days at the end of the week in which the assessment was performed, and
• Attain a minimum score of "competent" in all attributes for the assessment completed in week 16.

Critical reflection and reflective practice are recognised as being valuable in the development of health professionals. As a student radiographer, you have reflected on your practice many times and this process will continue throughout your career to enable you to become an expert practitioner.

During the 16 week clinical practicum you must complete two (2) different reflections from the list of three choices below:

• Consider identified gaps in your learning and a strategy to remediate them
• Consider your patient care skills and professionalism demonstrated in the workplace and how you plan to develop/enhance these skills
• Consider your understanding and confidence in more specialised areas of practice, together with a strategy to ensure your continued development in your chosen area.

Other submission guidelines:

• Your writing must correctly use either the Gibbs' or Borton's reflective tool proforma (available on the unit Moodle site)
• You must use relevant external sources of information to aid your reflection and these should be referenced in the Harvard style
• You cannot repeat reflections used for previous clinical placement units, as that is considered self-plagiarism as defined in the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures document
• Patient and staff confidentiality must always be maintained
• As a reflection, it is appropriate to write this in the first person
• Each reflection must be of approximately 500 words, with a maximum word count of 700 words.

A detailed marking rubric will be posted on the unit Moodle site.

You must meet the minimum 'Pass' requirements for both reflections on your initial submission. There is no opportunity to re-submit your reflection if it does not meet the minimum 'Pass' requirements because you should have attained this level of performance in your reflections in the prerequisite clinical placement unit.

In the absence of an approved assessment extension, if you have not met all of the requirements listed in the Assessment Criteria section by the stated due dates, you will fail this assessment, and because this is a pass/fail unit that means you will receive a Fail grade for the placement.

Each reflection submission is assessed for:

• correct use of the Gibbs' or Borton's reflective tool proforma
• critical reflection of an approved topic listed in the unit profile that you have not reflected on previously
• detailed analysis of performance
• critical reflection on areas for improvement
• detailed action plan relevant to reflection
• demonstrated evidence of learning and development through reflection
• use of external resources to support your reflection, that are cited and referenced correctly
• clarity and format of writing (including logical flow, spelling, punctuation).

To obtain a score of ‘Pass’ for this assessment, you must:

• submit the two (2) reflections by the stated deadlines, and
• attain a 'Pass' score for all marking rubric criteria, for both reflections, on your initial submission.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a vital aspect of being an imaging professional. It ensures that you remain up-to-date in our practice through reading journal articles, attending workshops, and attending and presenting at educational sessions and conferences. This task is designed to develop your skills in CPD and help you become familiar with the concept, in preparation for registration.

You will prepare a short recorded presentation of 3-5 minutes in length. The presentation may be a narrated PowerPoint presentation or a video of you presenting to your colleagues in the clinical area. If a video is used, you must also submit the PowerPoint presentation slides via the unit Moodle site. 

In this presentation, you will:

• Choose a journal article that is relevant to your practice as an early career medical radiation practitioner
• Provide a paraphrased clear and concise overview of your journal article abstract
• Provide a summary of key learning points from your journal article
• Discuss how these key learning points will influence your practice as an imaging professional.

A detailed marking rubric will be posted on the unit Moodle site.

In the absence of an approved assessment extension, if you have not met all of the requirements listed in the Assessment Criteria section by the stated due dates, you will fail this assessment, and because this is a pass/fail unit that means you will receive a Fail grade for the placement.

Assessed upon:

• Clarity and conciseness of the article overview
• Clarity and conciseness of description of how this will help your practice as an imaging professional
• Clarity of speech, ability to speak beyond slides, correct and appropriate use of terminology for the audio component
• Selection of content relative to the assessment requirements
• Correct use and citation of references.