Unit Profile Correction added on 17-04-20
The end of term examination has now been changed to an alternative form of assessment. Please see your Moodle site for details of the assessment.
The practical assessment for this unit has been postponed. This will not preclude you from enrolling in any units for which this unit is a pre-requisite. Please see your Moodle site for further details.
Overview
This unit provides an insight into Medical Ultrasound by exploring the role and global scope of practice of the medical sonographer and echocardiographer, the use of ultrasound in medical imaging, the types of examinations available and the provision of safe patient care as an allied health professional. The aim of this unit is to provide introductory knowledge and skills that will support your learning throughout the Medical Sonography or Echocardiography course. Simulation exercises will enable you to apply theory to practice.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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 1 - 2020
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).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Compulsory Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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 Self
The results of the written assignment were very high. On reflection, two of the questions did not require a high level of critical thinking.
Provide an opportunity for deeper learning by reviewing type and number assessment items.
Feedback from Feedback
Students indicated at the residential school, they enjoyed the scanning activities, which is the first experience for them using the ultrasound machines.
Review the content of the residential school, prioritise tasks and determine the length accordingly.
- Discuss the Australian Health Care System and how it relates to the provision of diagnostic imaging services
- Discuss the role and scope of practice of the medical sonographer, including professional and legal frameworks
- Apply knowledge of ultrasound equipment, transducer / patient positioning and sonographic image appearance using appropriate medical and sonographic terminology
- Discuss the role of diagnostic medical ultrasound and how it relates to other diagnostic imaging modalities and picture archiving communication systems
- Demonstrate sonographic manual skill development in a simulated environment.
This unit will be one of the core units in the Medical Sonography Courses which is externally accredited by the Australian Sonographers Accreditation Registry, an external professional regulatory body. This unit introduces students to the foundational knowledge and skills of Medical Sonography and enables an appreciation of the use of ultrasound in a national and international context and in the context of the other diagnostic imaging technologies available. The professional body entry level competencies of the accredited sonographer include consideration of safe practice and professional behavior.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 0% | |||||
| 3 - Examination - 60% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 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 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 0% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Examination - 60% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Vancouver
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.wardle@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to the Medical Imaging Department
The history of ultrasound
The Australian Health Care system
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Patient care
Infection control
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Communication
Cultural awareness
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Sonographic & medical terminology
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Patient positioning in sonography
Scan planes in sonography
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Introduction to the basic principles of ultrasound.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Written Assessment Task
Due: 5pm AEST Wednesday 23rd April, 2020
A Sonographer's Role: Written Responses. Due: Week 6 Wednesday (22 Apr 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
The ultrasound machine and examination
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Keeping you and your patient safe.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Residential School (compulsory)
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practical task day 2 of residential school
Residential School Practical Assessment Due: Week 9 Wednesday (13 May 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Introduction to basic sonographic examinations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Medico-legal issues in health care
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Revision
Exam preparation
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
The unit coordinator is Jane Wardle. Jane can be contacted at j.wardle@cqu.edu.au or telephone 07 3023 4200.
This unit has a mandatory on-campus residential school in Week 9 for 2 full days.
Sonography students must attend the residential school at your enrolled campus
Students must adhere to a specific dress code while attending residential school. Detailed information regarding the dress code will be made available on the Moodle site.
The schedule for tutorials will be posted on the Moodle site.
There are no prescribed textbooks for this unit. All necessary course content and materials will be provided.
1 Written Assessment
You are required to complete a written assessment based on lecture material, tutorials and relevant material provided on the unit Moodle site. In addition to the unit materials provided, you must research current literature in order to discuss and respond to each question/topic.
Question 1
(Approximately 300 words)
Discuss the role and scope of sonographer reporting.
Question 2
(Approximately 1500 words)
A 25 year old woman, Mai Nguyen, presents to her GP with a painful lump in her right breast. Mai is in Australia, on a student visa from Vietnam. Mai’s GP sends her to the local Radiology clinic, and requests an ultrasound to image her breasts. The report returns to the GP, an excerpt of which reads “There is a 25 x 32x 18mm anechoic mass corresponding with the palpable lump. It has a smooth well-defined margin, and acoustic enhancement is demonstrated posteriorly. Sonographic appearances suggest a simple cyst.”
You are to discuss the following topics as they refer to this case
a) Why is ultrasound the modality of choice, rather than mammography for this patient?
In your answer discuss
· the electromagnetic spectrum and patient safety
· why the pathology (simple cyst) is demonstrated with greater efficacy with ultrasound?
b) Consider you are the student sonographer performing this examination.
What key characteristics of a health professional do you think would be important in this scenario? Which of these is your strongest and why?
c) How would you ensure your communication skills contributed towards a positive experience for Mai?
d) Using the description above and the provided request form, fill out the ISBAR template.
Length: 1800 words (+/- 10%) Any words over the word count will not be marked. Reference list and figure captions are excluded.
Presentation: Inherent requirement is that it is written in appropriate academic language, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. Your assessment should be submitted as a Word document with 1.5 line spacing in 12 point Arial font.
Referenced figures are encouraged.
Referencing: Your answers to each question must be supported by references. You are expected to research each question and to use references that have, and have not, been provided to you. A reference list must be provided and the CQU Sonography Vancouver referencing style must be used throughout your assessment. Ensure that your assessment is accurately referenced. References should clearly show where your information was obtained. Refer to the unit Moodle page and the CQU general website for further information. A minimum of 6 contemporary journal articles (less than 10 years old) must be used as references (additional to those provided on the the unit Moodle page) for this assessment.
Only reference list in CQU Sonography Vancouver format should be provided for the whole assessment. Do not include separate reference lists for each question.
Week 6 Wednesday (22 Apr 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 8 Wednesday (6 May 2020)
You will be assessed on the following criteria:
Overall presentation of assignment including structure of assignment; accuracy of spelling and grammar; correct use of medical and sonographic terminology; appropriateness of literature reviewed; correct and accurate referencing; academic writing and expression. Clear and concise responses to each specific question/topic, including relevant and appropriate discussion and analysis of each topic with reference to current literature.
A detailed marking rubric/criteria will be made available on the unit Moodle site.
- Discuss the role and scope of practice of the medical sonographer, including professional and legal frameworks
- Discuss the role of diagnostic medical ultrasound and how it relates to other diagnostic imaging modalities and picture archiving communication systems
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Practical Assessment
During your attendance at the 2 day compulsory residential school you will participate in practical activities, where you will observe, learn and practice techniques and skills relating to the sonography profession.
Following participation in these activities, you will be assessed on your ability to perform practical sonographic tasks relating to:
1) Patient care and communication; and
2) Body planes, ultrasound scanning planes and associated image recognition.
100% attendance for the 2 full days of the residential school is mandatory. You must attend the residential school at your enrolled campus only. You will be automatically allocated to this campus, and appropriate staffing/resource arrangements will be made at that location.
You must pass the practical assessment in order to pass the unit. Failure to attend the full 2 day residential school will mean that you will not pass this unit. One re-sit of the practical assessment will be permitted.
Detailed information and a marking criteria will be made available on the unit Moodle site.
As per the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework), Section 4: Assessment Procedure: Item 4.59, this assessment is considered a professional assessment task and has an absolute submission date. This assessment must be completed on the final day of the residential school in the absence of an approved extension
Week 9 Wednesday (13 May 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 10 Monday (18 May 2020)
The practical assessment will be conducted by a sonography lecturer or tutor, who will observe and assess your ability to carry out practical skills relating to:
1) Patient care and communication; and
2) Body planes, ultrasound scanning planes and associated image recognition.
Assessment of each task will be relative to the practical assessment marking criteria, which will be made available on the unit Moodle site.
You must pass the practical skills test in order to pass the practical assessment.
- Apply knowledge of ultrasound equipment, transducer / patient positioning and sonographic image appearance using appropriate medical and sonographic terminology
- Demonstrate sonographic manual skill development in a simulated environment.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Technology Competence
Examination
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?
