As a sonographer, correctly translating sonographic examination findings onto a sonographers worksheet is an important part of the profession. Sonographers are required to accurately identify, describe and document pathology in a timely manner.

Assessment 1 is a short answer, online test conducted in Week 7 of the term. For this assessment, you will be provided with sonographic images and videos from a case study of either the thyroid, parathyroid, lymph nodes or salivary glands. It will assess your ability to interpret and correctly describe sonographic findings. Resources for successful completion of this assessment will be through lectures, tutorials and a practice online worksheet test (which will be accessible by Week 5 of term).

Refer to assessment guidelines below:

• This Online Test is open for 4 hours. The time limit to complete this test will be 20min. Once the time limit is reached any open questions will be automatically submitted.

• There will be 10 short answer questions.

• Only one attempt can be made and once started the test cannot be paused or restarted.

Important Information

• No late submissions are permitted after the test has closed so please ensure adequate time for completion
• Failure of technology is not recognised as reasonable grounds for an extension request or re-attempt.
• If your home internet is unreliable, please ensure you attempt this test on campus premises. Please ensure to find a clear, organised, quiet zone (at university or at home) prior to attempting this testIf a sudden technical (Moodle site) interruption has occurred, please screen shot, or take a photo with your phone, to provide evidence of this technical issue. You need to contact TaSAC as soon as possible for assistance, and email the unit coordinator to give notification of the technical issue.

• An extension request for this Assessment item must meet exceptional extenuating circumstances. This request must be received PRIOR to test end time. In the absence of an approved extension, or documented technical issue, there will be no opportunity to complete this test after it has closed.

This is a PASS/FAIL assessment item.

In order for a student to achieve a pass mark in this assessment, the student must achieve a minimum score of 50% in the online test. Students must demonstrate a reasonable attempt to complete this assessment item by the set due date and time.

The online test short answer questions will be marked by the Unit Coordinator. This is an open book test, so you have the opportunity to consult your notes, lecture slides, text books, and Moodle page. However, this assessment is to be undertaken as an individual, and is not approved as group work. As per the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure, Section 3.25 "If evidence shows that plagiarism, collusion, cheating or academic misconduct of any kind has occurred, the conduct will be considered a breach of academic integrity." Colluding with other students on non-group work tasks is considered academic misconduct, and will be reported to the Academic Integrity Unit.

In your future career as a qualified sonographer, you will be required to competently perform sonographic examinations of superficial structures within a timely manner. To begin your journey to competency in this domain, you will undertake training and practise in our simulation labs.

For this assessment, you will be required to complete a Practical Sonographic Assessment of the thyroid. This is an assessment of the pre-scan, scanning, and post-scan skills, and it will be assessed using the electronic ‘Assessment of Readiness for Clinical’ (eARC tool). Resources for successful completion of this assessment will be through compulsory and non-compulsory lab sessions, tutorials and a mock test. These resources are all designed to help you develop your scanning skills through the term. Further resources such as demonstration videos and tutorials will aid the development of this skill. It is important to remember that any demonstration video provided should be used as a guide only as often the scanning skill techniques will need to be adapted based on patient anatomy.

To pass the thyroid practical skills test overall, both the professional and technical components of this assessment must be graded as a ‘pass’ individually. The following lists the sub-assessment components

Professional Assessment: This component will assess professional aspects of a sonographic examination such as communication, infection control, consent and patient care skills.

Technical Assessment: This component will assess your ability to perform a modified thyroid protocol, acquire images and identify anatomy. You will be assessed on anatomy and diagnostic quality of sonographic surveys and images.

The professional and technical components will be marked through the application of critical and non critical skills. Critical skills are foundational skills required to pass this unit, non critical skills are those that are developing during this unit and can continue to be worked on in subsequent units. Critical skills are 'must do' elements within this assessment, and non critical skills are 'should do' elements. In order to pass this assessment, all critical skills must be completed accurately and consistently. The eARC clarifies the critical skills required in this assessment.The critical skills required in this technical assessment are bolded in the 'Optimisation Criteria Correct Practice' on pages 13 & 14 of the eARC tool.

Anatomy recognition is marked as part of the technical assessment. Your assessor will ask you to identify anatomy on the screen as you scan. This is to ensure your theoretical knowledge can be transferred to sonographic practice to diagnostically assess the ROI.  Narration of your technical skills is not assessed in this technical assessment but is encouraged.

The time limit to complete both professional and technical components of the exam is 30 minutes. The time limit to complete the technical (scanning) component of the assessment is 20 minutes.

This is a PASS/FAIL assessment item.

To PASS this assessment, both the professional and technical components must be graded as a ‘PASS’ against the marking criteria framework - please refer to the eARC tool for specifications.

Professional Assessment:

The professional component is marked separately from the technical component. The professional assessment 'critical' skills are the bolded items in the eARC tool and must be completed in order to pass. In the event a student does not satisfy a specific critical skill requirement, the student will be required to repeat both technical and professional components (at the resit attempt), to demonstrate that all professional (bolded) critical skill requirements are met. In this event, the technical component will not be reassessed. 

Technical Assessment:

The technical component is marked separately from the professional component. The technical assessment is marked by dividing up each section into critical and non critical skills. Critical skills must be demonstrated consistently with zero critical errors made in order to pass this assessment. There is no limit of non critical errors that may be made and still pass this assessment, however if any of those errors result in a critical error due to severity, then they will count instead as a critical error. In the event a student does not satisfy a specific technical critical skill requirement, the student will be required to repeat only the technical scan in its entirety (at the resit attempt). In this event, the professional component will not be reassessed

Re-attempts

In the event you are unsuccessful at passing this assessment task in Week 9 of the term, one RESIT (re-attempt) opportunity is provided to you in Week 12 of the term. You will receive the marked and moderated eARC tool from the Week 9 Skills test, so please review this carefully to improve technical and/or professional standards. It is recommended to attend practice lab sessions conducted between Weeks 10 and 11 to practice and implement this feedback, prior to sitting the Week 12 RESIT Skills test. In the event that you are unsuccessful all critical skills (for both or either the technical or professional components) in the Week 12 RESIT attempt, there is no further opportunity for re-attempts or supplementary assessments.

Additional information

Your grade (PASS/FAIL) will be allocated following consensus moderation. Please be aware that all practical skills assessments will be video recorded however these videos will not be released to students. Videos may be viewed by CQU sonography staff and tutors for the purposes of marking and moderation of assessments. It also may be required to be viewed by other CQU staff in the event of a student requesting an Review of Grade or Appeal of Grade. 

It is necessary for sonographers to have a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology of the structures being examined sonographically. It is also important to correlate sonographic findings with clinical indications to provide a likely diagnosis and differential diagnosis. 

For this assessment you will be required to complete two (2) separate online quizzes. It will assess your knowledge on structures specific to superficial parts. Resources for successful completion of this assessment will be through lectures, tutorials and practice quizzes. 

Refer to assessment guidelines below: 
Assessment 3 will require completion of two separate Online Quizzes held in Weeks 5 and 12 respectively and will be accessible online via the unit Moodle site. 

• Quiz 1 will be open for 4 hours. The time limit for Quiz 1 is 25 minutes. Once the time limit is reached any open questions will be automatically submitted. It will assess content from Weeks 1 - 3. 
• Quiz 2 will be open for 32 hours. The time limit for Quiz 2 is 30 minutes. Once the time limit is reached any open questions will be automatically submitted. It will assess content from Weeks 1 - 12. 
• Each quiz will be contain 20 Multiple Choice Questions
• Only one attempt per quiz can be made and once started, the quiz cannot be paused or restarted. 

Important Information. 

• No late submissions are permitted after the quizzes has closed so please ensure adequate time for completion.
• Failure of technology is not recognised as reasonable grounds for an extension request or re-attempt. 
• If your internet is unreliable, please ensure you attempt these quizzes on campus. Please ensure to find a clear, organised, quiet zone (at university or at home) prior to attempting these quizzes. 
• If a sudden technical (Moodle site) interruption has occurred, please screen shot, or take a photo with your phone, to provide evidence of this technical issue. You need to contact TaSAC as soon as possible for assistance, and email the unit coordinator to give notification of the technical issue. 
• An extension request for this Assessment item must meet exceptional extenuating circumstances. These requests must be received PRIOR to quiz end time. In the absence of an approved extension, or documented technical issue, there will be no opportunity to complete these quizzes after it has closed.

There are two (2) PARTS to this assessment: PART A: Professional Behaviour Assessment and PART B: Sonography Lab Documents 

PART A: Professional Behaviour Assessment 

Professionalism and professional behaviour are critical parts of any medically aligned profession, and encompass the manner in which we treat our colleagues, patients, and the professional settings and equipment provided to us. The purpose of this assessment is to ensure that students from the Medical Sonography course are well-equipped to embody the high standards of professionalism that are expected from CQUniversity students while on their upcoming clinical placements, and as graduate sonographers in their future careers. Developing your professionalism during this unit will prepare you for professional standard expectations in subsequent scanning skill units.

This assessment will require you to treat each of your lab sessions as a scheduled "work shift" and to exhibit professional attitudes to ensure you are prepared to enter the work force with the skills required to provide safe and professional patient care. As such, this assessment is based on assessment of student application and attendance during labs throughout the term.

Expected behaviour and its relevance to the clinical environment is listed in the Professional Behaviour Assessment description. Additionally, please familiarise yourself with the CODE OF CONDUCT in the Lab Manual, as well as the ASAR CODE OF CONDUCT and the CQU CODE OF CONDUCT so that you have a clear understanding of the rationale for, and importance of this assessment. All of these documents are posted on the unit Moodle site for your information. Professionalism extends to colleagues, staff, patients, environment, and equipment.

This assessment is marked against the Professional Behaviour Assessment (PBA) description and incorporates a process of warnings and feedback on expected behaviour of students when in the lab environment. This will commence in week 4 of the term, and apply to activities within the lab. A warning is known as a Lapse in Professionalism (LiP). Up to three LiPs can be received within the unit without adverse consequence. A fourth LiP however will result in the assessment being graded as a fail.

In the event that a LiP point is accrued, written documentation of the reason will be completed by the on-site lecturer or the unit coordinator, and provided to you as feedback. You will have the opportunity to seek further clarification from or discuss the circumstances of the LiP point from the unit coordinator.

If unprofessional attitude or behaviour is reported by fellow classmates and not witnessed by a staff member, an unofficial warning with formative feedback will be provided in writing detailing the allegation, and your response will be documented. 

PART B: Sonography Lab Documents 

Assessment 4 'Sonography Lab Documents' encompasses several documents which require completion and then submission via the unit Moodle site. 

• Lab Agreement 
• Consent Form 
• Skills Lab Manual and Formative Feedback 

You will need to review, sign and upload the 'Lab Agreement' and 'Consent Form' documents as student acknowledgement and consent for scanning in the labs. The 'Skills Lab Manual and Formative Feedback' is a document which outlines professional expectations and records both formative feedback and lab attendance. The 'formative feedback' pages within this document provides an opportunity for students to record constructive feedback, self-reflect and set objectives for future labs. The tutor will also be able to provide constructive feedback on professionalism and technical skills demonstrated through each lab. 

You are required to bring in a hard copy or electronic (preferred) version of the ‘Skills Lab Manual and Formative Feedback’ to every Compulsory Lab (Weeks 1 - 7). You will also be required to bring in all relevant lab material to each compulsory lab, please refer to the Unit Overview for lab material specifications.

This is a PASS/FAIL assessment item. To PASS this assessment you must pass both PART A 'Professional Behaviour Assessment and PART B 'Sonography Lab Documents'.

To PASS the 'Professional Behaviour Assessment', a maximum of three LiP points can be accrued throughout the term. A fourth LiP will result in the assessment being graded as a fail. This component is marked against the Professional Behaviour Assessment (PBA) description and CODE OF CONDUCT outlined in the 'Skills Lab Manual and Formative Feedback' document.

To PASS the 'Sonography Lab Documents' component:

• Complete all paperwork accurately and on time.
• Save and upload documents in the PDF format
• Upload documents following the correct naming format
• Firstname_Lastname_Studentnumber_Name_of_document.pdf.
• (e.g: Ovini_Wanigasekera_123456_Lab_Agreement.pdf)
• Submit documents by the given due date and time.

Lab Agreement - due Week 1 Friday 11th March 2022 at 1600 AWST / 1800 AEST / 1900 AEDT

Consent Form - due Week 1 Friday 11th March 2022 at 1600 AWST / 1800 AEST / 1900 AEDT

Skills Lab Manual and Formative Feedback - due Week 12 Friday 3rd June 2022 at 1600 AWST / 1800 AEST