In your future career as a sonographer, you will perform ultrasound scans of the full abdomen on a daily basis. To begin your journey to competency in these scans, you will undertake training and practise in our realistic simulation facilities to achieve advanced beginner level competency in 'normal' patients within a specified time frame.

This assessment will challenge your ability to perform routine sonographic scanning techniques and image optimisation & acquisition of the abdomen (male and female), in a reasonable time period to an advanced beginner level.

In summary, this is an assessment of the pre-scan, scanning, and post-scan skills that are further discussed and emphasized in the unit lab manual instructed labs, lectures, and tutorials. Students will be assessed using the ‘Assessment of Readiness for Clinical’ (ARC tool).

This is a pass/fail assessment. To achieve a pass, each assessment component must be passed individually as these indicate the required standard to progress to the first clinical placement. The following lists the sub-assessment items:

Professional (pre-scan and post-scan) requirements

• Apply correct patient care techniques and effective communication to obtain relevant patient history, informed consent, and to direct 'patients' accordingly.
• Apply professionalism in dealing with equipment and the scanning setting.
• Use correct ergonomics during the scan to prevent injury

Technical (scanning) Requirements

• Students are required to perform routine sonographic techniques and image optimisation of the abdomen (male and female) in a reasonable time period, to an advanced beginner level.
• The abdominal ultrasound skills test is marked as per the ARC tool – scanning time limit is 45 minutes.

The professional and technical components must each be graded as a 'pass' in order to pass the assessment. The components are graded separately so that if one is passed and the other is not, only the failed component must be repeated. All of the bolded items in the professional assessment must receive full marks to pass the professional assessment. If the student has failed only the professional component, the full assessment will be repeated, but the student will only be marked on the professional component.

There is only ONE (1) opportunity to re-sit the technical and/or professional components of the assessment item in Week 11.

Please carefully review the assessment information and ARC tool posted on the unit Moodle site.

Skills test assessment and re-sit dates will be subject to change due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19.

SKILLS TEST ABDOMEN

• A pass rate of 65% of available marks in EACH component of the practical and professional behaviour must be achieved to pass the assessment.
• The sonography tutor will observe the student's performance of the full scanning procedure and assess each task relative to the stated standards of the Assessment of Readiness for Clinical (ARC) tool. The ARC tool and supporting details can be found on the unit Moodle site.
• The skills test will assess scanning technique, image optimisation, demonstration of required anatomy on images obtained, and adherence to scan protocols. The non-scanning component will assess communication, professional behaviour, patient care, infection control, and ergonomics.

Please be aware that ALL practical skills tests will be video recorded for moderation purposes. Videos may be viewed by CQU sonography staff and tutors for the purposes of marking and moderation of assessments and may be required to be viewed by other CQU staff in the event of a student requesting either a Review of Grade or an Appeal of Grade. These videos will not be released to students for review.

During re-evaluation:

• All students who achieve marginal and failing grades will have their images and/or video cross-marked (moderated) by two other members of the teaching team, and a consensus marking moderation process between these three markers will be used to award the final grade.
• Students achieving pass grades will have their images and/or videos randomly allocated to the moderation process to ensure consistency. Provisional grades will be released once the moderation process is complete.
• Students who do not pass this assessment in week 8, will be provided feedback on their performance and will be given ONE (1) opportunity to re-sit the technical and/or professional item in Week 11. This test will be conducted by a different assessor and on a different patient to that of the first test.
• Please be aware that all re-sits will be video recorded for moderation purposes.
• Re-sit results will be released within 10 working days to ensure thorough moderation.

As per the Assessment Policy and Procedure 4.41: "Students who fail a single assessment in a pass/fail unit will be deemed to have failed that unit". Each of the two (2) components must be passed individually to pass the unit.

Practical component - Acquisition of images

The pelvis is a common ultrasound examination and students must achieve competency in this domain to qualify as a registered sonographer in Australia. To begin your journey to competency in these scans, you will undertake training and practise in our realistic simulation facilities to acquire optimised images of the pelvis. Using peers and/or approved volunteers (on campuses with reduced male student numbers) in the CQU sonography lab, you will personally acquire the following relevant and appropriately optimised images in the following 6 key areas:

• Bladder with Volume and jets (male or female)
• Uterus protocol images
• Endometrium protocol images
• Rt Ovary protocol images
• Lt Ovary protocol images
• Prostate protocol images

A complete set of images from each of the above listed protocols is to be submitted.

Written component - Discussion of image series

You will provide a reflective discussion on your imaging series (maximum of 1500 words in total +/- 10%).

For each image submitted:

• Justify the clinical purpose or importance of each the 6 key areas as listed above (Why do we take the image/measurement? How is the information used clinically?). Include citations/referencing for this section as required.

• Critique the image quality (specifically any aspects needing improvement).

• Reflect on any difficulties encountered (If it was challenging, why? What challenges would an elderly or very young patient bring?)

• Provide suggestions for future improvement when you attempt this in a clinical setting (be specific and reflective in your thoughts).

Note for similar images such as Rt and Lt ovary, you may choose to discuss these together rather than repeating yourself. This is entirely up to you.

Practical component - Acquisition of images

Your images will be assessed for:

• optimisation

• scan plane

• accurate measurement/s

• annotation

• use of ultrasound machine features

Your discussion will be assessed on:

• justification of clinical relevance of images/reports/graphs

• quality of critique on image quality

• reflection of difficulties encountered in the acquisition process

• suggestions for improvement in a clinical setting

• spelling, grammar, academic writing

• referencing

• adherence to 1500 word count +/- 10% (word count marks will be reduced if too brief or too lengthy; words over 1650 words will not be assessed and may lead to marks not being allocated for images or critiquing outside of this word count)

For detailed marking criteria please see the marking rubric and 2020 assessment video which are both available on the unit Moodle site.

Referencing is a vital component of any academic work and plagiarism is taken seriously by the university. Please refer to the Academic Misconduct Procedure. See support on Vancouver referencing on the unit Moodle site.

As you are students in a course that is accredited by your professional body, we must provide evidence that you have core knowledge and skills that underpin your ability to meet the competency of your profession.

You will complete two separate online tests to assess your understanding of the anatomy and sonographic protocol and technique for each module, and presumed sonographic knowledge relevant to that module. The purpose of these quizzes is to ensure adequate review of theory from term 1, and that sufficient preparation of protocol and procedures has been undertaken prior to labs.

There will be two separate online quizzes which will be held in weeks 3 and 6. Once available, quizzes are open for 32 hours (e.g. open at 10am AEST / 8am WA time on Tuesday and close Wednesday at 6pm AEST / 4pm WA time.)

This is an open book quiz, so you have the opportunity to consult your notes, lecture slides, textbooks, and Moodle page. However, this assessment is to be undertaken as an individual - please see below for further details.

• The first quiz is in week 3 and covers the male and female pelvis, aorta, IVC, liver, pancreas, patient positioning and scanning planes.

• The second quiz is in week 6 and covers the porta hepatis, gallbladder, spleen, and kidneys.
• You are allowed one attempt at each quiz, so please ensure you are prepared beforehand.
• Once the quiz has commenced, approximately 1 minute per question will be given, for example, a 20 question quiz would be given a time limit of 20 minutes to complete. This is subject to change at the discretion of the unit coordinator based on the content of the pool of questions.
• These assessment tasks must be completed on or before the due dates.
• No late submissions are permitted after each quiz has closed, so please ensure adequate time for completion, with additional time for computer mishaps. If you have computer/quiz access difficulties, you need to contact TaSAC as soon as possible for assistance. Take a screenshot of the issue. After you have contacted TaSAC, please contact the unit coordinator for assistance if you cannot complete the quiz in the allocated time before the end of the quiz.
• In the event you are unable to complete the quiz in the allocated time and have suitable medical documentation as detailed in Term Specific Information, you can apply for an extension through the Assessment Extension system on the unit Moodle site before the end of the quiz) to be granted an extension to the quiz time without academic penalty.

In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete a quiz after it has closed.

Answers will be either correct or incorrect and tabulated by the unit's online Moodle system. Students will receive their score for each quiz once all students have completed that quiz.

Students must achieve a cumulative pass rate of 70% across the two quizzes to pass this assessment.

As per Assessment Policy and Procedure (HE Coursework), item 5.54, "For some assessments, it may not be appropriate to apply a late penalty. Such assessments will receive a mark of zero if not completed by or on the specified date. Examples are:

a) weekly online tests worth a small proportion of the unit mark

b) online quizzes where answers are released to students on completion

c) professional assessment tasks, where the intention is to create an authentic assessment that has an

absolute submission date

d) take-home papers that are assessed during a defined time period

e) pass/fail assessment tasks."

PLEASE NOTE: Failure to complete one quiz means a maximum possible cumulative score of 50% which equates to a fail grade for this assessment and a fail grade for MEDS12004.

This is an open book quiz, 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. As per the Academic Misconduct Procedure document, cheating is defined as "fraud, dishonesty or deceit of any kind in relation to an academic assessment. Examples include: a. copying or attempting to copy from other students in either an examination or assessment; f. colluding with other students in individual assessments; g. allowing others to provide you with any material that give you an unfair advantage in an assessment; and i. completing an assessment for another person or having another person assisting in the completion of your assessment." Colluding with other students on non-group work tasks is considered academic misconduct, and will be reported to the Deputy Dean of Learning and Teaching (Health, Medical, and Applied Sciences).

Sonographers work clinically with patients, and both patients and physicians rely on quick, efficient, and complete documentation to issue results, a delay of which may delay treatment. The purpose of this assessment is to prepare you for professional behaviour, attendance, and documentation responsibilities on clinical placement, as well as to develop self-reflection skills by setting weekly goals and following up on progress. There is an example of a completed Formative Feedback Form in your Skills Lab Manual.

This task requires you to

• Demonstrate understanding the lab processes, procedures and Code of Conduct.
• Agree to take part in scanning procedures with due regard for volunteer consent processes.
• Attend scanning labs as scheduled.
• Collect tutor and peer feedback on your skills in ultrasound scanning, image optimisation, and documentation, patient care, communication, and ergonomic performance.
• Respond to feedback with your own reflections and SMART goals for practice and improvement. Both feedback and goals must be completed for each scanning skill lab attended

This assessment will require you to correctly complete and upload the documentation set forth in your MEDS12004 Skills Lab Manual. This includes:

• A signed Student Acknowledgement and Lab Agreement uploaded in week 1 
• A signed Consent Form - Sonographic Examination for Teaching Purposes in week 1  ** ONLY if first lab unit for 2020**.
• 15 Completed Formative Feedback Forms plus Cover sheet uploaded in week 11
• Completed Scan Lab Attendance Record uploaded in week 11

The uploaded documents need to be pdf format only. Please ensure your first name, surname (family name), student number, and title of what you are uploading are used in that order in the name of the uploaded document, with underscores separating words.

i.e. Jodie_Gallagher_s0123456_Lab_Agreement.pdf

This assessment also ties in with the Professional Behaviour Assessment. You are required to complete your Formative Feedback Forms before leaving at the end of each lab (as you would be required to complete documentation for each patient's scan before the end of a clinical shift) and to have it signed by your tutor. If you do not have all lab days signed off on your Lab Attendance, you will need to write in the reason for this (e.g. "sick - certificate sent in to UC", "did not get signed", etc.); however all forms in this assessment must be completed accurately and either signed off or an explanation given to pass this assessment. Please note, LiP points will be given for each day not signed off for anything other than an absence approved by the UC.

Please ensure you check times and deadlines for submissions, and that all paperwork is completed correctly and accurately, including uploading in the required format. Failure to do so will result in a fail mark for that assessment component.

** Assessment due dates will be subject to change due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19 **

In a non-graded pass/fail unit, all assessment items must be correctly and accurately submitted by the due date, as there is no opportunity to apply a five percent penalty, due to the pass/fail nature of each assessment task. Students who fail a single assessment task in a pass-fail unit, or who fail a pass-fail component of a graded unit, will be deemed to have failed that unit.

Professional behaviour is a critical part of any medical imaging profession and encompasses 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 clinical placement. This assessment will require you to treat each of your lab sessions as a scheduled "work shift" and to exhibit high-quality professional attributes to ensure you are prepared to enter the workforce with the skills required to provide safe patient care and professional behaviour. As such, this assessment is based on continuous and ongoing assessment of student application and attendance during labs. Note: this extends to all behaviour exhibited by you during your time studying this unit, up until the end of exam week. This includes participation in forums and online tutorials, labs, social media etiquette, phone calls, attitude towards peers and staff; and all official correspondence with university staff, peers, and community.

This is a PASS/FAIL assessment. This assessment is marked using the Professional Behaviour Assessment scored using a Lapse in Professionalism (LiP) point system - to pass this unit, a student can receive a MAXIMUM of three LiP points i.e. if a fourth LiP point is issued, the assessment will be graded as a fail.

All interactions with staff and peers pertaining to this unit will be treated as a replica of the clinical work environment. You will be expected to demonstrate all of the professional behaviour that will be expected of you in a formal work environment. Lapse in Professionalism points can be issued in three different categories:

1. Professional behaviour towards colleagues
2. Professional behaviour towards patients.
3. Professional behaviour in professional settings and equipment.

Expected behaviour and its relevance to the clinical environment is listed under the Professional Behaviour Assessment Outline on the unit Moodle site. You must review this information and be aware of what is expected of you for this unit. Please be aware that not having your Formative Feedback Forms signed on your lab day would have consequences in a clinical setting and will warrant a LiP point. You will be required to fill out a Formative Feedback Form for each of your compulsory labs, but not for the dates of your practical skills test as outlined in the lab manual. It is very important that you familiarise yourself with the CODE OF CONDUCT in the Lab Manual as well as the ASA CODE OF CONDUCT and the CQU CODE OF CONDUCT. All of these documents are posted on the unit Moodle site for your information.

If unprofessional behaviour is reported by fellow classmates and not witnessed by a staff member, a written warning detailing the allegations will be issued to the student, and the student's response documented. If further evidence of an on-going unprofessional behaviour surfaces, then a LiP point may be issued.

Up to three LiP points can be issued before the assessment is graded as a fail. However, if any exhibited behaviour is deemed as unsafe or unacceptable for clinical practice and feedback given to the student around this issue is not taken on board, the professional behaviour assessment may be graded as a FAIL at the discretion of the unit coordinator.

When a Lapse in Professionalism point is issued, it will be discussed between the student, the campus co-coordinator, and/or the unit coordinator. Written documentation explaining the reason for the LiP point will be provided to the student, signed by the campus co-coordinator or the unit coordinator.

Accruing four or more LiP points in the unit will result in the assessment being graded as a FAIL. As this is a pass/fail unit, all assessment items must be graded as a pass to successfully pass the unit.