As a healthcare professional, your attendance is relied upon for the provision of quality patient care. Your absence impacts service delivery and safe patient care. This logbook serves as a record of your clinical hours and the depth and breadth of experience you gained during placement. It shows how your skills have developed across different examination types. You should regularly review this record to help set learning goals that will support your achievement of the unit outcomes.

Clinical Placement Checklist

The placement checklist ensures that the objectives and parameters of placement are understood by the student and clinical supervisor. This must be completed by your clinical supervisor/s in the first week of your clinical placement block. 

Clinical Logbook and Hours

Throughout your placement block, you are expected to adhere closely to the attendance requirements arranged with your clinical supervisor.

It is expected that you attend 100% of the time during your clinical placement to achieve the minimum requirement of 200 clinical attendance hours for this unit.

The placement allocations and dates may be subject to change depending on the ability of the clinical site to facilitate training.  All hours worked must be entered into the clinical attendance form. This form must be verified and signed by the clinical supervisor, or a sonographer/radiologist, or by an obstetrician, vascular surgeon or physician that has undertaken appropriate ultrasound qualifications.

A copy of the form has been emailed to the clinical site. Please also print this form and read it carefully to understand the criteria of the requirements throughout the clinical placement.

Any absences for a part or full day of placement (other than sick leave) or variance to the allocated clinical placement block dates are not permitted unless discussed prior with and approved by your unit coordinator and subsequently by your clinical supervisor. Failure to have approval for leave may result in a fail for this assessment and this unit. As well, a fail in any assessment in MEDS12007 will also result in a fail for the unit. 

Public holidays are included as hours worked and can be logged as 8 hours worked for each public holiday. At any instance you are unable to attend placement, you must supply a verifiable supporting document indicating why you have not attended, as per the Clinical Handbook. Both the clinical supervisor and the unit coordinator must be informed of any absences. Any absence from your clinical placement must be made up after or during the clinical placement (e.g. Saturdays or extension of rostered hours). You will need to discuss with your clinical placement site whether they can accommodate this for you. If you attend outside of your normal rostered hours, you must still be under direct supervision.

You must include any absences, lateness or early departures on the 'Clinical Logbook and Attendance' form.

For this clinical placement, you are required to record all ultrasound examinations you have either completed, partially performed or observed. The clinical logbook serves as a record of depth and breadth of experience attained during the placement. It shows your skill development within and across examination types.

Each case will be categorised into one of the following areas: 

·         Abdomen

-        Renal

-        Male Pelvis

·         Superficial Structures (ie. thyroid, testes, etc.)

·         Breast (female or male)

·         Obstetrics (ie. first, second, third trimester, etc.) and Female Pelvis TA and/or TV (gynaecology)

·         Vascular (ie. carotid, DVT, etc.)

·         Musculoskeletal

·         Other (ie. paediatric, interventional, etc.)

The minimum required hours for CG91 is 2000.

This is a minimum not a maximum. Some students may require longer clinical placement hours to reach graduate level competency.

To pass this assessment you must achieve the following minimum requirements by the end of this clinical placement:

1. Upload the completed and signed "Clinical Placement Checklist" form before the end of your first week of placement. Failure to submit on time may result in a fail for this assessment. A fail in any component of a pass/fail assessment will result in a fail for the unit.

2. Have a minimum of 200 hours of attendance documented on the "Clinical Attendance" form. This is required to be uploaded on Moodle, under the assessments section.

3. Have logged a minimum of 5 scans in any one of the logbook categories (abdominal, renal, female pelvis TA and/or TV or thyroid) by the end of the placement. Detailed instructions will be provided on Moodle. If students are unable to log the minimum of 5 scans on any of the categories listed above (due to specialist clinical placement), continue to record and log studies (following clinical logbook instructions) and contact the unit coordinator to discuss further options.

4. Document your clinical placement attendance and case logs accurately in your "Clinical Logbook and Attendance" form before submission. Ensure the entirety of the form has been completed including checking that total numbers have been collated and your clinical supervisor/s have signed for each week. Any days away from your clinical site must also be documented.

A key part of being a sonographer is your ability to perform a sonographic examination. In your MEDS12003 unit, you demonstrated beginner level skills in your Superficial Structures Skills Development assessment on normal volunteers. In your MEDS12004 unit, you demonstrated advanced beginner level skills in your Sonographic Skills Development 1 assessment on normal volunteers. In this unit, you are required to achieve a novice (beginner level) of competence on your first placement in a clinical setting, with the emphasis on patient care, patient communication, professionalism, and teamwork.

Assessment Task

In consultation with your clinical supervisor, you will pick ONE of the following examinations:

·         Abdominal

·         Renal

·         Female pelvis (TA and/or TV)

·         Thyroid

Discuss the best time to complete this practical assessment with your clinical supervisor. For this task, you will be assessed on your ability to interact and communicate with the patient and multidisciplinary team for the ultrasound examination. You will attempt to perform a portion of the ultrasound examination under the guidance of your supervisor.

This task will be assessed using the marking guidelines and scoring sheet criterion. This document is available on the unit Moodle site and is outlined in the "Practical Assessment Clinical Document" form. A copy of your practical assessment form has been emailed to your clinical site, but it is advisable for you to provide a printed copy to your clinical supervisor at commencement of your placement and/or on the day of the assessment. 

If you do not meet the required competency level on your first attempt, you must seek detailed feedback from your assessor to critically reflect on and develop a strategy to improve your performance on the re-attempt. You must share your plan for improvement with your assessor and then re-attempt the assessment before the end of the clinical placement block.

If you received a fail on your first attempt, you are permitted one (1) re-attempt in the competency examination that was failed, with no more than (two) 2 attempts permitted. If a re-attempt is needed, submit the assessment documents from all attempts.

The assessment criteria will address the following areas:

·         Knowledge of instrumentation including optimisation of survey and images through appropriate selection of

·         parameters and technique

·         Interrogation of anatomy and acquisition of relevant images to demonstrate diagnostic sufficiency and

·         completeness of the information obtained

·         Recognition and understanding of the relevant anatomy and pathology demonstrated

·         Ability to recognise the need to and extend the clinical examination where appropriate

·         Accurate documentation and communication of findings

·         Occupational health and safety

·         Infection control  

To successfully complete the competency at novice level, you must achieve Level 3 in patient communication and Level 1 or above in all other assessment areas.

As a medical sonography student, you are provided access to a professional workplace to gain clinical hands-on experience. It is expected that you conduct yourself in a manner that reflects the behaviours and attributes of a healthcare professional and presents a positive image to the staff and patients at the clinical facility. As a medical sonography student in Australia, you are required to abide by the Code of Conduct for Medical Sonographers. Professional behaviour, particularly in terms of teamwork and empathy, are key factors considered by clinical sites when employing sonographers.

This assessment is based on the 'Holistic Matrix' component of the Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers (1) that is fundamental for sonographic practice. (1) You will be assessed on your ability to communicate professionally with patients and staff of diverse cultural backgrounds, demonstrate respect to all, and function as a reliable, well organised member of the healthcare team.

Your clinical supervisor, or delegate, will be observing your daily performance and/or gathering feedback from supervising sonographers. These observations and feedback are based on your demonstrated knowledge, skills and behaviours over a period of time and are not limited to a specific scan or patient case. These observations and feedback are then used to complete the Global Assessment of Professional Attributes (GAPA) form provided.

There are three (3) main sections of the GAPA form: 

·         Section 1: Applied Knowledge

·         Section 2: Psychomotor Skills (Scanning Skills) and Standard of Work

·         Section 3: Professionalism

In each section there are multiple observed behaviours that you are required to demonstrate throughout your placement. Your assessor will score your performance based on the frequency and extent you demonstrate each of these behaviours. Your assessor is encouraged to provide comments to expand on this scoring feedback. 

This assessment occurs twice during the placement:

1. The first occurs at the mid-placement point, the end of week 3. The mid-placement GAPA is formative, which provides you and your unit coordinator with formal documented feedback on your performance without affecting your final grade. Your clinical supervisor will email the GAPA directly to the unit coordinator, who will then determine if it is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

A formative GAPA may be completed by your clinical supervisor at any time, before or after the mid-placement GAPA if there are concerns with your performance. This formative GAPA will be emailed directly to the unit coordinator. If the mid-placement GAPA or any other formative GAPA is assessed as unsatisfactory, feedback will be provided to you, and you are expected to use that feedback to improve your performance. 

2. The second or end-of-placement GAPA occurs towards the end of Week 5, the final week of the placement. The end-of-placement GAPA is summative, and your final grade depends on how well you meet the performance targets listed in the assessment criteria.

The GAPA form is available on the unit Moodle site. Print these forms and read them carefully so you understand the criteria that will be used to assess your performance. You should provide printed copies to your clinical supervisor at the commencement of your placement. The form can also be electronically emailed to your clinical supervisor, if preferred.

After each GAPA, find an appropriate time to discuss the score and comments with your clinical supervisor. For the end-of-placement GAPA, you and your clinical supervisor will both need to sign and date the assessment. Your clinical supervisor will provide you a copy of the completed end-of-placement GAPA. You will need to submit this through the unit Moodle site before the due date. Any students whose clinical placement dates have been negotiated to extend beyond the standard due dates will need to communicate this with the unit coordinator.

It is your responsibility to remind your clinical supervisor, at least a week in advance, to complete the assessment and schedule a meeting with him/her afterwards to discuss it before the assessment due date. This allows your supervisor time to collect feedback and arrange for an alternate assessor, if necessary.

If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent you from being assessed before the due date, you must inform the unit coordinator in a timely manner and request an extension through the Moodle site. 

It is your responsibility to ensure regular, reliable access to technology as needed to submit the assessment by the due date. Failure to meet the requirements listed in the assessment criteria by the due dates, without an approved extension, will result in failing the assessment and consequently, the unit. Please bear in mind that a fail in any assessment in MEDS12007 will result in a fail for the entire unit.

Occasionally, clinical sites may inform us of student behaviour that compromise the reputation of the clinical site and/or the university, and/or compromise patient/staff safety and wellbeing. In such cases, the student will be notified that he/she must stop attending the clinical site and discuss his/her position with the unit coordinator and the Head of Course. In accordance with CQUniversity policy, this may result in student behavioural misconduct procedures.

1. Childs J, Thoirs K, Quinton A, Osborne B, Edwards C, Stoodley P, et al. Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers [Internet]. 2021 Oct [cited 2022 Nov 18]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17148035.v2

There are 37 behaviours you are required to demonstrate during placement and are listed in the GAPA form.

These required behaviours are grouped into three (3) sections:

·         Section 1: Applied Knowledge - five (5) required behaviours

·         Section 2: Psychomotor Skills (Scanning Skills) and Standard of Work - twelve (12) required behaviours

·         Section 3: Professionalism - sixteen (16) required behaviours

The criteria for this assessment is detailed on the GAPA form specified as required behaviours and attributes.

The assessor will use the stated scale, limited to level 3, to indicate the frequency and extent to which you demonstrate each of those. The required behaviours and attributes are grouped in 3 sections, each with their own minimum required scores.

For Section 1: Applied Knowledge -

The student must achieve level 1 or above in all areas.

For Section 2: Psychomotor Skills (Scanning Skills) and Standard of Work -

The student must achieve level 1 or above in all areas.

For Section 3: Professionalism -

The student must achieve level 1 or above in all areas.

If you demonstrate unsatisfactory performance in the mid-placement GAPA, you will be deemed as a student at risk of failing and you will be given a chance to improve. After consultation with your clinical supervisor, key performance indicators (KPIs) will be set and are required to be achieved within a given timeframe. If there is not sufficient, demonstrable improvement and these KPIs are not met, this will result in a fail for your second GAPA and therefore a fail for this assessment and consequently, the unit. Please bear in mind a fail in any assessment in MEDS12007 will result in a fail for the unit.

If you demonstrate unsatisfactory performance in the end-of-placement GAPA, this will result in a fail for this assessment and the unit. Please bear in mind a fail in any assessment in MEDS12007 will result in a fail for the unit.

If a student's behaviour fails to meet the minimum required levels in the GAPA at any stage of clinical placement, he/she may be identified as a 'student at risk' by the clinical supervisor or unit coordinator. Any ‘student at risk’ will be notified by the unit coordinator, who will provide formative feedback. KPIs will be set and required to be met within a given timeframe. Failure to meet these KPIs within the given timeframe will result in a fail in the second/end-of-placement GAPA and therefore, a fail for this assessment and the unit. Please bear in mind a fail in any assessment in MEDS12007 will result in a fail for the unit.

Occasionally, a student's behaviour is beyond acceptable risk to clinical sites. The clinical supervisor may contact CQUniversity if this occurs. A GAPA may be requested at this time (which could be at any time during the placement). If the outcome of this GAPA is unsatisfactory, and/or the clinical site feedback indicates that they can no longer host a student due to the risk incurred, this will constitute a fail of the unit. Please bear in mind a fail in any assessment in MEDS12007 will result in a fail for the unit.

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

·         complete and correctly submit both the mid-placement and end-of-placement GAPAs by the due dates;

·         demonstrate satisfactory performance (achieve Level 1 or above in all 37 behaviours) in the end-of placement GAPA; 

·         ensure the documentation of each GAPA assessment is complete;

-         upload each completed GAPA assessment form and submit on Moodle

You are about to enter the clinical environment for your first clinical placement to continue your preparation for your future as a sonographer. Qualified sonographers use experiential and knowledge-based clinical intuition to assist in making clinical decisions. This helps them decide things such as what questions to ask during history taking, where to focus their scan, how to extend the scan, what images to record and what to highlight in their report. You are going to begin the process of developing this clinical decision-making capacity in this assessment.

Kerry Thoirs and Jenny Sims, two well-respected educators in imaging, have adapted a clinical decision-making framework to support student sonographers to develop clinical decision-making skills and structure clinical learning. This assessment requires you to complete a clinical case report on an ultrasound examination that you have either performed, or taken part in, while undertaking this clinical unit. You are going to produce a clinical case report in the style described by Thoirs and Sims in their published article, "Using a Clinical Decision-Making Framework to Foster Sonographer Student Learning in the Clinical Setting". Using this framework will give you a chance to appraise your professional performance including sonographic knowledge, technical skill, professionalism, teamwork, communication skills and safe clinical practice to identify goals for continuing professional development.

The following section will detail the template outline for the clinical case report.

Task

Using the headings below fill out details of a scan. It will be structured to include five components:

• Information gathering around the patient presentation;
• Hypothesis generation – the making of a tentative diagnosis based on the information gained in the previous component;
• Sonographic assessment to gather further information;
• The combination and cognitive synthesis of previous components to make a sonographic diagnosis; and
• Reflection and consolidation of learning from the case.

The full article is included on the unit Moodle site for you to read and refer to. 

Quiz

Another important part of being a sonographer is your ability to critique and interpret ultrasound images. As you progress through this course, you will develop your knowledge and ability in identifying normal vs. abnormal sonographic findings, interpreting and critiquing ultrasound images and decision-making to extend the scan further when required.

Quiz Task Description

This task will assess your understanding of image optimisation, image interpretation and critical thinking. There is only one attempt for this quiz. If you do not meet the minimum requirement for the quiz, you will receive a fail for this assessment task and this will lead to failure of this unit. Please bear in mind a fail in any assessment (or task within an assessment) in MEDS12007 will result in a fail for the unit.

You need to ensure that you have adequate computer and internet facilities in completing this assessment. If students are requiring assistance with regards to connectivity issues, please ensure that communication is made in a timely manner prior to the attempt with the unit coordinator.

Practice questions will be provided in fortnightly tutorials. The quiz will cover content related to: 

- Ultrasound Physics and Instrumentation

- Small Parts Ultrasound (ie. thyroid, testes, etc.)

- Upper Abdominal Ultrasound

- Obstetric and Gynaecology Ultrasound

The quiz will require students to name anatomical structures in ultrasound, to explain normal and abnormal findings, and demonstrate critical thinking.

The quiz will be open in week 10.

Students must achieve 50% on each task (the written assessment and the quiz) in order to pass this assessment. Please bear in mind that a fail on either task will result in a fail on the assessment and consequently the unit. All assessments in this unit must achieve a pass in order to pass the unit.