CQUniversity Unit Profile.

The purpose of this assessment is to prepare you for the professionalism and documentation responsibilities you will have on clinical placement, as well as take accurate records of your attendance and exposure to different examinations.

Part A: Induction

Pre-Clinical Days & Reflection Task 

Pre-Clinical Days are held 8 & 9 October. These are interactive days designed to prepare you for placement.

You are required to complete a one-page reflection and submit it at the commencement of the second Pre-Clinical Day. The reflection should consider their placement experiences, including professional development, communication, patient care, and progress towards their learning goals:

• Three things you are worried about
• Three things you hope to achieve
• One piece of advice to yourself
• How you plan to maintain professionalism

Initial responses will help guide your end-of-placement reflection in your case log.

Compulsory Zoom Tutorial

A compulsory induction tutorial will take place in Week 1 of this unit for all students regardless of which block you are undertaking the placement. It is compulsory that all students attend. This Zoom session covers requirements for the Professional Behaviour Assessment and important information about the term.

Other non-compulsory zoom tutorials are an opportunity to engage in real time about the content with the unit coordinator and other students, so it is highly recommended to be available for tutorials. Tutorial times will be available on Moodle. The tutorials will be recorded. Attending tutorials is a more active method of learning than watching the recordings. Active learning is a more effective way of learning and improves the chance of success. The schedule for the tutorials will be posted on the unit Moodle site. The online tutorials are an opportunity to ask questions, gain feedback, and join in discussions concerning theoretical concepts and the completion of assessment tasks. Access to the internet is required to undertake this unit, as unit materials, tutorials, and updates will be provided via Moodle, email and Zoom.

Part B: Clinical Placement Checklist

Your clinical supervisor/s will need to complete the ‘Clinical Placement Checklist’ to confirm they understand the assessment requirements for this unit. This document must be signed by the clinical supervisor/s within the first week of your clinical placement and submitted via unit Moodle site before Friday 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT, week 1 of your placement block. The clinical placement checklist ensures that the objectives and parameters of placement are understood by both the student and clinical supervisor(s). 

Part C: Clinical Placement Attendance and Case Log

As a healthcare professional, your attendance is relied upon for the provision of quality patient care. Your absence negatively impacts service delivery and safe patient care.

The electronic spreadsheet will be a record of your hours and examination performed. 

Students are expected to attend 100% of their allocated placement. A minimum of five (5) weeks of placement and 200 hours of clinical attendance is required to pass this unit.

The placement allocations and dates may be subject to change depending on the ability of the clinical site to facilitate training. 

Please read the Clinical Case Log and Clinical Hours Instructions document carefully.

The 'Verify Hours' sheet of the document must be printed, verified, and signed by your clinical site supervisor (preferred), radiologist, or a sonographer delegated by the clinical supervisor on a weekly basis. You must submit this document/s at the end of the clinical placement as well as the Excel spreadsheet. Each day you are to enter the following details into the document, the date, hours worked, any leave taken and leave type. Your supervisor is to sign this weekly. On the electronic spreadsheet you are to enter the initials of your supervising sonographer each day for your hours.

Public holidays are included as hours worked and eight (8) hours can be logged for each public holiday. These do not need to be made up.

Any other time you are away from your clinical site, you MUST supply a verifiable supporting document (such as medical certificate) to justify your absence. The Work Integrated Learning Officer, the unit coordinator and clinical supervisor must be informed of any absences. Absences must also be logged on SONIA. Any absences for a part, or all of, a working day (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. A failure in any assessment in MEDS12007 will result in a fail for the unit.

Any absences must be made up after or during the clinical placement (e.g. on weekends, evenings or by extension of rostered hours). You will need to discuss and arrange with your clinical placement site if they can accommodate this for you. If you attend outside of your normal rostered hours, you must still be under direct supervision. All absences, lateness or early departures must be documented in the clinical placement attendance and case log.

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

You are required to maintain a weekly logbook of cases performed to ensure accurate record keeping of all case studies observed or participated in whilst on clinical placement.
Each case will be categorised within one of the following domains (see Moodle unit for individual examinations):

• Abdomen
• Superficial Structures
• Breast
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Vascular
• Musculoskeletal
• Other 

Reflection

You must also complete the Reflection component of the document at the end of your clinical placement hours. In each reflection, address the following topics:

• What was your expectation before your placement?
• What was your experience during placement (regarding supervision, clinical work, overall workload - academic and clinical, etc)?
• Major Achievements (clinical, academic, other) during your placement.
• Goals for next clinical unit.

The Clinical Placement Attendance and Logbook form is available via the unit Moodle site. Information on how to complete this Clinical Placement Attendance and Logbook form is also available through the unit Moodle site. Please print the verify hours document which is to be signed and verified each week by your supervisor or person as delegated by your supervisor. Please read the form and information sheet carefully so you understand the criteria against which your logbook will be evaluated. It is the student's responsibility to ensure the Clinical Placement verify hours document is maintained and signed off weekly.

Level of GenAI use allowed: No Gen AI Use

Part A due 9th October at the Pre-clinical Day. Part B due Friday week 1 of placement. Part C due Friday week 5 of placement.

Grades will be released to students two weeks after submission.

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

1. Complete the written Reflection at the Pre-Clinical Day 
2. Attend the Compulsory Induction Tutorial 
3. Upload the completed and signed 'Clinical Placement Checklist' form before the end of your first week of placement.
4. Students are required to record a total of 5 scans (as a minimum) in any one of the domains by the end of the 5-week placement. However, you must have a minimum of 5 scans logged in the domain that you are attempting a competency in (abdomen (preferred) or renal). Each incomplete study is counted as 0.5 complete study (so two incomplete or partially scanned studies is equal to one (1) complete study).
5. Complete a minimum of five (5) weeks with a minimum of 200 hours of clinical attendance.
6. Document your attendance and case logs accurately in your electronic spreadsheet. Have your hours verified and signed every week. The electronic form and verified hours documents must be uploaded.

Assessment due dates: 

Part A: Induction
Pre-Clinical Day attendance and self-reflection task:

• FRIDAY 9 October 

Compulsory Zoom Tutorial Induction:

• THURSDAY 12 November at 6PM AEST / 7PM AEDT

Part B: Clinical placement checklist  
Due by the end of your first week of clinical placement:

• Block 1: FRIDAY 20 November 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT
• Block 2: FRIDAY 8 January 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT

Part C: Clinical placement attendance and case log: 
Due by the last day of your placement block:

• Block 1: FRIDAY 18 December 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT
• Block 2: FRIDAY 5 February 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT

Any students whose clinical placement dates have been negotiated beyond these dates will have their due dates adjusted accordingly. Please contact the unit coordinator. 

The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

• Vancouver

The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate your performance as an observable indicator of your readiness to eventually become a graduate level sonographer. The criteria examined is that which is required for a sonographer to demonstrate their knowledge and skill to perform in an area of sonographic practice. The assessment criteria are based on the core minimum requirements for a graduate level sonographer as defined by the Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers (1).

In this unit, you are required to achieve a novice (beginner) level of competence in 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 (preferred)
• Renal

Discuss the best time to complete this practical assessment with your clinical supervisor. You will attempt to perform a portion or all of the ultrasound examination under the guidance of your supervisor. The task will be assessed using the marking guidelines and assessment criteria, which are based on the core minimum requirements for a graduate-level sonographer as defined by the Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers (1).

A copy of the document has been emailed to your clinical placement site, but it is advisable for you to provide a printed or electronic 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 reattempt. Share your plan for improvement with your assessor and then reattempt the assessment before the end of the clinical placement. Note: Before you can attempt a competency, you must log a minimum of five (5) cases for that particular study/domain. For example, if you intend on attempting an abdomen, you must have logged a minimum of five (5) abdomen studies. You are permitted one (1) reattempt in the competency examination that was failed, with no more than two (2) attempts permitted. If a reattempt was completed, please submit the completed documents from all attempts. 

Level of GenAI use allowed: No Gen AI

Note: You must be assessed by a qualified sonographer with a minimum of 2 years post-graduate experience. 

Block 1: FRIDAY 18 Dec 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT; Block 2: FRIDAY 5 Feb 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT

Grades will be released to students two weeks after submission.

Your clinical supervisor will assess you on each criterion based on how dependent you are upon their direction and support. Competency indicates minimum independent practice requiring significant direction and prompting. The grade chosen will best describe your average performance in each area. In addition, specific examples of good performance and areas for improvement will be provided on page 5. In order to successfully pass this competency at novice level, you must achieve Level 2 in patient communication and Level 1 or above in all other assessment areas.

Please see the Moodle Unit for practical assessment criteria.

The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

• Vancouver

As an undergraduate 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 present 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, specifically 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 that is fundamental for sonographic practice. 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 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 four (4) main sections of the GAPA form: 

1. Applied Knowledge
2. Psychomotor Skills (Scanning Skills) and Standard of Work
3. Professionalism
4. Privacy and Confidentiality

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 during the final week of the placement, towards the end of Week 5.

Any breaches in Privacy and Confidentiality will result in a FAIL for this assessment. Confidential information includes patient details, medical records, images, and any personally collected information, whether verbal or written. This confidentiality obligation extends to all stakeholders, including clinical placement sites, patients, staff, and fellow students. Any breaches in confidentiality will result in a fail for this assessment and a fail for the unit. This will also result in student misconduct.

The 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. This form has been emailed to your clinical site, but you should also print these forms and read them carefully so you understand the criteria that will be used to assess your performance.

After the GAPA, find an appropriate time to discuss the score and comments with your clinical supervisor. Your clinical supervisor will provide you a copy of the completed GAPA and 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.

Occasionally, clinical sites may inform us (e.g. through a formative GAPA form) of student behaviour that compromises the reputation of the clinical site and/or the university, and/or compromises patient/staff safety and wellbeing. This will be emailed directly to the unit coordinator. 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.

Level of GenAI use allowed: No Gen AI use

GAPA submitted by you via the unit Moodle site Friday 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT week 5 of your placement.

Grades will be released to students two weeks after submission.

If you demonstrate unsatisfactory performance in the GAPA, this will result in a fail for this assessment. Any assessment that is failed in a pass/fail unit 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, they 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. Key performance indicators (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 GAPA and therefore, a fail for this assessment and 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. 

The completed GAPA should be uploaded to the unit Moodle site on the last day of your placement block. In order to achieve an overall grade of pass in this assessment task, the GAPA must indicate that the student demonstrates satisfactory performance (e.g. achieve Level 1 or above) in all behaviours.

• Block 1: FRIDAY 18 December at 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT
• Block 2: FRIDAY 5 February at 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT

Any students whose clinical placement dates have been negotiated beyond these dates will have their due dates adjusted accordingly. Please reach out to the unit coordinator. 

The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

• Vancouver

As you commence your first clinical placement on your journey towards becoming a sonographer, you will begin developing clinical reasoning and decision making skills that are essential for safe and effective sonography practice.

Clinical decision making is a key component of every ultrasound examination. To support the development of this skill, Kerry Thoirs and Jenny Sim developed a Clinical Decision Making (CDM) Framework for sonography students and clinical educators. The framework provides a structured approach to understanding how clinical information is gathered, analysed and applied throughout the patient journey.

You will choose one patient examination from your clinical placement and create an e-Poster that focuses on the Clinical Decision Making (CDM) Framework by Thoirs and Sim, focusing on one of the following CDM stages:

• Pre-Encounter Data and Encounter Data
• Hypothesis Generation
• Hypothesis Driven Assessment
• Hypothesis Evaluation
• Reflection

Level of GenAI use allowed: Level 1 AI-Assisted (guided collaboration). GenAI may be used for basic support only (eg: brainstorming, initial drafting, simple research assistance, or basic idea generation). 

ePoster submission due FRIDAY 8PM AEST / 9PM AEDT week 5 of placement.

Grades will be released to students two weeks after submission.

Formatting Requirements

• One-page ePoster submitted as a PDF.
• Focus on one stage of the Clinical Decision Making Framework.
• Use a clinical case encountered during placement.
• Maintain patient confidentiality through de-identification of all patient information.
• Demonstrate accurate application of clinical reasoning and decision-making principles.
• Incorporate relevant patient, technical, professional, and clinical considerations where applicable.
• Images and graphics of high resolution.
• Consider a colour scheme selection that would be easy to read from a distance (contrast of text content with
  background colour).
• Use appropriate sonographic terminology and professional language.
• Present information in a clear, logical, and visually engaging format.
• Support discussion with contemporary evidence and academic literature.
• Referencing and the use of current literature to inform your discussion.

Referencing 

Referencing is essential. It is a vital component of any academic work and plagiarism is taken seriously by the university. Referncing assistance can be sought from the Academic Learning Centre (ALC). Please refer to the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure document. Students suspected of any form of plagiarism, cheating or collusion will be reported to the Academic Integrity Unit. 

The marking rubric will be made available via the unit Moodle site.

The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

• Vancouver