Overview
This clinical unit will provide you with opportunities to apply and integrate theoretical and practical knowledge, skills and professional behaviour in the clinical environment, independently and under the supervision of qualified professionals. The practical focus in this unit includes the completion of an ultrasound scan to ‘Advanced Beginner’ – (student) Level 2 competence as described by the Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers adopted by the Australasian Sonographers Association and the Australian Sonographer Accreditation Register. You will learn to analyse images and solve problems, developing critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. You will demonstrate reflective practice to expand your core knowledge and experience. You will also behave professionally using interpersonal skills relevant to sonographic practice in accordance with CQUniversity graduate attributes and Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry accreditation requirements. You are expected to critically reflect on your own performance and exhibit a high level of safe patient care. Critical appraisal of performance will enable you to develop your own patient care, professional, technical and analytical skills in a work setting.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites MEDS12006 Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and MEDS12004 Sonographic Skills Development 1 and MEDS12007 Medical Sonography Clinical Unit 1 and MEDS13008 Vascular Sonography AND MEDS13011 Sonographic Skills Development 2 which must have been successfully completed within the last twelve months. Should this time limit have elapsed the student must successfully complete a skills / clinical revision and assessment as determined by the discipline lead or designate.
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 2 - 2026
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 12-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
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 Student Unit Teacher Evaluation
Students reported that while on placement, managing the written assignment alongside clinical responsibilities felt overwhelming. Several suggested that the due date could be more flexible or moved to the end of the university semester to reduce stress.
Consider adjusting the written assignment due date to allow greater flexibility, ideally allowing extra time after each placement block to make it fair and equitable for both students in block 1 and block 2.
- Perform sonographic examinations under supervision to meet the Competency Standards for Level 2 - Advanced Beginner (Student).
- Evaluate sonographic findings and describe them in simple terms to solve straightforward diagnostic problems.
- Display professional behavior, teamwork and communication skills consistent with safe sonographic practice in accordance with CQUniversity graduate attributes, the Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers, and Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry accreditation requirements.
- Critically reflect upon own professional practice, sonographer psychomotor skills, sonographic knowledge, teamwork, communication skills and safe clinical practice.
The learning outcomes for this unit relate to the requirements of general sonography courses under the Australasian Sonography Accreditation Registry (ASAR), Standards for the Accreditation of Sonographer Courses (SASC):
Foundation Units of Competence 1-5
Critical Practice Units of Competence 6-7, 9-10, 12-13
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 0% | ||||
| 2 - Direct observation of procedural skills (DOPs) - 0% | ||||
| 3 - Professional Practice Placement - 0% | ||||
| 4 - Written Assessment - 0% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 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 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||