Overview
This unit aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) to identify and diagnose cardiac pathology. To enrol in this unit you must be a graduate of a science or health / medical course. To successfully complete all assessments, you must be able to undertake ultrasound scans in a clinical environment with appropriate supervision. You will use PoCUS to identify cardiac anatomical structures and diagnose pathology to assist patient management. You will learn transducer manipulation techniques and skills to optimise ultrasound images for documentation.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Co-requisite:MEDS20009 Science and Instrumentation of Ultrasound
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 3 - 2018
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).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Compulsory Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 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 Moodle
Opportunity to enhance structure of Moodle site.
Structure of Moodle site enhanced.
Feedback from Moodle
Opportunity to enhance structure of Residential School.
Structure of Residential School enhanced.
Feedback from Moodle
Opportunity to enhance structure of Assessment items.
Structure of Assessment items enhanced.
- Evaluate the benefits and limitations of using diagnostic transthoracic echocardiography in emergency or point of care (PoC) medicine
- Apply safe transthoracic echocardiography techniques to generate optimised diagnostic images of the heart and great vessels
- Integrate transthoracic echocardiography images into the clinical decision making process and patient management.
The International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) Point of care curriculum guidelines
3.3 Demonstration of how to generate and optimise an image- 2
3.4 Demonstration of good practice in point-of-care ultrasound- 1.2 and 3
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 0% | |||
| 2 - Portfolio - 0% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||
| 2 - Communication | |||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||
| 4 - Research | |||
| 5 - Self-management | |||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||
| 7 - Leadership | |||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 0% | ||||||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 0% | ||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
There are no specific textbooks for this unit.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Microphone, speakers and video camera to attend and participate in the Zoom tutorials
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Vancouver
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
a.aziz@cqu.edu.au
a.spermon@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Welcome to FoCUS. Unit profile and study requirements.
Introduction to FoCUS. Principles, benefits, limitations, safe techniques and outcomes.
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial on Monday 5th November 2018 at 7.30 pm AEST.
Module/Topic
FoCUS Protocol and the Normal Heart.
Introduction of the 3 questions: Size? Function? Effusion?
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residence School 1 on Friday 12th November 2018 at CQUniversity Perth Campus - 9 am to 4 pm.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial on Monday 19th November 2018 at 7.30 pm AEST.
Via a Zoom collaboration, students will each present one case as a part of their Portfolio Assessment. Please make sure patient privacy is adhered to.
Module/Topic
Qualitative Assessment of the Right Ventricle. Size and function.
Assessment of Inferior Vena Cava. Size and collapsibility.
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Take a break - but don't forget to revise the content covered in previous weeks.
Keep working on your portfolio.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Identification of Pericardial Effusion. Introduction to echocardiographic signs of tamponade.
(While acknowledging that tamponade is a clinical diagnosis, there are a number of echocardiographic features that will assist the clinician in this diagnosis).
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial on Monday 10th December 2018 at 7.30 pm AEST.
Via a Zoom collaboration, students will each present one case as a part of their Portfolio Assessment. Please make sure patient privacy is adhered to.
Module/Topic
Clinical Applications of FoCUS. Case Studies: Part 1.
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Clinical Applications of FoCUS. Case Studies: Part 2.
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Identification of Gross Valvular Abnormalities. Normal vs. suspicious.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial on Monday 7th January 2019 at 7.30 pm AEST.
Via a Zoom collaboration, students will each present one case as a part of their Portfolio Assessment. Please make sure patient privacy is adhered to.
Residence School 2 on Friday 11th January 2018 at CQUniversity Perth Campus - 9 am to 4 pm.
Module/Topic
Identification of Intracardiac Masses. Normal vs. suspicious.
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Identification of Signs of Chronic Heart Disease. Using FoCUS to identify acute vs. chronic cardiac disease.
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial on Monday 21st January 2019 at 7.30 pm AEST.
Via a Zoom collaboration, students will each present one case as a part of their Portfolio Assessment. Please make sure patient privacy is adhered to.
Module/Topic
Clinical Applications of FoCUS. Case Studies: Part 3.
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Review of unit content. Assessment preparation.
Chapter
Lectures and readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Clinical competency assessment in bedside cardiac ultrasound for point of care (PoCUS) Due: Week 12 Friday (8 Feb 2019) 4:00 pm AEST
Portfolio (including case presentations) Due: Week 12 Friday (8 Feb 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
There are 3 compulsory residential schools in this unit. They are held at the CQUniversity Perth Campus on Fridays of Week 2, 8 and 12.
Residential School 1: Friday 16/11/2018 9 am to 4 pm. This will cover a revision of science and instrumentation of ultrasound, image optimisation, normal cardiac anatomy, physiology, and electrophysiology. There will be live scanning on volunteers.
Residential School 2: Friday 11/01/2019 9 am to 4 pm. This will cover the evaluation of LV and RV and practice of FoCUS protocols. There will be live scanning on volunteers.
Residential School 3: Friday 08/02/2019 9 am to 4 pm. This will include the clinical competency assessment.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
It is essential that participating students collect cases for presentation and discussion, this will be the portfolio component of assessment.
While there is a didactic and practical element to the unit unless the student actively participates in the collection of his/her own scans they will not gain the maximum benefit of this unit.
The unit coordinator for MED20014 is Dr. Aamer Aziz, located at Mackay campus and Ashley Spermon, located on Brisbane campus (relocating to Sydney campus in January 2019).
The best way to contact Aamer is by email at a.aziz@cqu.edu.au (07 4940 7478) and Ashley is a.spermon@cqu.edu.au
Aamer and Ashley may be busy in the labs on certain days, so please leave a message or email so that they can call you back.
Access to the internet is required to undertake this unit, as unit materials, tutorials and updates will be provided via Moodle, email, and Zoom.
Resources will include access to relevant websites, activities, and readings provided. To give yourself the best chance of success with this course please ensure that you undertake all the readings and activities.
Attendance at tutorials is recommended (recordings of these will be made available on Moodle).
The residential clinical skills labs are mandatory and will only be held in Perth. Non-attendance must be documented with a Medical Certificate or equivalent.
As this is a 6 credit point unit, you are expected to spend on average 12.5 hours each week on study activities for this unit.
This time includes:
- Watching recorded lectures
- Creating study notes to meet weekly learning objectives using lectures and readings
- Researching and working on your assessment
- Attending the residential schools
Discussions about unit content, assessment, and clinical competency tests are provided in the tutorials.
In order to pass this unit, you must attain at least 50% overall and meet the minimum mark of 50% in each assessment task.
Dr. Aamer Aziz (MBBS, MSc (Nuc Med), PhD (Radiology), GradDipMedSonography, AMS) has worked extensively as a radiologist, nuclear medicine specialist and sonographer in Australia and internationally. He holds a PhD in medical imaging as well. He is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Sonography at CQU and is the Head of Course for postgraduate sonography. He is also a supervisor for higher education degrees. His areas of interest include developing new technologies in augmented and virtual reality, developing intelligent radiology systems and remote radiology teaching. His hobbies include playing tennis and cricket, riding motorbikes, flying and travel.
Ashley Spermon (BScApp(HMS), GradDipCardiacUlt) has worked in the cardiac field in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Ashley is a Lecturer of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology at CQUniversity, and is registered with the Australian Sonographers Accreditation Registry (ASAR). Ashley will be assisting Dr. Aziz in teaching the cardiac ultrasound component of this unit.
1 Written Assessment
As a clinician you come across difficult decision making in your everyday professional life. Ultrasound is a modality that aids your clinical decision making as it is readily available, cheap, accessible and portable, with fairly good diagnostic accuracy. However, it is operator dependent and training in adequate use of this technology is of paramount importance.
The clinical competency assessment evaluates student proficiency in performing a FoCUS protocol on a live patient/volunteer. The assessment will look for the students ability in*:
- the appropriate use of the ultrasound machine
- the ability to obtain standard FoCUS views
- critical evaluation of reliably interpretable images
- identification of cardiac chambers and structures
- pattern recognition of structural abnormalities and pathology
- clinical integration of ultrasound findings
- the use of ultrasound information in guide patient management
This assessment is to be undertaken as an individual. As with all other university examinations, colluding with other students on non-group work tasks is considered academic misconduct and may lead to action being taken by the Deputy Dean of Learning and Teaching.
* International Evidence-Based Recommendations for Focused Cardiac Ultrasound, JASE, July 2014
Week 12 Friday (8 Feb 2019) 4:00 pm AEST
This assessment will be done at the 3rd residential school
Exam Week Friday (15 Feb 2019)
The student will be assessed on their ability in:
- Safe practice: patient care, obtaining consent, following safe techniques including infection control practices
- Appropriate use of the ultrasound machine: set up of the ultrasound machine, selection of appropriate settings, verbally indicate what machine settings can be manipulated to optimise image quality (e.g. frequency and gain), input patient identification data, save appropriate images, end the study, clean the machine
- Ability to obtain standard FoCUS views: correct imaging windows for the FoCUS protocol with on-axis images from all required sonographic windows (subcostal four chamber, subcostal short axis at inferior vena cava with sniff test, parasternal long axis, parasternal short axis at mid left ventricle, apical four chamber)
- Critical evaluation of reliably interpretable images
- Identification of cardiac chambers and structures
A detailed marking rubric and assessment sheet is available on the Moodle site.
This is a pass/fail assessment and you must pass this assessment in order to pass the unit.
- Evaluate the benefits and limitations of using diagnostic transthoracic echocardiography in emergency or point of care (PoC) medicine
- Apply safe transthoracic echocardiography techniques to generate optimised diagnostic images of the heart and great vessels
- Integrate transthoracic echocardiography images into the clinical decision making process and patient management.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Portfolio
Ultrasound is a practical health profession, hence practical experience is vital to being able to develop the skills required to acquire and optimise an image. The clinical portfolio serves as a record of the experience that students have obtained during the unit.
You are required to collect 25 cases (in different patients) of bedside cardiac ultrasound during the term (from 5th November 2018). You must have partly or completely scanned these patients yourself under the supervision of your clinical supervisor. Each case must be reviewed and signed by your clinical supervisor and will be categorised into one of the following studies:
- left ventricular (LV) study
- right ventricular (RV) study
- volume status study
- identification of pericardial effusion +/- tamponade
- identification of gross chronic heart disease
- identification of gross valvular abnormality
- identification of intracardiac mass.
By the final residential school, each student will have a minimum of twenty-five full FoCUS cases in their portfolio. This will include a mix of cases in different patients (as outlined in portfolio template - available on Moodle site) to ensure exposure to a range of pathology and enhance understanding of FoCUS applications and limitations.
Students will bring their clinical portfolio with them to the residential school for review. This will include a hard copy of the portfolio template duly filled in and signed by the student and the supervisor, and a thumb drive containing all images obtained in each study. The thumb drive will be retained for marking. Please make sure that patient privacy is adhered to by de-identifying all images.
As a component of this assessment, each student will present a minimum of one full FoCUS study from their clinical portfolio at each interactive ZOOM session (19th November 2018, 10th December 2018, 7th January 2019, 21st January 2019). Please make sure that patient privacy is adhered to by de-identifying all images.
Week 12 Friday (8 Feb 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Portfolio need to brought to final residence school for assessment
Exam Week Friday (15 Feb 2019)
The portfolio will be reviewed following the residential school with feedback provided the following week
All cases will be assessed for:
- Appropriate indication for FoCUS
- Completeness of FoCUS protocol
- Image quality
- Review by Clinical Supervisor
- Self report by clinician (via ZOOM collaboration)
- Accuracy of self report
A detailed marking rubric is available on the unit Moodle site.
- Evaluate the benefits and limitations of using diagnostic transthoracic echocardiography in emergency or point of care (PoC) medicine
- Apply safe transthoracic echocardiography techniques to generate optimised diagnostic images of the heart and great vessels
- Integrate transthoracic echocardiography images into the clinical decision making process and patient management.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
