This practical assessment examines your readiness to become a graduate level sonographer through the observation of your performance. You will demonstrate your ability to perform an ultrasound examination with minimal intervention, guidance or correction by the assessor.

There are six (6) competency domains that are assessed:

• Vascular Arterial (Carotid, Aorta including Iliac, Renal Arteries or Leg Arteries)
• Superficial Structures (Thyroid or Testes)
• Breast (Female or Male)
• Musculoskeletal (Shoulder)
• Abdomen
• Obstetric (18-22 Week Morphology OR 3rd Trimester Growth) and Gynaecology (Female Pelvis Transabdominal and Transvaginal)

You must attempt to achieve the required competency level as described in the assessment criteria for three (3) of the six (6) competency domains. You must challenge the remaining three (3) competency domains in MEDS20017.

The assessment must be attempted before the end of your clinical placement block.

Note: Before you can attempt a competency, you must log a minimum of ten (10) cases for that particular study. For example, if you intend on attempting a thyroid competency, you must have logged a minimum of ten (10) thyroid studies.

Your clinical supervisor, or a delegate, will assess you using the standardised forms available in the Assessments tile on the unit Moodle site. Print these forms and read them carefully so you understand the criteria that will be used to assess your sonographic skills and relevant theoretical knowledge. You should provide printed copies to your clinical supervisor at the commencement of your placement and discuss the best time to complete this assessment. The form can also be electronically emailed to your clinical supervisor if preferred. After the assessment ask for feedback so you can focus on improving your weaker areas.

Note: This assessment must be completed by a sonographer with a minimum of 2 years post-graduate qualification.

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 domain that was failed with no more than (two) 2 attempts per domain. If a re-attempt is needed, submit the assessment documents from all attempts.

To successfully complete the competency at a Competent Level, you must achieve Level 3 on all assessment areas.

You can choose one (1) of the six (6) competency domains to be completed at an Advanced Beginner Level, allowing for circumstances where you may not have as much clinical exposure to a specific scan. If you choose to undertake a domain at an Advanced Beginner Level, to pass this competency, you must achieve Level 3 in patient communication and Level 2 or above in all other assessment areas. If you are intending on completing the Obstetric and Gynaecology domain at Advanced Beginner Level, you can only attempt Part A: Obstetric OR Part B: Female Pelvis at Advanced Beginner Level. Both parts cannot be attempted at Advanced Beginner Level. 

You are permitted one (1) re-attempt in the competency domain that was failed with no more than two (2) attempts per domain. If you fail two (2) attempts for a competency domain, this will result in a fail for this assessment and this unit. (A fail in any assessment in MEDS20016 will result in a fail for the unit).

To pass this assessment:

• You must achieve the required competency level in three (3) of the six (6) competency domains
• The assessment forms need to be completed and signed by your assessor before you submit in the unit Moodle site.

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

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. It is required by the Australian Sonographers Accreditation Registry (ASAR) for a medical sonography student to complete a minimum of 2000 clinical placement hours by the end of the CG91 course. 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.

PART A: Clinical Placement Checklist

All WIL Mandatory Checks must be completed and verified on Sonia before the start of your placement to be eligible to undertake this unit. 

Your clinical supervisor/s will need to complete the Clinical Placement Checklist to confirm that they understand the assessment requirements for this unit. This must be completed by your clinical supervisor/s in the first week of your clinical placement block.

You are required to upload a screenshot of your WIL Mandatory Checks and your completed Clinical Placement Checklist within the first week of your clinical placement block. If you are not WIL compliant or become WIL non-compliant in this unit you will be removed from your clinical placement until such time that you become WIL compliant. It is your responsibility to ensure that your Sonia checks are not expired whilst undertaking this unit.  

PART B: Clinical Logbook and Attendance
For this assessment, you must record all the cases and hours you have completed during placement on the Clinical Log Book and Attendance form.

Each case is categorised into one of the following domains:
· Abdomen
· Superficial Structures (thyroid, testes etc)
· Breast (female or male)
· Obstetrics (first, second, third trimester etc) and Gynaecology
· Vascular (carotid, aorta including iliac, renal arteries, leg arteries etc)
· Musculoskeletal (shoulder etc)
· Other (paediatric, interventional etc)

This Clinical Logbook and Attendance form must be signed each week by your clinical site supervisor, sonographer delegated by the clinical supervisor, radiologist or sonologist with the appropriate ultrasound qualification.

The Clinical Placement Checklist and Clinical Log Book and Attendance forms are available in the Assessment tile on the unit Moodle site.

It is expected that you attend 100% of the time during your clinical placement to achieve the minimum requirement of 760 clinical attendance hours for this unit.

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. (A fail in any assessment in MEDS20016 will result in a fail for the unit).

Public holidays can be logged as 8 hours worked and do not need to be made up.

If you are unable to attend your scheduled shift due to illness, you must inform your clinical supervisor and unit coordinator immediately and provide valid supporting documentation explaining the reason for your absence during your clinical placement.

Any absence for part or all of a working day must be made up after or during the clinical placement (e.g. Saturdays, extension of work day or week). 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.

OPTIONAL: Outside Clinical Placement Form
You can submit a completed 'Outside Clinical Placement' form as a record of the studies you completed and hours worked between the end of year 3 term 2 placement and the commencement of year 4 term 1 placement. 

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.

For this unit, you may submit outside of clinical placement hours accumulated from after your Year 2 placement block if they have not already been used for MEDS13006. However, these hours can only be used towards your clinical hours in exceptional circumstances where there is an unexpected shortfall of your clinical placement hours. It is at the unit coordinator's discretion whether the hours can contribute towards your assessment requirement for this unit. See Moodle unit for further details and requirements in relation to insurance and university approval.

Note: The 'Outside Clinical Placement' form must be verified (signed) by an ASAR accredited sonographer, radiologist or or sonologist with the appropriate ultrasound qualification. Details of your insurance or employment, must be entered onto the 'Outside Clinical Placement' form.

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

1. Complete all WIL Mandatory Checks prior to the start of placement .

2. Upload the screenshot of your WIL Mandatory Checks and your completed Clinical Placement Checklist form before the end of your first week of placement.

3. Complete three (3) of the six (6) requirements below. The remaining three (3) domains must be completed in Clinical Unit 4.

• Abdomen - 10 complete studies
• Superficial Structures (thyroid or testes) - 10 complete studies
• Breast (female or male) - 10 complete studies
• Obstetrics (2nd trimester 18-22 week morphology or 3rd trimester growth scan) - 10 complete studies AND Gynaecology (female pelvis transabdominal and transvaginal) - 10 complete studies
• Vascular (carotid, aorta including iliac, renal arteries or leg arteries) - 10 complete studies
• Musculoskeletal (shoulder) - 10 complete studies

4. Complete 760 hours of clinical attendance.

5. Document your clinical placement attendance and case logs accurately in your Clinical Log Book 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.

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, is a key factor 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.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 members 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.

Note: This assessment must be completed by a sonographer with a minimum of 2 years post-graduate qualification.

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 this scoring feedback.

The assessment occurs twice during the placement.

1. The first occurs at the mid-placement point, the end of week 9. 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 19, 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 in the Assessment tile 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 form. Your clinical supervisor will provide you a copy of the completed assessment form. You will need to submit this through the unit Moodle site.

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 to collect feedback and arrange for an alternate assessor if necessary.

If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent you from being assessed in time before the assessment 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 access to technology 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 the unit. (A fail in any assessment in MEDS20016 will result in a fail for this 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. This may result in student behavioural misconduct procedures in accordance with the university's policies.

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 has five (5) required behaviours
• Section 2: Psychomotor Skills (Scanning Skills) and Standard of Work has twelve (12) required behaviours
• Section 3: Professionalism has sixteen (16) required behaviours

You have demonstrated satisfactory performance if you achieved a Level 2 or above for ALL 37 behaviours, which is either Level 2 - Advanced Beginner or Level 3 - Competent.

If you demonstrated unsatisfactory performance in the mid-placement GAPA, you will be deemed as a student at risk of failing and you will 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 the unit. (A fail in any assessment in MEDS20016 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. (A fail in any assessment in MEDS20016 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 time frame. Failure to meet these KPIs within the given time frame will result in a fail in the second GAPA and therefore a fail for this assessment and this unit. (A fail in any assessment in MEDS20016 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 of 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.

To pass this assessment:

• Both the mid-placement and end-of-placement GAPAs must be completed and correctly submitted by the due dates.
• You must demonstrate satisfactory performance (achieve Level 2 or above in all 37 behaviours) in the end-of-placement GAPA.

Reflective practice allows sonographers to identify their areas for improvement, evaluate their own actions and decisions, and make necessary adjustments using evidence-based practice to ensure they are providing high quality care and staying current in the field. The aim of this assessment is to encourage students to engage in reflective practice and share their insights with peers.

PART A: Presentation 

You will be required to select a date to present your reflection in a Zoom session. You will choose to reflect on one (1) of the following experiences you had during your placement.

Scenario 1: You encountered a challenging patient interaction. Describe the patient interaction and explain why it was challenging. Describe how you overcame these challenges or how they could have been overcome. Describe the teamwork you displayed or your observed from another individual (e.g. supervising sonographer, receptionist, radiographer, radiologist) during this scenario and explain why it was effective or ineffective. Share a journal article that reinforces your reflection of the challenging patient interaction and a journal article that reinforces your reflection on teamwork.

Scenario 2: You encountered a complex ultrasound study. Describe the ultrasound study and explain why it was complex. Describe how you overcame the complexity of the examination or how it could have been overcome. Describe the teamwork you displayed or your observed from another individual during this scenario and explain why it was effective or ineffective. Share a journal article that reinforces your reflection of the challenging ultrasound study and a journal article that reinforces your reflection on teamwork.

Prepare a PowerPoint for your reflective oral presentation. The first slide of the PowerPoint should be the title page and the last slide should be the reference list. Any ultrasound images included in your presentation must be deidentified without omitting the clinical site name and date.

The time limit for your presentation is 5 minutes.

Your PowerPoint must be uploaded in draft form via the unit Moodle site 24 hours before your presentation session.

PART B: Questionnaire Panel 

During each presentation session there will be a questionnaire panel. Choose a session to participate in the questionnaire panel. Please note you cannot be on the questionnaire panel the same day you are delivering your presentation.

Your responsibility as part of the questionnaire panel is to pose questions to the presenters about their reflection. You must write down the questions you asked, and the response/discussion ensued using the Questionnaire Panel Sheet.

Each student on the questionnaire panel is required to ask a question for at least three (3) different presentations in the session.

You must upload this document in draft form through the unit Moodle site within 48 hours after the presentation session. Before you upload the questionnaire panel sheet ensure that you have adequately filled it out.

Final Submission

Once you have uploaded all the documents necessary to meet the assessment requirements, 'submit' your files.

To pass this assessment you must meet the following requirements.

• Upload your PowerPoint 24 hours before your allocated Zoom session.
• Upload your Questionnaire Panel Sheet within 48 hours after your allocated Zoom session.
• Satisfactorily demonstrate all the requirements in the marking criterion for the Reflective Oral Presentation.