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. The criteria assessed are that of the core minimum requirements for an accredited entry level graduate as defined by the Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers October 2021¹. The Australian Sonographers Accreditation Register (ASAR) requires graduate competencies in six (6) domains of practice. 

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

• Vascular Arterial (Carotid, Aorta including Iliac arteries, 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) domains not already challenged in MESD20016. You must have achieved a total of six (6) practical assessment competencies on completion of MEDS20016 and MEDS20017, one for EACH domain of practice with no two assessments in the same domain of practice.

The assessment must be attempted before the end of your clinical block. You must complete and Pass all six (6) domains of practice to be eligible to sit the on campus component assessment 4 OSCEs. If you have not logged the minimum required cases in the logbook, the competency will be assessed as a fail and you will only be allowed x1 re-attempt after the minimum number of cases is acquired. This will delay your abilty to sit the OSCE.  

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

Your clinical supervisor, or delegate, will assess you using the standardised forms available in the "Assessments" tile on the Moodle unit. 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 or electronic copies to your supervisor at the commencement of your placement and discuss the best time to complete this assessment. After the assessment ask for feedback so you can focus on improving your weaker areas.

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.

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

If you received a fail on your first attempt, you are permitted one (1) re-attempt in the competency 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.

_{1. Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers [Internet] 2021 [Updated 2021 December 9, cited 2022 February 16]. Available from https://figshare.com/articles/online_resource/Professional_Competency_Framework_for_Sonographers/17148035.}

To successfully complete the competency at a Graduate 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.

You are permitted one (1) re-attempt in any 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 MEDS20017 will result in a fail for the unit).

To pass this assessment:

• You must achieve the required competency level in the remaining three (3) of the six (6) competency domains not already undertaken in MEDS20016
• 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. Achieving graduate level competency as a sonographer takes time, and guidelines indicate most students will take a minimum of 2000 hours and some may take longer. 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 your completed 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 do not expire whilst undertaking this unit. Failure to do so by the due date will result in an ineligibility to sit the OSCE and a delayed graduation. 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. 

PART B: Clinical Logbook and Hours

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 arteries, renal; arteries, leg arteries, DVT etc)
• Musculoskeletal (shoulder etc)
• Other (paediatric, interventional etc)

This 'Clinical Log Book 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 640 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 MEDS20017 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 Log Book and Attendance' form.

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 block 1, year 4 and the commencement of block 2, year 4. Further information and the 'Outside Clinical Placement' form can be found under the "Clinical Placement" tile in the unit Moodle site.

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.

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, MEDS20016, or any hours accumulated between MEDS20016 and before the start of MEDS20017. 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.

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. Complete three (3) of the remaining six (6) requirements below not already achieved in MEDS20016 Clinical Unit 3.

• 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 in the trimester you are attempting the competency in AND 10 complete studies Gynecology (female pelvis transabdominal and transvaginal ) 
• Vascular (carotid, aorta including iliac, renal arteries, or leg arteries) - 10 complete studies in the artery you are attempting the competency in 
• Musculoskeletal (shoulder) - 10 complete studies

3. Complete 640 hours of clinical attendance. With a total minimum of 2000 hours for the CG91 course by the due date listed.

4. 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 and hours have been collated and your clinical supervisor/s have signed for each week. If you have not completed the form in it's entirety it will be returned to you. 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 team work and empathy, which 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.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.

The assessment occurs twice during the placement.

1. The first occurs at the mid-placement point, the end of week 8. 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 16, 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 assessment. 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 MEDS20017 will result in a fail for this unit).

PLEASE NOTE:

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}

You are very close to becoming a graduate sonographer and at this point it is now that the University observes its duty of care to moderate students performance in each domain of practice. This is to ensure safe practice and patient care in each graduate. 

For this assessment you will complete both scanning clinical scenario and image interpretation components. This assessment task measures your ability to complete ultrasound examinations AND interpret images / patient data to formulate differential diagnoses in the following areas:

• Abdomen
• Superficial Parts
• Vascular (general)
• Obstetric & Gynaecology
• Breast
• Musculoskeletal
• Paediatrics
• Ultrasound physics

The scanning clinical scenario component will be conducted on your campus of enrolment during the OSCE week. Due to the closure of the Perth campus, Perth students will be expected to attend the allocated site in Perth (TBA). The online image interpretation component will be broken down into three (3) online quizzes. They will be held one in each of the following weeks; week seven (7), week fifteen (15) and the week beginning 28th October, which is the week before the on campus OSCE. Please refer to the unit Moodle site for detailed assessment dates, eligibility, and schedule information.

In order to undertake the final OSCE assessment components (scanning skills and online Breast VIVA), you will have had to completed and passed all other assessment items (assessments 1,2,and 3). This assessment task will be carried out at your campus of enrolment (clinical scenario component) with Breast VIVA carried out online. Due the closure of the Perth Campus, Perth students will undergo the Obstetric VIVA component online via zoom with the unit coordinator during the week beginning Monday 28th October (schedule TBA). 

Three (3) online image interpretation quizzes will be carried out in week 7: 19th August - 1st September, week 15: 16th - 20th October, and the third online image interpretation quiz during the week beginning 28th October 2024. The Breast VIVA component for those eligible to sit (see unit Moodle site for details) will be carried out online on during the week beginning 28th  October 2024. If required an extension can be applied for through the unit Moodle site. See Moodle site for details.

It is a requirement that all three (3) quizzes are attempted. Failure to attempt any one (1) quiz will result in a fail for the online component of this assessment and you will not be eligible for a re-sit quiz. A fail in this component will result in a fail for this assessment and because this is a pass/fail unit, a fail for the unit. If required an extension can be applied for through the unit Moodle site.

You must make yourself available at your campus of enrolment for the duration of OSCE week.

You will demonstrate your ability to carry out each task in the examination to a level of graduate competency. The criteria for competent level, level 3, is that of the core minimum requirements for an accredited entry level graduate sonographer as defined by the Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers October 2021.¹ You will demonstrate knowledge of the sonographic appearance of pathology and pathognomonic signs and symptoms. You will be able to formulate differential diagnoses from a range of clinical information provided.

It is recommended that you engage in active revision of knowledge taking place within your year 4 clinical unit such as completing practice image interpretation questions, case study questions, presentation of case studies and attendance at zoom tutorials. You will also undertake your own revision of your sonographic specific units as required. You will demonstrate your critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills to a competent level, level 3.

Level 3:

• Has a good background knowledge and integrates knowledge into clinical practice
• Performance is natural and efficient and much of the scanning is intuitive and can be completed with other tasks
• Meets scanning protocol and only needs assistance in complex cases
• Consciously competent in skills - Skill mastery - the ability to routinely perform a sequence of skills without error, with complex or more uncommon findings still requiring assistance
• Able to utilise own judgement and seek assistance when required
• Emotional buy-in allows the learner to feel an appropriate level of responsibility to the patient
• Can adapt examinations/procedures, or act within situations by breaking concepts into parts, determining how the parts relate to an overall structure or purpose
• Can use clinical reasoning to readily identify pattern recognition of sonographic presentations and technical difficulties
• Sees the big picture
• Complex or uncommon findings still require reliance on analytic reasoning
• Demonstrates reflective practice
• Demonstrates clinical reasoning skills and knowledge of how sonographic examinations fits within best practices for the patient outcomes
• Has basic self-reflective skills and actively applies self-development

Please refer to the unit Moodle site for specific details regarding the assessment.

Any student who does not meet Level 3 - Competent Level, for the scanning skills clinical scenario component on the first attempt will be given the opportunity for one (1) reattempt of this component during the OSCE week. Should a student not meet the Level 3 - Competent Level, on the second attempt, the student will fail the clinical scanning component of the OSCE and therefore fail this assessment and will receive an overall fail grade for the unit.

The online Image Interpretation component is broken down into three (3) separate quizzes. To achieve a Pass mark in this component you must achieve a minimum score of 50% or higher averaged over all three (3) quizzes. If you do not achieve a score of 50% or higher averaged over all three quizzes this will result in a fail for this assessment and a fail for the unit, unless eligible for a re-sit. Each quiz must be attempted, in order to pass this component. Failure to attempt a quiz component will be a fail for this assessment and a fail for the unit, and the student will not be eligible to undertake a re-sit quiz and will receive a fail grade for this assessment and therefore a fail grade for the unit.

Any student who does not receive a pass in the online image interpretation component, however passes all of the scanning skills scenario components, will be provided an opportunity to re-sit the online image interpretation component within four (4) weeks of completing the OSCE. Any student that fails the subsequent online image interpretation re-sit component will receive a fail grade for the unit.

Any student that receives a fail in the scanning skills component will not be eligible for a re-sit of the online image interpretation component if required and will receive a fail grade for the unit.

PLEASE NOTE:

Due to some students having delayed placement/s starts, they will not be eligible to sit the OSCE during the OSCE week, these students will be offered a delayed OSCE at a later date, after the completion of all assessments. 

_{1. Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers [Internet] 2021 [Updated 2021 December 9, cited 2022 February 16]. Available from https://figshare.com/articles/online_resource/Professional_Competency_Framework_for_Sonographers/17148035.}