ECHO20004 - Cardiac Clinical Unit 4

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This graduate clinical unit builds on the skills, knowledge and attitudes developed during the Bachelor of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology. You will perform diagnostic cardiac ultrasound and other cardiac assessment and analyse the outcomes to specified levels of competency. You will evaluate clinical findings to formulate a differential diagnosis and initiate further investigation within an ethical framework of best practice and patient safety. Behavioural aspects of professional practice are emphasised and you are expected to reflect on your own performance and exhibit the highest level of safe patient care. Critical appraisal of performance will enable you to advance your professional, technical and analytical skills in a work setting under qualified supervision. You will apply knowledge of patient safety, risk management and quality improvement to formulate clinically relevant strategies, promoting a safe work environment and departmental best practice.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level Not Applicable
Credit Points 18
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.375
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisite

ECHO13007 Cardiac Clinical Unit 3

ECHO13007 Cardiac Clinical Unit 3 must have been successfully completed within the last twelve months. Should this time limit have elapsed the student must successfully complete one (or more) technical skill, professional behaviour and diagnostic knowledge-based assessment (s) (after completion of technical skill / knowledge revision). Details of this will be articulated in a learning contract created by the Head of Course 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2023

Term 1 - 2023 Profile
Mixed Mode

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).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 18-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 37.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 450 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Practical Assessment 0%
2. Performance 0%
3. Professional Practice Placement 0%
4. Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books 0%
5. Case Study 0%
6. Online Quiz(zes) 0%

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.

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 2.38% response rate.

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.

Source: SUTE form.
Feedback
Students felt the portfolio assessment was tedious and not appropriate for the course.
Recommendation
The portfolio assessment will be revised to enable more efficient task completion and improve student satisfaction. The new assessment will examine relevant quality assurance content in accordance with the ASA Competency Standards.
Action Taken
The quality assurance content was revised in accordance with the current ASA competency standards. A new lecture series was created to align relevant content with the clinical environment. The format of the quality assurance assessment was also changed (from a written portfolio to online quizzes) to improve student satisfaction.
Source: SUTE form.
Feedback
Students enjoyed the case study assessments which were beneficial in further developing clinical education.
Recommendation
Students must demonstrate the ability to interpret relevant guidelines as necessitated by specific pathologies. Consider incorporating case study presentations/reviews into tutorial content to assist in further developing clinically relevant knowledge.
Action Taken
The case study rubric underwent significant revision to emphasise the importance of understanding how to interpret results with reference to current guidelines.
Source: Student emails.
Feedback
Students experienced difficulty keeping up with the frequency of submissions required, particularly the clinical attendance forms.
Recommendation
Historically, students have been required to upload attendance forms on a fortnightly basis. The frequency of submissions has been reviewed and the requirement will be reduced to monthly submissions. This strategy will be employed in the next delivery an attempt to have students submit each form by the designated due date.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student emails.
Feedback
Students appreciated the clinically relevant focus of assessment items.
Recommendation
Assessments will continue to incorporate clinically relevant examples and ‘real world’ content in order to develop clinical knowledge in preparation for graduation.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Perform echocardiographic assessment in the clinical context under supervision
  2. Accurately communicate the outcomes of cardiac assessment including consideration of quality assurance
  3. Apply professional behaviour consistent with safe practice
  4. Analyse, and critically reflect upon, clinical cases involving cardiac ultrasound and other assessment techniques
  5. Attend clinical placement as per external accreditation requirements (Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry)
  6. Formulate clinically relevant strategies for improvement based on clinical scenarios related to quality improvement, risk management and patient safety culture.

Linked to National and International Standards
1. ASAR Accreditation Standards for Cardiac Sonography - critical practice Unit 8 - Cardiac, Foundation units of competence - 1 - 5.
2. European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Core Syllabus
3. American Registry for Cardiac Sonography Core Syllabus

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Practical Assessment • •
2 - Performance • •
3 - Professional Practice Placement • •
4 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books • •
5 - Case Study •
6 - Online Quiz(zes) •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Advanced Level
• Professional Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Knowledge • • • • •
2 - Communication • • • • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • • •
4 - Research • •
5 - Self-management • • • • • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • • • • • •
7 - Leadership • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Advanced Level
• Professional Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8