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The information below is relevant from 13/07/2020 to 11/07/2021
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ECHO28002 - Assessment of Cardiac Function

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Accurate evaluation of cardiac function is important for clinical decision-making and follow-up assessment. Currently, echocardiography is the most commonly used method to obtain this information. In this unit, you will build on your knowledge of cardiac anatomy and ultrasound applications. You will analyse echocardiographic measurements to assess chamber size, systolic and diastolic function and perform haemodynamic calculations, including intracardiac pressure estimation. You will apply your knowledge to a variety of cardiovascular pathologies and case studies.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 8
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisite:

ECHO28001 Cardiac Imaging, Haemodynamics and Pharmacotherapy AND

ECHO28007 Cardiac Anatomy and Pathophysiology

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 2 - 2020

Term 2 - 2020 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2021 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2022 Profile
Online

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 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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 40%
2. Case Study 0%
3. Online Test 60%
4. Professional Practice Placement 0%
5. Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books 0%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was .00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a .00% 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: Tutorial feedback from students and SUTE (student unit and teaching evaluation).
Feedback
Students found case studies and questions during tutorials useful as this contextualized theory learnt in the corresponding week.
Recommendation
Clinical case studies will continue to be developed and questions posed during tutorials to continue engagement with students and illustrate the application of content.
Action Taken
Case studies relating to the week's lecture content were presented in addition to any questions raised during the week by students or topics requiring further clarification. Students were encouraged to discuss the pathology and ask questions relating to these cases or images /pathology presented.
Source: SUTE (Student unit and teaching evaluation)
Feedback
Students find it hard to know if their practical skills are developing appropriately and in a timely fashion, given clinical training approach can vary widely in various industry settings.
Recommendation
Review of support offered to clinical supervisors. Suggestion of scaffolding of practical skills and practical learning objectives.
Action Taken
Students were asked to provide some examples of images and measurements they had performed during the week to discuss in the tutorial relating to the week's lecture content. The unit coordinator conducted individual Zoom meetings with supervisors to gain further clarification of student training level and student feedback from clinical placement site.
Source: SUTE (student unit and teaching evaluation)
Feedback
Students indicated lecture format was well received.
Recommendation
Lectures will continue in current format for 2022 delivery and updates made as necessary.
Action Taken
Lectures for both existing and updated lecture content were presented in the current format due to reported student satisfaction.
Source: Tutorial feedback from students
Feedback
Students found case studies and questions during tutorials useful and relatable.
Recommendation
Clinical case studies will continue to be developed and questions posed during tutorials to continue engagement with students and further illustrate the application of content.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Tutorial feedback from students
Feedback
Students indicated self reflection and critique during tutorials was helpful and contextualised the theory learnt.
Recommendation
Clinical examples of students practical scans will continue to be self reviewed and students will continue to present and critique their own work during tutorials.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Feedback in emails from students after assessment submission and during tutorials.
Feedback
Case study submissions and feedback is a timely exercise. Students indicated feedback content can be overwhelming in its entirety and image submission can be difficult.
Recommendation
Future case study assessments will be initially presented by the student over Zoom along with submitting the written assessment and images. Feedback may be either verbal, written or provided via video for further clarification and comprehension.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Evaluate cardiac function (including chamber size, systolic and diastolic ventricular function and intracardiac pressures estimation) using echocardiographic derived assessment data and haemodynamic calculations
  2. Compare the aetiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic assessment process and patient management strategy for a variety of cardiovascular disease processes
  3. Demonstrate professional behaviour and communication skills consistent with cardiac sonography practice
  4. Perform diagnostic echocardiographic scans under the guidance and mentorship of a qualified cardiac sonographer.

Linked to the Australian Sonographers Accreditation Registry (ASAR) Accreditation Standards for Cardiac Sonography:

Foundation Units of Competence

  • Unit 1: Deliver safe, patient centred service
  • Unit 2: Practice within professional and ethical frameworks
  • Unit 3: Locate, analyse and synthesise information to support evidence based practice
  • Unit 4: Contribute to workplace health and safety and quality assurance
  • Unit 5: Communicate effectively

Critical Practice Unit of Competence

  • Unit 8: Cardiac

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