ECHO28007 - Cardiac Anatomy and Pathophysiology

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Accurate assessment of cardiac function requires you to assemble a comprehensive knowledge of the anatomy, physiology, and ultrasonic appearance of the heart, lungs and surrounding structures. By studying concepts of general pathology, cardiac structure and function, thoracic anatomy and physiology in this unit, you will gain the necessary knowledge to underpin your studies in the Graduate Diploma of Cardiac Ultrasound. This unit will build on introductory knowledge, through the discussion of signs and symptoms of cardiac disease, cardiac auscultation, and the application and interpretation of other diagnostic procedures such as an electrocardiogram (ECG). Through attendance at an intensive on-campus scanning workshop, you will be provided with theoretical knowledge and practical skills regarding echocardiographic image acquisition and scanning techniques for the adult heart, including the application of M-mode, spectral and colour Doppler.

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:

Enrolment in CL74 Graduate Diploma of Cardiac 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2022

Term 1 - 2022 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 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. Practical Assessment 0%
3. Online Test 60%

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 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 33.33% 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: Direct verbal feedback from students
Feedback
The students responded favourably to the Residential School that was run this term. Particularly the hands on scanning and practical activities.
Recommendation
The Residential School content will be revised to consider incorporating more practical activities and further enhance student satisfaction.
Action Taken
Due to a small student cohort, it was possible to increase the time spent on the practical component of the Residential School in this delivery.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Link content to real-world applications.
Recommendation
Tutorial content will undergo revision, to ensure that content presented can be linked to relevant clinical scenarios. More 'real life' echo images will be included to explain and consolidate content.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Provided valuable feedback.
Recommendation
Continue to provide students with relevant and constructive feedback to ensure appropriate learning.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Describe the anatomy, physiology and spatial relationship of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems
  2. Discuss concepts of general pathology, signs and symptoms of cardiac disease, including the application of cardiac auscultation
  3. Identify and differentiate between anatomical structures on medical images of the cardiovascular system
  4. Discuss and demonstrate echocardiographic window acquisition including scanning technique and image optimisation
  5. Discuss and demonstrate professional behaviour and communication skills consistent with safe and ethical practice
  6. Identify basic cardiac rhythm anomalies using electrocardiographic data.

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 5 6
1 - Online Quiz(zes)
2 - Practical Assessment
3 - Online Test
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
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 - Practical Assessment
3 - Online Test