CQUniversity Unit Profile.

This practical assessment aims to evaluate the student’s ability to perform an echocardiographic ultrasound examination within the clinical environment, demonstrating a level of competency and proficiency appropriate to their stage of clinical training. In addition to assessing technical skills, students will submit a self-reflective written response to demonstrate their professionalism and attitudes toward echocardiographic practice.

There are specific requirements for this assessment, as detailed below:

• This assessment attempt must take place within the clinical placement environment, during a standard scanning schedule and under supervision of the clinical supervisor or delegate sonographer, unless otherwise arranged in consultation with the clinical supervisor, unit coordinator and Head of Course.
• The scanned patient must have known valvular pathology, or there must be high clinical suspicion for valvular pathology.
• Students must complete a comprehensive protocol. In addition, no matter the valvular pathology evident, Pedof acquisition of the systolic aortic signal must be attempted from all available windows.
• The provisional or final transthoracic echocardiogram report must be submitted as part of this assessment task.
• The assessment attempt must be video recorded, for moderation purposes.
• DICOM imaging from the assessment scan must be shared with the unit coordinator. In addition, DICOM from the scans immediately before and after the assessment attempt must also be shared.
• Confidentiality standards must be adhered to throughout all components of this assessment. Video recordings should focus on visualisation of the student's dynamic optimisation attempts and aspects of knobology, and must not show patient identity in any form (video or audio). Advice on video recordings is available on the unit Moodle site. If de-identification of echocardiographic images or reports or video recordings is not possible, the student must request permission from the patient to provide their images and/or information to CQUniversity for educational purposes.
• Every submission of this assessment task must be accompanied by written patient consent for the video recording component, at a minimum. The patient consent form is available on the unit Moodle site.

There are three (3) components to the marking tool for this assessment:

• The clinical supervisor or delegate will complete section A of the practical assessment marking tool, providing authentic observations and feedback relating to student performance. The assessor may pose questions to the student prior to, during or after the echocardiographic examination, to clarify understanding of any of the assessment criteria.
• In section B of this assessment task, students must provide a written reflection on their own sonographic practice (minimum 200 words). Further details relating to this section can be found on the practical assessment marking tool and the unit Moodle site.
• Final moderation and marking for this assessment task is detailed in section C, which is completed by the unit coordinator or nominated academic staff member. The practical assessment marking tool details criterion that students must demonstrate to pass this assessment task, including:
  • Pre-examination tasks (including professional behaviour and instrumentation).
  • Examination tasks (including scanning technique and protocol, two-dimensional/colour/spectral Doppler optimisation, and measurement technique).
  • Post examination tasks (including documentation, interpretation and communication, and professional behaviour and additional tasks).

This assessment task must take place on or around the 11th week of placement, thus allowing sufficient time for improvement before a second attempt (if required) prior to completion of the clinical placement block. Should a student’s attempt at this assessment task be deemed unsatisfactory by the unit coordinator, only one (1) re-attempt will be permitted. Students that fail the first attempt at this assessment should discuss their strategy for performance improvement with both their assessor and unit coordinator. This final practical assessment attempt must be scheduled prior to the completion of the clinical placement block and may require supervision from the unit coordinator or nominated representative. In some instances, students may be required to attend their local campus to complete the re-sit attempt.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Note that this is a pass/fail assessment item, as such late penalties cannot be applied. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

To pass this assessment, students must pass ALL criterion descriptors, in accordance with the unit-specific competency level descriptor. Expected levels of competency are determined by industry standards¹ and are detailed in the practical assessment marking tool (available on the unit Moodle site).

¹ Childs, Jessie; Thoirs, Kerry; Osborne, Brooke; Halligan, Toni; Stoodley, Paul; Quinton, Ann; et al. (2021): Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers. figshare. Online resource. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17148035.v2.

This Global Assessment of Professional Attributes (GAPA) assessment considers the student's ability to communicate professionally with a diverse audience of patients, staff and the general public, to demonstrate professional respect for all and to function as a reliable, well-organised member of the health team. Students must consult the 'Bachelor of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology Student and Clinical Supervisor Handbook' and the 'Work-Integrated Learning Policy and Procedure' documents (available on the unit Moodle site and the CV69 portal) to understand expected standards for professional behaviour.

The clinical supervisor or delegate will be working in the echocardiography lab with the student, directly observing day-to-day performance. Clinical supervisor observations over a span of time (not related to one particular scan type or patient case) will be documented on the GAPA marking tool. Criteria are grouped into three main categories (Applied Knowledge, Psychomotor Skills and Standard of Work, and Professionalism).

This assessment is performed at least twice during the placement block. The first GAPA assessment must take place at the midpoint of the placement block and is formative. Students are expected to use feedback provided after this first GAPA, to reflect on performance and develop a plan to address any areas of performance that are not yet at the target level for this placement. Any significant issues should be brought to the attention of the unit coordinator following completion of the midpoint GAPA (or earlier where appropriate).

The unit coordinator may request performance of a GAPA assessment at any time during the placement block. If the outcome of this GAPA is unsatisfactory and/or the placement site indicates they can no longer host the student due to risks incurred or lack of skill progression, the clinical placement may be terminated and this singular GAPA result may result in a FAIL grade for the clinical unit.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Note that this is a pass/fail assessment item, as such late penalties cannot be applied. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

To pass this assessment, students must pass ALL criterion descriptors in the final GAPA, in accordance with the unit-specific competency level descriptor. Expected levels of competency are determined by industry standards¹ and are detailed in the GAPA marking tool (available on the unit Moodle site).

To ensure appropriate progression towards competency in the final GAPA, students must flag any areas for improvement highlighted in the mid-point GAPA. The student must email the unit coordinator in the first instance.

¹ Childs, Jessie; Thoirs, Kerry; Osborne, Brooke; Halligan, Toni; Stoodley, Paul; Quinton, Ann; et al. (2021): Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers. figshare. Online resource. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17148035.v2.

This assessment is designed to track clinical experience. The clinical case log provides insight into progression of the student's skill development within and across examination types during the ECHO20005 placement block. All observed, partially completed or fully completed echocardiography cases a student is exposed to during ECHO20005 clinical placement attendance must be documented in this log. All log entries must be verified by the clinical supervisor or delegate. 

Maintenance of the clinical case log helps to ensure that an acceptable volume of clinical work is achieved, exposure to a reasonable case variety is obtained, and key practical skills are developing. The clinical case log documentation incorporates:

• The cover page which summates weekly case volume, specific/advanced skills performed (Pedof investigation), and pathological findings (NOT referral indications).
• The spreadsheet which documents weekly case volume and includes (anonymised) details of patient, referral indication/s, type of echocardiogram performed (adult, paediatric, stress, TOE), student level of participation (observed, partially completed or fully completed), and case findings summary.

Clinical case log documents must be submitted every four weeks, to demonstrate satisfactory caseload exposure and optimal clinical experience prior to completion of the clinical placement block. Students must consult the 'ECHO20005 Student Scope of Practice' document (available on the unit Moodle site) to understand caseload expectations. In preparation for 'work readiness' and graduation, it is reasonable to expect that students will be capable of managing a daily caseload of 8-10 scans per day by the end of this clinical placement block. Proficiency and competency development will scaffold throughout the placement experience and each student journey may differ. Actual caseloads will depend on departmental expectations considerate of clinical pathologies encountered.  It is recommended that students complete no less than 4 scans per day, excepting exceptional circumstances, to support up-skill in a timely manner. If unable to achieve this minimum case exposure, the student must contact the unit coordinator for advice.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Note that this is a pass/fail assessment item, as such late penalties cannot be applied. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

To pass this assessment, students must log caseloads appropriately and accurately, in accordance with the clinical case log documents (available on the unit Moodle site).

Note that academic integrity standards apply to this assessment task and random audits of data may be undertaken by the unit coordinator in consultation with clinical supervisors or clinical placement staff.

The purpose of these case study submissions is to provide the unit coordinator with an opportunity to critically evaluate and moderate student technical performance on cases they have performed as part of their clinical workload; to facilitate the continuing development of student clinical reasoning and ensure exposure to a variety of clinical cases; and to encourage student reflection and self-improvement of technical and research skills, pathology knowledge and assessment strategies.

This assessment requires students to submit two (2) echocardiographic examinations, each accompanied by a written report discussing study details and interpreting findings. Each echocardiographic study must have been completed by the student within this placement block (a limited number of images or measurements may be performed by the clinical supervisor where appropriate, but these images must be labelled or identified accordingly). The case study rubric details criterion that students must demonstrate to pass this assessment task:

• Patient presentation and formulation of differential diagnoses
• Discussion of best practice (assessment strategy and scan limitations)
• Case interpretation and supporting rationale
• Academic standards (referencing and writing standards, including adhering to the 1500-2000 word count limit)
• Echocardiographic scan performance (DICOM imaging)
• Supporting documentation (provisional or final echocardiographic patient report, patient consent where applicable etc.)

To evaluate key areas of sonographic knowledge and skill, students must submit case studies according to the below categories. Students who do not encounter a suitable case in clinical practice should contact the unit coordinator in advance of submission dates.

• Case Study 4a must evaluate aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis or prosthetic valvular replacement, incorporating appropriate use of the Pedof probe.
• Case Study 4b must evaluate a congenital anomaly. Appropriate congenital case studies may include those post intervention.

There are two components to this assessment: the written component (case study report) and imaging component (the accompanying DICOM submission). Both components must be passed to pass the case study overall. Case studies that do not achieve a pass grade will be returned to the student with appropriate feedback. Students are permitted one re-submission opportunity for each case study (imaging component and/or written component as required). Any re-submission attempt is required within two (2) weeks of receiving feedback.

Maintenance of patient confidentiality must be adhered to throughout both practical and written components of the case study. If all attempts to de-identify echocardiography images or reports have failed, the student must request permission from the patient to provide their images and/or information to CQUniversity for educational purposes. The patient must provide written consent by completing the form provided on the unit Moodle site and this patient consent form must be submitted with the case study.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 3: You may use AI to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any AI-generated content you use.

Note that this is a pass/fail assessment item, as such late penalties cannot be applied. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

To pass this assessment, students must pass ALL criterion descriptors, in accordance with the unit-specific competency level descriptor. Expected levels of competency are determined by industry standards¹ and are detailed in the case study rubric (available on the unit Moodle site).

¹ Childs, Jessie; Thoirs, Kerry; Osborne, Brooke; Halligan, Toni; Stoodley, Paul; Quinton, Ann; et al. (2021): Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers. figshare. Online resource. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17148035.v2.

This assessment is designed to track clinical attendance during the ECHO20005 placement block. All hours dedicated to echocardiography must be documented in this log, including those experienced ‘outside of clinical placement’ as approved by the unit coordinator. These hours must be verified by the clinical supervisor or delegate.

Clinical attendance log documents must be submitted every four weeks, to demonstrate satisfactory attendance and mitigate any disruptions to placement blocks due to unexpected leave including absence due to illness. Students must complete a minimum of 640 hours Echo-related clinical attendance during this unit, to contribute to the mandatory hours of clinical experience as required by the Australian Sonography Accreditation Registry (ASAR).

Students must consult the 'Bachelor of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology Student and Clinical Supervisor Handbook' and the 'Work-Integrated Learning Policy and Procedure' documents (available on the unit Moodle site and the CV69 portal) to understand clinical attendance requirements. If disruption to usual attendance occurs, the student must contact the unit coordinator immediately. Where unexpected absences occur and are documented appropriately, the WIL team will endeavour to provide additional scheduled placement time to make up attendance hours. However, this scheduled time may not necessarily follow the original placement dates and may occur at a different placement site. Inappropriate or undocumented absences may not be eligible for WIL negotiation to contracts. In this instance, students may not achieve the minimum requisite hours and may score a fail outcome for this assessment item.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Note that this is a pass/fail assessment item, as such late penalties cannot be applied. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

To pass this assessment, students must attend clinical placement for the minimum required hours (640 hours) and log these hours appropriately according to the clinical attendance documents (available on the unit Moodle page).

Note that academic integrity standards apply to this assessment task and random audits of data may be undertaken by the unit coordinator in consultation with clinical supervisors or clinical placement staff.

This assessment task is designed to moderate clinical competence, to ensure safe practice upon graduation. The demonstration of echocardiography and cardiac physiology knowledge, skills and attitudes at a graduate level will be assessed using an OSCE— Objective Structured Clinical Examination— format.

The OSCE consists of two (2) components. Together, these tasks simulate clinical practice and evaluate key requirements for an entry-level (accredited) cardiac sonographer. The components of the OSCE assessment are:

• Clinical Decision-Making and Professional Standards (Component A)
• Theory and Interpretation (Component B)

In the OSCE Component A (Clinical Decision-Making and Professional Standards):

• Students will participate in viva discussions with the unit coordinator or nominated academic staff member.
• Students will be presented with mock patient referrals and/or hypothetical clinical scenarios and will be assessed on a variety of aspects of clinical practice, which may include: professional behaviour and communication, clinical presentations and common pathophysiology, and differential diagnoses.
• Discussions will occur via Zoom and will be recorded for moderation purposes. Video display must be activated at all times during these Zoom meetings.

This component must be conducted prior to completion of the placement block and will be scheduled during placement hours in consultation with the student, clinical supervisor and nominated academic staff member. It is recommended this task be attempted in week 14 of clinical placement. Should students fail the OSCE component part A, they will be afforded two (2) opportunities to re-attempt this component.

In the OSCE Component B (Theory and Interpretation):

• Students will be required to interpret and evaluate a range of clinical images, encompassing evaluation of key knowledge criteria required for competence as an entry-level (accredited) cardiac sonographer.
• Images will be provided in slide deck format, organised into four categories (Ventricular, Valvular, Congenital and Other).
• Assessable content is covered in detail within the CV69 Bachelor of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology / Graduate Diploma of Echocardiography curriculum.
• The question paper will provide space for written responses. Writing implements and a simple (non-programmable) calculator will be required.
• Students will be provided with a paper copy of the following reference documents, to facilitate interpretation of pathology: American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) Reference Guide and the Haemodynamic Formulae Prompts sheet (both available on the unit Moodle site). This is otherwise a closed book assessment.
• Total time allocation for this component is 90 minutes.

This component will be invigilated on campus, unless otherwise arranged in consultation with the clinical supervisor, unit coordinator and Head of Course. Should a student fail this assessment task, only one (1) re-attempt will be permitted.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Note that this is a pass/fail assessment item, as such late penalties cannot be applied. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

Student performance of criteria will be considered in the context of the required competency level that students must demonstrate in preparation for graduation as an entry-level (accredited) sonographer. Expected levels of competency are determined by industry standards¹ and are detailed in the OSCE ARPP tool (available on the unit Moodle site). To pass this OSCE assessment, students must demonstrate an appropriate level of competence for ALL major criterion descriptors listed on the OSCE ARPP tool. 

¹ Childs, Jessie; Thoirs, Kerry; Osborne, Brooke; Halligan, Toni; Stoodley, Paul; Quinton, Ann; et al. (2021): Professional Competency Framework for Sonographers. figshare. Online resource. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17148035.v2.