Throughout the clinical placement period you are required to keep a Learning Log and/or Journal and/or Log Book to note daily/weekly/regular tests, methods, meetings and other activities you participate in. Most tests/methods you are trained in are noted in a Laboratory Manual (and/or SOPs), however in your Learning Log/Diary/Journal/Log book you can make note of any key points in regard to the methods/tests or anything that has not been noted in the Lab Manuals/SOPs that will assist in your training and development of competency. Keep a record of meetings held and any notes from these. Reflect at least weekly on your time in placement and how you have developed your professional behaviour. What have you learnt new that week? Where have you made an(y) error/s and what can you do to improve going forward? What are you most proud of in terms of your professional development that week? 

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during this assessment. This assessment must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Submit your LEARNING LOGS / DIARIES / JOURNAL / LOG BOOKS noting regular reflections (as described in the Task Description above). You are required to complete at least one LEARNING LOG, OR JOURNAL ENTRY on the final day of each week (for a min of 5 weeks). The quantity of each submission will likely vary from one student to another, but it is expected that at least one (1) full page worth of content will be produced each week, to demonstrate sufficient progress in your placement learning and towards fulfillment of your Assessments 3 and 6 - Competencies Portfolios 1 & 2. Note that the focus will be more so on quality of submissions rather than quantity. Please also ensure to properly document (reference) any internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual, including name in full (and any relevant document number) you will be required to read (generally early in your lab placement). 

Based on the documents ‘Competency Based Standards for Medical Scientists, 2009’ and the ‘Scope of Practice of the Scientific Workforce of the Pathology Laboratory’ we have mapped the scope of practice and the competency-based standards to two (2) final assessment pieces within the LMED29013 Clinical Placement in Laboratory Medicine unit.  

As part of this first assessment (Portfolio Part 1) you will have the opportunity to submit A/ONE draft of your first three (3) competency-based standards (Units 1-3 - Elements 1.1-1.6, 2.1-2.3, 3.1-3.4) and receive feedback where improvements are needed. 

Please note, Word Limit on this assessment submission is a max of 4,000 words. 

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 3: You may use Al to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any Al-generated content you use, so that your assessment submission reflects your own thoughts, ideas and writing. 

Use of Generative AI & Cover Sheet:

Please note that all assessment submissions in this unit require submission of an Academic Integrity Assessment cover sheet, including acknowledgement of any AI/LLM use and that this use has been appropriately referenced. Assessments without an appropriate cover sheet submission will not be reviewed/marked unit this cover sheet has been submitted, which may delay marking and final grading.

If Generative AI is used in any way, it must be cited as per the CQU Guidelines (Academic Learning Centre). As per academic writing requirements and assessment criteria; citations of information should be of the primary source (i.e statistics returned by AI must be fact-checked and referenced from their original source as well as the AI source). Failure to cite primary sources as well as AI sources could be considered breach of academic integrity.
Your use of Generative AI must be clearly outlined in an appendix as a separate file which includes the prompt used and Generative AI response. Failure to include an appendix may result in academic integrity investigation.

For this assessment you are required to review each of the Competencies based standards described above, including each of the elements associated with each unit, and reflect on how the tasks performed during your placement relate to each of these units/elements. Provide details for each element and describe what was done in the workplace that related to that element. Describe the circumstances and context around each element and provide practical examples (i.e. case studies, instrument printouts, etc.) to demonstrate achievement of competency for each element. 

Based on the documents ‘Competency Based Standards for Medical Scientists, 2009’ and the ‘Scope of Practice of the Scientific Workforce of the Pathology Laboratory’ we have mapped the scope of practice and the competency-based standards to two (2) final assessment pieces within the LMED29013 Clinical Placement in Laboratory Medicine unit.  

After you have received feedback on the first assessment in this unit, DRAFT Portfolio Part 1, you will have the opportunity to amend this draft and then incorporate and/or change this assessment piece before submitting the FINAL Portfolio Part 1 of your first three (3) competency-based standards (Units 1-3 - Elements 1.1-1.6, 2.1-2.3, 3.1-3.4). 

Please note, Word Limit on this assessment submission is a max of 4,000 words. 

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during this assessment. This assessment must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. Please note that you can use GenAI to develop the DRAFT Portfolio 1, however once submitted and feedback provided on the latter assessment, any further changes/additions must be your own work and not utilise GenAI in this process. 

For this assessment you are required to review each of the Competencies based standards, including each of the elements associated with each unit, and reflect on how the tasks performed during your placement relate to each of these units/elements. Provide details for each element and describe what was done in the workplace that related to that element. Describe the circumstances and context around each element and provide practical examples (i.e. case studies, instrument printouts, etc.) to demonstrate achievement of competency for each element. 

Complete the Competency Based Standards to a minimum grade of 50%.

The Attendance Record is maintained in Sonia Online and you are required to submit a 'time-sheet' for each attendance. You are required to indicate the start time and finish time and any meal (lunch) break taken. You must demonstrate attendance for a minimum of 560 hours during the total duration of placement in LMED29013. 

Note: The Attendance Record is to be competed regularly (ie weekly or max fortnightly) via Sonia. It is a student's responsibility to submit their time-sheets regularly and to ensure they are aware of the time (number of weeks and/or hours) completed on placement to ensure they submit all assessments on time, and by the due date for them.

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during this assessment. This assessment must demonstrate your time attendance on placement, and will be reviewed via submitted timesheets in Sonia online. 

You are required to attend placement for a minimum of 560 hours and evidence this placement attendance via regular (weekly or fortnightly) timesheets submissions (in the approved format as advise by the Work Integrated Learning, WIL team) in Sonia Online. 

Performance Evaluation/Appraisal while out on Practical Placement: 

The Clinical Placement Supervisor is required to complete two (2) 'Evaluation of Student Performance' forms, one at the mid-point (midpoint evaluation) at approximately 280h into your placement and this forms part of a formative (non assessed) assessment in this unit. You are encouraged to review this informal midpoint feedback form and performance/appraisal outcomes and make relevant improvements where necessary going forward in your placement, to try to reach the highest possible outcomes on the final performance evaluation/appraisal. You are encouraged to reach out to your Supervisor to discuss your mid-point evaluation after submission. If either you or your supervisor does not feel comfortable discussing your midpoint evaluation then you are encouraged to contact the placement coordinator as soon as possible to discuss this evaluation, and ensure you are clear on the outcome of this mid placement evaluation and any improvements needed going forward in your placement, before the final evaluation. 

The evaluation forms are available online with the link provided by the Clinical Placements Officer at CQUniversity.

Your Supervisor may discuss your FINAL evaluation with you prior to submission.

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during this assessment. This assessment must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge. You lab placement supervisor will submit this assessment via Sonia online. 

Supervisor Evaluations

The Supervisor Evaluations are based on your professional behaviour whilst on practical placement and are a 6-point Likert Scale.

Any 'Disagree' or 'Strongly Disagree' evaluations on the first midpoint (formative) evaluation (Mid-point Performance Evaluation/Appraisal by your laboratory supervisor) are to be addressed and improved upon before/by this final evaluation.

Five (5) or more 'Disagree' or 'Strongly Disagree' evaluations on this final evaluation will result in a FAIL.

To pass there must be at least 50% of this final supervisor evaluation as 'Agree' or 'Strongly Agree'.

Based on the documents ‘Competency Based Standards for Medical Scientists, 2009’ and the ‘Scope of Practice of the Scientific Workforce of the Pathology Laboratory’ we have mapped the scope of practice and the competency-based standards to two (2) final assessment pieces within the LMED29013 Clinical Placement in Laboratory Medicine unit.  

After you have completed Portfolio Part 1 (Units 1-3), in this Portfolio Part 2 you will be required to completed the reminder of the associated Units 4-10 (Elements  4.1-4.4, 5.1-5.4, 6.1-6.5, 7.1-7.4, 8.1-8.4, 9.1-9.4, 10.1-10.4), from the ‘Competency Based Standards for Medical Scientists, 2009’. 

Please note, Word Limit on this assessment submission is a max of 6,000 words. 

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 3: You may use Al to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any Al-generated content you use, so that your assessment submission reflects your own thoughts, ideas and writing. 

Use of Generative AI & Cover Sheet:

Please note that all assessment submissions in this unit require submission of an Academic Integrity Assessment cover sheet, including acknowledgement of any AI/LLM use and that this use has been appropriately referenced. Assessments without an appropriate cover sheet submission will not be reviewed/marked unit this cover sheet has been submitted, which may delay marking and final grading.

If Generative AI is used in any way, it must be cited as per the CQU Guidelines (Academic Learning Centre). As per academic writing requirements and assessment criteria; citations of information should be of the primary source (i.e statistics returned by AI must be fact-checked and referenced from their original source as well as the AI source). Failure to cite primary sources as well as AI sources could be considered breach of academic integrity.
Your use of Generative AI must be clearly outlined in an appendix as a separate file which includes the prompt used and Generative AI response. Failure to include an appendix may result in academic integrity investigation.

Complete the competency Based Standards to a minimum grade of 50%. Pls note that if you have not completed this assessment to a min of 50% standard, you will be given a max of one opportunity to amend and resubmit following receipt of feedback from the placement tutor for the initial submission. 

Students will receive training in a broad range of activates, tests, methods, instrumentation procedures and other requirements while out on clinical placement as a trainee medical scientist. Evidence of this training will be added to the laboratory's standard training schedule/record where the student is undertaking their placement. Completion of this training schedule should be undertaken on a regular basis (as the training takes place), or completed at regular intervals. Once a student has achieved competency in a task/procedure/method etc where they received training, this then can be noted on the same training schedule (including an indication of both the date of competency achievement and the method used to assess competency i.e. Direct observation, etc.). The range of training requirements is expected to vary between one laboratory to another and one discipline of Laboratory Medicine to another where a student is undertaking their placement, however laboratory supervisors are encouraged to train students in a broad range of tasks/procedures/methods equivalent to what a qualified Medical Scientist may receive training, noting that placement students are not permitted to undertake some actions i.e. authorise final results (but can certainly receive training in this authorisation process). It is anticipated that students will become competent in a min of 80% of tasks/procedures/methods etc they have received training before the end of their laboratory placement period. It should be noted here that the laboratory supervisor/s may indicate 'Not applicable' for certain tasks/procedures/methods etc where a student received training but also where they believe a student cannot achieve competence in the timeframe they are on placement. Alternatively, some laboratory supervisors will place emphasis on a broader range and variety of training within the laboratory rather than in-depth competency achievements in a less broad range of tasks/procedures/methods etc, during the time period a student is on placement. Students will be required to demonstrate knowledge and skill of key clinical, technical and professional attributes of a Medical Laboratory Scientist they will have acquired during both the placement period and the course overall.  

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during this assessment. This assessment must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Students to achieve 80% competency in tasks/methods/procedures for which training was received on placement (where the clinical supervisor believes competency is achievable in the timeframe a student is on placement and completing each relevant task/method etc for which training was received).