Overview
In your final year of study, you are transitioning from student to independent practitioner. Nearing completion of your tertiary studies to begin a career in your selected profession is a huge learning milestone. This transition phase of your learning journey is also a starting point for another learning journey, that is your continuing development as a professional. To support your transition, you will critically reflect on your progress in developing the knowledge, skills and judgement to meet the national registering body’s Professional Capabilities and on your clinical practice in adhering to the Shared Code of Conduct of registered health professionals. You will apply clinical decision-making, evidence-based practice and risk management to the analysis and discussion of clinical incidents and near misses. You will further develop your ability to advance your profession through peer support and education.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-Requisites: MEDI13005 Medical Imaging Clinical Course 3 ESSC11004 Study and Research Skills for Health Science MEDI13008 Imaging Pathways in the Diagnostic Process
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).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2025
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate 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.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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.
Feedback from SUTE comments
Some students felt that feedback on individual assessment tasks was not provided in a manner that supported their development
Investigate timing and scope of assessment tasks to enable timely feedback to students.
Feedback from Coordinator reflection
The requirement to use professional judgement and make decisions related to care and professional requirements appeared to be challenging for students.
Investigate the availability of more resources to support the development of confidence in independent practice and decision-making.
- Apply evidence-based practice to inform clinical reasoning and professional decision-making.
- Integrate concepts and processes of facility accreditation, quality improvement and risk management to analyse and discuss clinical incidents and near misses relative to clinical governance standards such as National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) standards.
- Critically reflect on your experiences and associated evidence which demonstrate the continued development of your professional capabilities and adherence to the Professional Body's Code of Conduct and requirements for practice.
- Undertake continuing professional development, supporting other medical radiation practitioners and your professional peers through presentation at a simulated conference and participation in peer assessment.
- Communicate professionally in written and presentation tasks.
The unit links to the following Professional Capabilities for Medical Radiation Practitioners as detailed by the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia (effective March 2020):
Domain 1: Medical radiation practitioner:
- 2. Use clinical information management systems appropriately (Part a: Understand and comply with legislative responsibilities about data privacy, the ownership, storage, retention and destruction of patient/client records and other practice documentation, Part d: Identify and respond appropriately when clinical information is incorrectly associated with the identity of a patient/client and/or examination/treatment, Part f: Respond appropriately to data errors and/or system failures & Part g: Ensure clinical information is made available to the appropriate persons involved in the care of the patient)
- 7. If the practitioner identifies any urgent or unexpected findings, take appropriate and timely action to ensure the immediate management of the patient/client.
Domain 2: Professional and ethical practitioner:
- 1. Practice in an ethical and professional manner, consistent with relevant legislation and regulatory requirements (Part h: Exercise appropriate levels of autonomy and professional judgement in a variety of medical radiation practice settings)
- 3. Take responsibility and accountability for professional decisions (Part a: Make appropriate professional decisions about the care of patients, Part b: Recognise and respond appropriately to unsafe or unprofessional practice & Part c: Integrate organisational policies and guidelines with professional standards and apply to practice)
- 5. Seek opportunities to progress the profession (Part a: Provide developmental support to other medical radiation practitioners and other members of the healthcare team)
Domain 4: Evidence-informed practitioner:
- 1. Resolve challenges through application of critical thinking and reflective practice (Part a: Identify the challenge or question and the information that is needed to respond, Part b: Find, critically appraise, interpret and apply best available research evidence to inform clinical reasoning and professional decision-making & Part d: Recognise opportunities to contribute to the development of new knowledge through research and enquiry)
- 2. Identify ongoing professional learning needs and opportunities (Part a: Comply with legal and professional responsibilities to complete CPD, Part b: Critically reflect on own strengths and limitations to identify learning needed to improve and adapt professional practice & Part d: Plan and implement steps to address professional learning and development needs)
Domain 5: Radiation safety and risk manager:
- 1. Perform and provide safe radiation practice (Part f: Identify radiation risks and implement effective and appropriate risk management systems and procedures & Part g: Recognise and report on near misses and their consequences, in addition to adverse events and relevant contributing factors)
- 2. Protect and enhance patient/client safety (Part b: Review, communicate, record and manage patient/client information accurately, consistent with protocols, procedures and legislative requirements for maintaining patient/client records & Part e: Apply relevant quality frameworks to practice)
- 4. Maintain safety of the workplace and associated environments (Part a: Identify safety hazards in the workplace and respond to incidents [including radiation and radioactivity incidents] in a timely manner, in accordance with protocols and procedures, Part b: Report on all incidents [including radiation and radioactivity incidents] as needed & Part g: Provide information on radiation -related hazards and control measures to others in the workplace).
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Case Study - 30% | |||||
| 2 - Presentation - 30% | |||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 40% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Camera and microphone for attending Zoom tutorials and completing presentation assessment task
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Vancouver
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.macdonald@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
What does it mean to be a graduate radiographer?
Chapter
See readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Clinical reasoning and decision-making. Applying evidence-based and ethical practice
Chapter
See readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Healthcare accreditation, quality management, risk and incident management
Chapter
See readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
MRPBA Professional Capabilities and Code of conduct
Chapter
See readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
MRPBA Professional Capabilities and Code of conduct
Chapter
See readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Career planning
Chapter
See readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Presentation Due: Week 6 at your allocated time during the virtual conference sessions.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Preparing for the independent practice role
Chapter
See readings on Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Portfolio development time
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Portfolio development time
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Portfolio development time
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Portfolio development time
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Portfolio submission
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
The unit coordinator for this unit is: Lauren MacDonald. I can be contacted on l.macdonald@cqu.edu.au or 07 4940 7818.
As a 6-credit unit you should spend 150 hours studying and completing assessments over the term. The learning materials are ‘front-loaded’ into the first half of the term with the expectation that you will apply them as you work through the assessment activities. The three assessment activities are designed to support development of your knowledge and skills associated with the unit learning outcomes, so expect to spend about 100 engagement hours working through those three activities.
You will need to sign up for and attend a one-hour virtual conference in Week 6 where you will be both a presenter and audience member. Specific date/time session options will be available for selection on the Moodle site.
1 Presentation
In your final year of study, you are transitioning from student to independent practitioner. Nearing completion of your tertiary studies to begin a career in your selected profession is a huge learning milestone. This transition phase of your learning journey is also a starting point for another learning journey; your continuing professional development (CPD). CPD is a vital aspect of being an imaging professional and is a requirement for your professional registration with the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia (MRPBA). It ensures that we remain up-to-date in our practice through reading journal articles, attending workshops, and attending and presenting at educational sessions and conferences. This task is designed to develop your skills in CPD and help you become familiar with the concept, in preparation for registration.
Your task is to create a presentation that is suitable for a professional e-conference in terms of both format and content and to deliver this as an e-presentation live during a virtual conference. The presentation must be 7-minutes long and you must be prepared to respond to questions from the audience of your peers and assessor. You have 2 options to choose from for the topic of presentation.
Choose only one (1)
Develop a 7-minute audio-visual presentation suitable for a radiography conference on the theme of “From Student to Supervisor”. The target audience is newly qualified radiographers who are about to start their clinical career.
The presentation must include the following:
· What challenges is the radiographer likely to experience during the transition from student to supervisor?
· What knowledge and skills must be developed to become an effective supervisor and how should the audience gain the required knowledge and skills?
· In what ways are supervisors important in the development of student skills in the clinical workplace?
Literature to support the presentation - at least 3 published journal articles, not more than 5 years old since publication.
OR
Choose one (1) innovative technology, procedure or practice in medical imaging. For that technology, develop a 7-minute audio-visual teaching presentation on that technology. The target audience is qualified radiographers who have not been exposed to this technology.
The presentation must include the following:
- Benefits and limitations of the chosen technology, procedure or practice in terms of radiation dose, diagnostic ability and patient care
- Scientific details of the chosen technology, procedure or practice
- Details of how to safely operate the chosen technology, procedure or practice.
You must not present on the same technology, procedure or practice used for the poster presentation in MEDI13008 - Imaging Pathways in the Diagnostic Process.
Literature to support the presentation - at least 3 published journal articles, not more than 5 years old since publication.
The marking rubric will be provided on the unit Moodle site.
AI scale for this task: 3 AI COLLABORATION. 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.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.
MRPBA Professional Capabilities and NSQHS Standards
This assessment task maps to the following MRPBA professional Capabilities (2020) and NSQHS Standards (2021):
MRPBA Domain 2, Key Capability 5
MRPBA Domain 4, Key Capability 1, 2
Due at your allocated time during the virtual conference sessions in Week 6
Week 8 Friday (16 Jan 2026)
The presentation will be assessed in each of the following areas:
1. Content of presentation
Relevance to audience of peers for current and future practice
Choice of topic in building knowledge beyond entry to practice level
Depth of discussion of topic
Use of correct terminology
Use of authoritative information sources
Content selection and organisation including: selection of key points, relevance to audience
Correct technique for in-text citations and reference list
2. Organisation and formatting of slide contents
Logical sequencing
Visual clarity of slides
Inclusion of references
3. Oral presentation
Clarity of speech
Ability to speak beyond slides
Cohesiveness in aligning verbal component with slide content
Adherence to time requirements
A marking rubric detailing the minimum requirements for each category will be posted on the unit Moodle site.
- Undertake continuing professional development, supporting other medical radiation practitioners and your professional peers through presentation at a simulated conference and participation in peer assessment.
- Communicate professionally in written and presentation tasks.
2 Case Study
In Medical Imaging, adverse events may arise as a result of the complex nature of the equipment, the imaging procedure or the patient condition. It is important that you recognise your own responsibilities relative to site policies and accreditation, MRPBA Professional Capabilities and Code of Conduct requirements to minimise the occurrence of an adverse event and to respond appropriately if an adverse event does occur.
Instructions
Read the coroner’s report and recommendations, together with the MRPBA response to the recommendations. All these documents are available through the Moodle site, within the case study tile. Note: this incident took place at the time of a previous MRPBA Professional Capabilities for Practice requirement.
Respond to the following:
- Discuss whether any breaches of MRPBA Professional Capabilities (specifically Domain 2 Key Capability 1e and Domain 2 Key Capability 4a-c) occurred in this situation. From the evidence given in the coroner's court, were these capabilities met by the radiographers? Provide evidence for your decision and external references to support your position.
- Discuss whether any breaches of DIAS accreditation Standard 2.1, 2.2 and 2.4 occurred in this situation. From the evidence given in the coroner's court, were these standards met by the facility and the radiographers? Provide evidence for your decision and external references to support your position.
- Discuss whether any breaches of the NSQHS Standard 8 -Recognising and Responding to Acute Deterioration occurred in this situation. From the evidence given in the coroner's court, was this standard met by the facility and the radiographers? Provide evidence for your decision and external references to support your position.
You must use ideas and content from other sources and you must acknowledge those sources using in-text citation and referencing. Failure to formally acknowledge external sources is a breach of academic integrity.
Word-count
You should aim for approximately 1500 words for this assessment task; approximately 400 - 600 words per main section, excluding your reference list. This suggestion is provided to guide you in the depth and breadth of your responses as you address the assessment criteria.
AI scale for this task: 3 AI COLLABORATION. 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.
MRPBA Professional Capabilities and NSQHS Standards
This assessment task maps to the following MRPBA professional Capabilities (2020) and NSQHS Standards (2021):
MRPBA Domain 1, Key Capability 4, 5, 7, 8
MRPBA Domain 2, Key Capability 1, 4
MRPBA Domain 3, Key Capability 1, 2
MRPBA Domain 4, Key Capability 1
NSQHS Standard 1, 2, 4, 6, 8
Week 8 Friday (16 Jan 2026) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (30 Jan 2026)
- Depth of analysis of the incident
- Quality of reasoning and decision-making [logic of arguments, consideration of salient facts]
- Selection of relevant, current and authoritative evidence to support arguments in discussions
- Use of evidence to support clinical reasoning and decision-making
- Quality of academic communication [clarity of statements, organisation of information, acknowledgement of external sources]
- Apply evidence-based practice to inform clinical reasoning and professional decision-making.
- Integrate concepts and processes of facility accreditation, quality improvement and risk management to analyse and discuss clinical incidents and near misses relative to clinical governance standards such as National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) standards.
- Communicate professionally in written and presentation tasks.
3 Portfolio
It is a requirement for all medical radiation practitioners to meet the MRPBA Professional Capabilities for Medical Radiation Practice, and to adhere to AHPRA Shared Code of Conduct. This assessment task relates to these professional requirements.
The portfolio enables you to present your knowledge, skills and behavioural attributes, explain how you have reached your current level of performance and show how this relates to your readiness for independent practice. The portfolio also showcases your critical thinking and your ability to make connections between your experience and researched concepts and theories.
Each ‘project’ of your portfolio will focus on either one specific key capability and stated enabling components or one specific principle of the Code of Conduct. You will provide attachments that provide evidence of your performance in that area. These attachments are items associated with your learning journey (within the course and/or in other areas of your life experience). They may include photos, certificates, other documents, presentations, videos as well as links to online items. You will discuss each attached item to explain how it demonstrates your development or achievement of the selected capability or principle. You must use published external sources to demonstrate how you meet or are working towards meeting the stated code of key capability.
You must reflect on your progress toward being able to achieve that capability or principle. Your reflections must consider theories, concepts and best practices, drawing from authoritative sources. Your reflections will need to comply with standards for academic writing, including formal acknowledgement of external information sources.
For this assignment, you will address the following Capabilities and Codes:
- Code of Conduct 10 (specifically 10.1 and 10.2) - Teaching, supervising and assessing
- Domain 1. Key Capability 7 (specifically 1.7a, 1.7b and 1.7c) - Deliver patient/client care
- Domain 3. Key Capability 2 (specifically 3.2b, 3.2c and 3.2d) - Collaborate with other health practitioners
- Domain 4. Key Capability 2 (specifically 4.2b and 4.2d) - Identify ongoing professional learning needs and opportunities
For one of these topics, guided learning activities are provided, with links available in Moodle to support your development of the associated knowledge and skills. These may take some time for you to complete, so you should start these activities early in the term to make best use of them.
For Code of Conduct 10, you must complete a feedback pro-forma for each of the presentations you attended during the virtual conference. You may also use your presentation as evidence of meeting part of this capability.
For many other topics, the learning activities and assessments you have undertaken in other units throughout the course have already supported your development. You are encouraged to look back at your study over the past three years to consider how your learning journey has been supported and how you have developed to the extent that you have evidence of meeting many of the capabilities and principles of conduct.
You may also have achieved significant learning through life experience, whether through employment, community involvement or team activities. You are encouraged to include this informal learning in your critical reflections.
AI scale for this task: 3 AI COLLABORATION. 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.
MRPBA Professional Capabilities and NSQHS Standards
This assessment task maps to the following MRPBA professional Capabilities (2020) and NSQHS Standards (2021):
MRPBA Domain 1, Key Capability 7
MRPBA Domain 2, Key Capability 1, 3, 5
MRPBA Domain 3 Key Capability 2
MRPBA Domain 4, Key Capability 2
NSQHS Standard 8
Week 12 Monday (9 Feb 2026) 11:59 pm AEST
Exam Week Monday (16 Feb 2026)
This assessment is assessed on the following criteria:
- Scope of capabilities and principles that have been addressed
- Evidence of critical reflection
- Evidence of clinical judgment and decision-making
- Professional communication and presentation of information
- Quality of academic communication
- Scope and relevance of supporting evidence
- Use of authoritative sources to inform reflections
- Inclusion of completed feedback proformas for presentations
- Relevance of evidence offered to capability
- Depth and relevance of feedback on presentations
- Apply evidence-based practice to inform clinical reasoning and professional decision-making.
- Critically reflect on your experiences and associated evidence which demonstrate the continued development of your professional capabilities and adherence to the Professional Body's Code of Conduct and requirements for practice.
- Undertake continuing professional development, supporting other medical radiation practitioners and your professional peers through presentation at a simulated conference and participation in peer assessment.
- Communicate professionally in written and presentation tasks.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
