There are a number of units within this course that slightly exceed the notional hours recommended by the Australian Qualifications Framework.

To be eligible to graduate with the Bachelor of Echocardiography and Cardiac Physiology / Graduate Diploma of Echocardiography, students must complete the 22 core units (192 units of credit), complete clinical placement requirements and attend all mandatory laboratory activities / residential schools on the campus of enrolment and / or at a specialist simulation facility in Sydney, as determined in the unit profiles. Students from all campuses will be required to attend the specialist simulation facility in Sydney for residential schools in years 2 as set out in the unit profiles

Clinical Placement:
Course years 1-4 include clinical placement. Students must satisfy specific pre-clinical health, safety, security, including a clear criminal record check, and licensing requirements prior to each placement, and must disclose any condition that may put himself or herself, or the public, at significant risk whilst on placement.
Students are required to meet all mandatory requirements to Clinical Placements. Clinical placements are a requirement of the award of the Degree. Students who have a criminal history check disclosure, prior to commencing the degree or recorded during the course of the degree, are required to have their fitness for placement assessed on a case by case basis by the University or in conjunction with the placement site or State Health Department (as appropriate). Where a student has a criminal history check, prior to enrolment in the degree, the student may be required to apply for clearance through the applicable State Health Department to determine fitness for placement, prior to enrolment in the degree.
A student may be determined ineligible for placement, based on the nature of the criminal history disclosure, the inability to perform required tasks, or if the student may be determined a risk to clients, staff or other stakeholders. A student may be determined ineligible for placement, if the placement site is unable to work within the constraints of any conditions or work modifications placed upon the work site by the State Health Department or Assessment Unit within a private organisation. If conditions imposed upon the placement are too restrictive for placement sites within the current offer round, the student is determined not fit for placement and is at risk of the University terminating enrolment in the degree.
Due to limited availability of clinical placements, some block placements have start and/or end dates that fall outside standard term start and end dates. As placements are located throughout Australia / New Zealand and availability is limited in each community, students may be located in regions that are not of their choosing. 100% attendance is required when undertaking clinical placement. Students must prepare financially and personally to relocate for placements, and are responsible for the associated costs. In accordance with the course accreditation standards, students must achieve competency in a range of cardiac assessment techniques that may require attending different clinical facilities. Whilst on placement, students will perform cardiac assessment on, and provide hands-on care to, people who may be ill or injured. Students will need to be physically fit, able to stand and walk for extended periods, lift, stretch, carry heavy loads and have sufficient visual acuity and contrast sensitivity to assess fine detail of images and perform safely in a range of lighting conditions. Students will undergo clinical assessments on performance of cardiac assessment cases, professional behavioural and technical skills.
Clinical Simulation Laboratory Learning
Years 1 - 3 of the course includes hands-on learning in the clinical simulation echocardiography and computer laboratories on campus during terms 1 and 2. Students can study year 1 of the course by distance, if they chose, with attendance at residential schools. Year 2 and 3 are internal for all students (except for term 2 year 3) with weekly lab attendance required.Students are also required to attend 3-4 intensive workshops at a simulation centre in Sydney during year 2. Students must attend all other laboratory activities at their campus of admission. Students must demonstrate professional behaviours including regular attendance and meeting the course dress code during clinical simulation laboratory sessions. During simulations of cardiac assessment techniques, all students will participate in role-play as sonographer and patient. These essential learning activities will require partial removal of clothing to the level that is required for the simulation and will involve touching and being touched by peers. These simulation-learning activities take place in a mixed gender environment, including the presence of male academic tutors. If a student is unable to participate, it may affect the student's ability to attain required skills and complete unit assessments.
Completion Timelines
Students must apply for admission to the Register of Student Cardiac Sonographers during the 2nd year of the course prior to the second year clinical placement. Please note that the external accreditation body sets a maximum completion time of five years for this course from each student’s registration with them.
To maintain clinical currency specified cardiac assessment and clinical skills units require completion within one calendar year as scheduled in the per the course structure.

• ECHO11002 Cardiac Structure and Function and ECHO11004 Cardiac Clinical Unit 1 require completion within one calendar year of each other,
• ECHO12004 Cardiac Assessment Skills 1, ECHO12006 Cardiac Science and ECHO12005 Cardiac Clinical Unit 2 require completion within one calendar year of each other,
• ECHO13006 Adult Echocardiography, ECHO13002 Cardiac Assessment Skills 2 and ECHO13007 Cardiac Clinical Unit 3 require completion within one calendar year of each other,
• ECHO13007 Cardiac Clinical Unit 3 and ECHO20004 Cardiac Clinical Unit 4 require completion within one calendar year of each other,
• ECHO20004 Cardiac Clinical Unit 4 and ECHO 20005 Cardiac Clinical Unit 5 require completion within one calendar year of each other.

Failure to adhere to these timelines will necessitate completion of a student-learning contract that will detail specific learning and assessment requirements to maintain the student's clinical currency.

Year 1 - Term 1
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
BMSC11001	Human Body Systems 1
ESSC11004	Study and Research Skills for Health Science
MEDI11002	Physics for Health Sciences
ECHO11003	Fundamentals of Cardiac Science

Year 1 - Term 2
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
BMSC11002	Human Body Systems 2
ECHO11002	Cardiac Structure and Function
MEDI11004	Professional Practice

Year 1 - Term 3
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
ECHO11004	Biochemistry for Cardiac Pharmacology

Year 2 - Term 1
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
MPAT12001	Medical Pathophysiology
MEDS12001	Physics of Ultrasound
ECHO12006	Cardiac Science

Year 2 - Term 2
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
ECHO12004	Cardiac Rhythm Assessment Skills
ECHO12003	Principles of Cardiac Assessment

Year 2 - Term 3
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
ECHO12005	Cardiac Clinical Unit 2

Year 3 - Term 1
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
ECHO13006	Adult Echocardiography
ECHO13002	Cardiac Assessment Skills 2

Year 3 - Term 2
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
ECHO13007	Cardiac Clinical Unit 3
ECHO13005	Congenital Heart Disease

Year 4 - Term 1
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
MEDS21003	Medical Science Research Project 1
ECHO20004	Cardiac Clinical Unit 4

Year 4 - Term 2
Students must complete the following compulsory units:
MEDS21006	Medical Science Research Project 2
ECHO20005	Cardiac Clinical Unit 5