ECHO12005 - Cardiac Clinical Unit 2

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This clinical unit will provide opportunities to apply and integrate both theoretical and practical knowledge, skills and professional behaviours in the clinical environment. In addition to the consolidation of skills in electrophysiological assessment, you will be exposed to a range of cardiovascular assessment techniques, including echocardiography. Using clinical cases you will analyse and reflect upon the information provided to produce provisional differential diagnoses and patient management plans within an ethical framework of best practice and patient safety. Behavioural aspects of professional practice are emphasised and you are expected to reflect on your own performance and exhibit the highest level of safe patient care. Critical appraisal of performance will enable you to advance your professional, technical and analytical skills in a work setting under qualified supervision.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites:

ECHO12003 Principles of Cardiac Assessment and ECHO12004 Cardiac Assessment Skills 1

OR

ECHO12008 Doppler Echocardiography and ECHO12007 Cardiac Rhythm Assessment.  


Both ECHO12003 Principles of Cardiac Assessment and ECHO12004 Cardiac Assessment Skills 1 OR ECHO12008 Doppler Echocardiography and ECHO12007 Cardiac Rhythm Assessment must have been successfully completed within the last twelve months.  Should this time limit have elapsed the student must successfully complete one (or more) technical skill, professional behaviour and diagnostic knowledge-based assessment(s) (after completion of technical skill / knowledge revision). Details of this will be articulated in a learning contract created by the Head of Course or designate.

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 No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 3 - 2025 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 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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Portfolio 0%
2. Online Quiz(zes) 0%
3. Practical Assessment 0%
4. Practical Assessment 0%
5. Performance 0%
6. Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books 0%
7. Professional Practice Placement 0%

This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 3 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 25% 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: CQUni Success
Feedback
Financial implications associated with travel to attend placement sites proved difficult for some students.
Recommendation
Teaching staff will continue to promote CV69 course inherent requirements, including personal and financial commitments. Related information is already published in the course handbook and on the CV69 portal Moodle site, on circulated work-integrated learning advice and related platforms (SONIA) and reiterated at course open days/orientation sessions and in Head of Course foundation unit forums during the first few weeks of student course enrolment.
Action Taken
All recommendations were carried out to inform students of potential financial and travel implications associated with this practicum unit.
Source: Student Unit Evaluation Responses
Feedback
Learning resources were not perceived as useful by some students.
Recommendation
Being the first clinical placement unit undertaken by students, there was perhaps a misconception that the unit would be similar to other theoretical units. The purpose of this unit was to provide opportunities to apply and integrate both theoretical and practical knowledge, skills and professional behaviours into the clinical environment, consolidating and transferring knowledge and skills learnt to date. Learning resources presented were devised to support students making the transition from campus and simulation environment to the 'real world'. Resources were presented in modules under Moodle tiles labelled 'Strategies for success', 'Scope of practice' and 'Professional Expectations'. Some students entered placement with prior life skills, others did not.
Action Taken
Prior to the commencement of placement, there was a large emphasis for students to read and engage with the resources on Moodle labelled 'Strategies for success', 'Scope of practice' and 'Professional Expectations'. In addition to these documents, the unit coordinator held frequent tutorials to help students transition into their placements and offer any support needed.
Source: Unit coordinator
Feedback
Industry reported difficulties managing 'over-enthusiastic' students.
Recommendation
Whilst it was difficult to fault students willingness to help and learn, the occasional clinical staff found their over-enthusiastic student difficult to manage. This was largely because novice students lacked awareness of how they fitted into the wider team, and at times, they failed to pick up on non-verbal cues that they may have been overbearing or too involved in various scenarios (bearing in mind clinical staff have to communicate subtly when in front of a patient mid procedure). On occasion, some students did not always respect the personal space or privacy of staff when trying to get their daily tasks done. The unit coordinator will aim to better prepare students for future clinical placement experiences by discussing this topic prior to placement commencement.
Action Taken
At the commencement of the term, the unit coordinator emphasised what is required of a student and what is expected from a managers point of view. Highlighting the 'over-enthusiastic' student and how to avoid falling into this role.
Source: Unit coordinator
Feedback
There was low student engagement in tutorial offerings where case studies were presented for discussion, likely due to tiredness because students were concurrently working clinically. Selecting a time that is convenient for the majority is complicated by time zone variations.
Recommendation
Increased student and unit coordinator interactions will be encouraged through the Moodle forum. Weekly cases of interest will be posted along with question prompts. Students will be encouraged to reply in their own time via the general discussion forum. The unit coordinator will then offer additional feedback as the week unfolds, including more discussion prompts. This approach was well received by the student cohort when trialed in 2022, and will be expanded upon in future unit deliveries. Despite poor attendance, live Zoom tutorials will continue to be offered after hours on a week night, with recordings available for viewing afterwards. Tutorial attendance will be used more to canvas student experience and tailor pastoral support.
Action Taken
Tutorial attendance had slightly increased this term, however there is room for more engagement. Frequent check-ins, forum posts, case studies uploaded for discussion and tutorial were all delivered at times to accommodate post placement attendance. There were comments made about the commute home from placement and general tiredness from a full day of placement making it challenging to attend these tutorials. However, all tutorials were recorded and uploaded to be reviewed at a more suitable time.
Source: SUTE Report
Feedback
There was some confusion with the breakdown of specific hours required for the placement.
Recommendation
Teaching staff will continue to promote the practicum requirements prior to and throughout the placement. Students will be directed to be familiar with the information published in the course handbook and Moodle site.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Industry feedback
Feedback
Some students approached this practicum thinking it was predominantly echocardiogram based and that gaining experience within other modalities was less important.
Recommendation
Teaching staff will emphasise the importance of using this practicum to increase foundational knowledge and experience in a wide range of testing. This practicum is targeted at the level of a cardiac physiologist and the day to day routine of a cardiology department. Echocardiology is a smaller component of this practicum, however still important in regards to achieving accreditation.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Unit coordinator
Feedback
Some student assessments were left to the last minute which resulted in clinical staff being either too busy or unavailable, resulting in late submissions and or limited time for a re-attempt, if required.
Recommendation
Unit Coordinator will reinforce assessment due dates before and during placement to assist students in managing their study and timelines.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Perform electrophysiological and echocardiographic assessment on the cardiovascular system
  2. Analyse and communicate the outcomes of cardiac assessment including consideration of quality assurance
  3. Apply professional behaviour consistent with safe practice
  4. Analyse, and critically reflect upon, clinical cases involving various cardiac assessment techniques
  5. Attend clinical placement as per external accreditation requirements (Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry).

Linked to National and International Standards
1. ASAR Accreditation Standards for Cardiac Sonography - critical practice Unit 8 - Cardiac, Foundation units of competence 1 - 5.
2. European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Core Syllabus.
3. American Registry for Cardiac Sonography Core Syllabus.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Portfolio • •
2 - Online Quiz(zes) • •
3 - Practical Assessment • •
4 - Practical Assessment • •
5 - Performance •
6 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books •
7 - Professional Practice Placement •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
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 • • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10