Unit Synopsis
This unit explores the sonographic assessment of normal and pathological superficial structures. You will apply knowledge of anatomy, physiology and embryology to conduct sonographic examinations of superficial structures in the laboratory setting as well as utilising simulated clinical scenarios and case studies to critically reflect on sonographic problems. Development of the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to perform an ultrasound examination of the thyroid will be assessed within a simulated environment.
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 |
Prerequisites MEDS11001 Fundamentals of Sonographic Practice and MEDS11002 Relational Anatomy and Image Recognition and Corequisite MEDS12001 Physics of Ultrasound 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 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Practical Assessment | 0% |
| 2. Online Quiz(zes) | 0% |
| 3. Online Test | 0% |
| 4. On-campus Activity | 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
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 87.10% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 24.03% 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: SUTE unit comments
Some students indicated that the time of 20 minutes for the Online Test Assessment 3 was too short. In addition students were frustrated with the layout
Improve the navigation and reevaluate the timing of Assessment Item 3 for an enhanced student experience.
Layout of the test was changed as per feedback to reduce scrolling time. The time of the test was increased from 20 minutes to 25 minutes.
Source: Unit Co-ordinator Reflection
Some weeks, the lecture material is outdated
Continue updating lectures and e-reading articles for next unit delivery.
Lectures and e-reading were revised and updated
Source: SUTE unit comments
Students enjoyed the case studies in tutorials
Maintain case study delivery in the style of the questions within the Online test assessment 3. Highlight the importance of attending these as a way of students monitoring their progress and preparation for the assessment.
Case studies were delivered each week and set out to reflect examples of the Online Test Assessment 3 question.
Source: SUTE unit comments
Students felt the Moodle content was extensive and the layout could be improved and condensed
Consider condensing the information under sub-headings to make navigation simpler and content easier to find.
In Progress
Source: SUTE unit comments
Some students were not satisfied with the time limit of the online test even though it was increased from prior year.
Continue with zoom tutorials using cases studies to demonstrate examples of online test questions. Consider stressing the importance of tutorial attendance to students in welcome and assessment videos.
In Progress
Source: SUTE unit comments and Unit co-ordinator reflection
Students liked the extra labs added to the unit and the 30 minute appointment-style time limit to complete Assessment One
Keep Assessment One as an authentic style assessment and the extra lab practice for students
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Apply knowledge of anatomy, physiology and embryology of superficial structures to the sonographic examination.
- Differentiate the clinical appearance, sonographic appearance and aetiology of pathologies of superficial structures.
- Analyse clinical scenarios to provide a differential diagnosis and produce a sonographic report.
- Apply the practical skills and critical thinking necessary to perform a sonographic examination of the thyroid.
- Display professional behaviour, teamwork and communication skills and criteria to meet safe sonographic practice, the profession's Code of Conduct, and CQUniversity's graduate attributes.
The learning outcomes for this unit relate to the requirements of general sonography courses under the Australasian Sonography Accreditation Registry (ASAR), Standards for the Accreditation of Sonographer Courses (SASC):
Foundation Units of Competence 1-5
Critical Practice Units of Competence 12
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | |||
| 3 - Online Test | • | • | • | ||
| 4 - On-campus Activity | • | • | |||
| 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 | • | • | |||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |