MEDS12006 - Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces you to obstetric and non-gravid pelvic ultrasound. In this unit you will build upon your anatomical knowledge of the pelvis to include the anatomy of the gravid pelvis. You will study the sonographic appearance, techniques and procedures applicable to pathology of the non-gravid pelvis, including techniques for communicating your findings. You will develop skills in sonographic scanning techniques of the transabdominal pelvis. You will be introduced to fetal development and the sonographic appearance of the gravid pelvis. You will identify family-centred care strategies employed in the care of the obstetric patient and the ethical, medico-legal and professional issues relevant to safe practice.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 3
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites: MEDS12002 Abdominal Ultrasound and MEDS12003 Superficial Structures in 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).

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Residential School Compulsory Residential School
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Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2025

Term 2 - 2026 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. Online Quiz(zes) 10%
2. Written Assessment 40%
3. Online Test 50%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 88.46% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 24.3% 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: Student Feedback
Feedback
Student engagement in the res school was exceptional and students enjoyed the experience.
Recommendation
Changing the pelvis scanning competency from SSD1 to a res school for MEDS12006 was a resounding success and should be kept in its current form.
Action Taken
The residential school was once again well received in its current form.
Source: Self reflection and SUTE data
Feedback
Due to scheduling constraints, the residential school had to be delivered in week 10 which left most of the assessment items in weeks 11 and 12. This didn't allow for feedback for the students during the term.
Recommendation
Work with MEDS12004 Unit Coordinator (UC) and timetabling to schedule the residential school earlier in the term.
Action Taken
The residential school was delivered in week 4 of term 2 to allow for assessment feedback earlier in the term.
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Neuroscience and podcasts were received well again, and pastoral care was appreciated by students.
Recommendation
Continue delivery of current resources and consider sourcing new interviews for patient podcast series.
Action Taken
Resources continued to be delivered and a new podcast episode added.
Source: Self reflection and conversations with students
Feedback
Although the early delivery of the residential school allowed feedback from assessment earlier in the term, it also resulted in students struggling with the skills required to perform pelvic ultrasound examinations.
Recommendation
Consider delivering the residential school around week 6 of Term 2.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Students commented the lower tutor:student ratio in the first day of the residential school compromised their confidence.
Recommendation
Use a 1:4 tutor:student ratio for day 1 of the residential school
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE feedback and student conversations
Feedback
Students struggled to make it to tutorials due to scanning lab commitments for MEDS12004.
Recommendation
Consider a time that allows a longer break between lab commitments and tutorial time.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Identify anatomical structures of the pelvis and formulate strategies and implement skills necessary to complete sonographic examinations of the pelvic organs.
  2. Differentiate the aetiology of female pelvic and fetal disease in relation to sonographic appearance
  3. Critically evaluate clinical data to communicate a differential diagnosis and evaluate gynaecological and obstetric imaging in relation to safe practice.
  4. Critically reflect and improve upon own professional practice and sonographic psychomotor skills utilising constructive feedback.
  5. Display professional behaviour, teamwork, communication skills and criteria to meet safe sonographic practice and industry expectation.

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 10

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Online Quiz(zes) •
2 - Written Assessment • • •
3 - Online Test • • •
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 • •
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 10