School: Medical and Health Sciences

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Introduction to Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound
  • Unit Code

    SON1102
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Afrooz NAJAFZADEH ABRIZ

Description

This unit introduces sonography as a key allied health domain and provides students with the fundamental knowledge and skills required to support their learning throughout the course. Students learn about different types of ultrasound examinations and the psychomotor skills used during different examinations. The history of medical ultrasound is studied and students learn about infection control, safe manual handling, scanning ergonomics and other patient and sonographer health and safety requirements. In this unit students explore the role of sonographers and complete a clinical observation practicum to gain insights into professional sonography practice. Students learn about their ethical and medico-legal obligations, and the scope of sonography practice as outlined by the Australian Sonographers Accreditation Registry.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Apply knowledge of ethical, legal, safety and health requirements to guide safe sonography practice in Australian contexts.
  2. Identify a range of patient and transducer positions to enhance diagnostic imaging during ultrasound examinations.
  3. Use psychomotor skills to perform simple ultrasound transducer manipulations in accordance with safe practice guidelines.
  4. Demonstrate self-awareness and responsibility for interpersonal communications in a range of professional healthcare contexts.
  5. Plan learning goals to support development of personal capabilities as required for Australian Sonographers Accreditation Registration.

Unit Content

  1. History of medical ultrasound, physical properties of high frequency ultrasound, introduction to ultrasound scanning systems and transducers, care and maintenance of ultrasound systems and different types of ultrasound examinations.
  2. Introduction to anatomical scanning planes and scanning windows, and other modes of medical imaging, clinical observation, scanning ergonomics and transducer manipulation techniques.
  3. Patient and sonographer health & safety, safe manual handling, infection control, pre-clinical requirements prior to clinical observation.
  4. Desired professional attributes, legal and professional obligations, scope of practice, Australian Sonographers' Accreditation Registry requirements.
  5. Communication with patients, peers and radiologists. Systems of data recording and storage.
  6. Australian Health Care system, Medicare, Federal and State government regulations and funding.
  7. The reflective practitioner

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 11 x 2 hour labNot OfferedNot Offered
Semester 113 x 2 hour tutorialNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

The on-campus seminars are highly interactive and provide opportunities for students to apply knowledge and develop fundamental skills. Students participate in group discussions and engage in active problem solving activities to consolidate their learning. Students complete a supervised observation sonography clinical practice in an appointed work environment.

Assessment

GS2 GRADING SCHEMA 2 Used for Undifferentiated Pass/Fail units inc. practical units or work-integrated learning

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescription
TestKnowledge testing
Viva ^Practical assessment
Portfolio ^Professional journal and pre- and post-clinical reflection

^ Mandatory to Pass


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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