Inherent requirements for Graduate Diploma in Cardiac Sonography

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Compliance with the recognised values of society and standards facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This supports the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all.

Exemplars:

» Demonstrating appropriate behaviour with confidential information in classroom and clinical settings
» Demonstrating ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring ethical behaviour

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in diverse and changing environments. Students will be exposed to situations which are challenging and unpredictable, and will be required to have the behavioural stability to manage these objectively and professionally

Exemplars:

» Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
» Managing own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with individuals, particularly those patients in extreme pain or mental stress which may make it more difficult to achieve cooperation to create usable images

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with standards of practice and regulatory requirements are necessary pre-requisites to placements in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others
» Compliance with these regulations ensures that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice

Exemplars:

» Complying with the legal requirements regarding all aspects of practice
» Complying with relevant child protection and safety legislation
» Complying with regulatory requirements that are relevant to the student placement setting

Student demonstrates:
» Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences
» Ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner
» Ability to provide clear instructions in the context of the situation
» Timely clear feedback and reporting

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships
» Communication may be restricted to verbal because of physical limitations of the individual (e.g. injury, disease or congenital conditions)
» Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is critical to providing safe professional practice
» Interactive verbal communication is necessary to ensure effective assessment of symptoms to facilitate an accurate assessment

Exemplars:

» Participating in tutorial, simulation and professional discussions
» Responding appropriately to enable understanding by patients to make informed decisions in the clinical environment
» Recognising and responding appropriately to gain cooperation from distressed patients to create usable images

Justification of inherent requirement:

» The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships
» Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, body movements and gestures, being mindful of space, and time boundaries promotes trust in academic and professional relationships 
» Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences
» Ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for effective observation of patient symptoms and reactions to facilitate an accurate assessment.

Exemplars:

» Demonstrating ability to recognise and respond to non-verbal cues in classroom situations
» Demonstrating ability to recognise and respond appropriately to non-verbal cues in the clinical environment

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Construction of written text based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter
» Accurate written communication for a range of purposes and audiences is integral to the provision of consistent and accurate assessments and professional documentation in the clinical environment

Exemplars:

» Constructing an essay to required academic standards
» Deciphering and recording of clinical findings accurately
» Preparing and maintaining a professional logbook

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Ability to understand the theoretical basis of patient assessment is essential for sonography practice
» Accurate evaluation of practice and participation in clinical procedures ensures effective assessment
» Understanding best practice infection control is necessary to minimise risk of cross contamination
»Ability to follow precise instructions to obtain images needed to identify subtle changes and record these accurately is necessary for effective sonography practice

Exemplars:

» Displaying ability to understand and use the range of equipment specific to sonography practice
» Demonstrating ability to identify patients correctly and use the appropriate procedure
» Demonstrating ability to apply knowledge of appropriate techniques to minimise cross infection
» Displaying ability to monitor equipment screen while scanning a patient's body for identification of subtle changes between healthy and unhealthy regions

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Accurate interpretation of information and conveying of messages is fundamental to ensure effective assessment in the diagnostic process
» Accurate ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for effective assessment in the clinical context

Exemplars:

» Conveying a spoken message accurately and effectively in a clinical setting
» Demonstrating accurate, concise and clear case notes which meet legal and professional requirements
» Demonstrating ability to use a range of methods to collect and analyse information from a range of sources

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in sonography practice to facilitate accurate and effective delivery of results when collecting and interpreting numerical data.

Exemplars:

» Performing accurate haemodynamic calculations and measurements
» Comparing and recognising differences in quantitative ultrasound measurements

Student demonstrates sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of skills.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills and tasks in the diagnostic process
» Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to providing accurate assessments in sonography practice
» Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to manipulate and use diagnostic imaging equipment

Exemplars:

» Making accurate quantitative ultrasound image measurements
» Observing and detecting subtle differences in ultrasound images
» Demonstrating ability to identify subtle changes and abnormalities in body tissue

Student demonstrates:
» Ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice
» Ability to move and position equipment specific to the sonographic practice
» Capacity to perform a range of gross motor activities which may include supporting, positioning, pushing, twisting and bending

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to move and operate diagnostic imaging equipment safely and accurately
» Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner
» Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform and coordinate diagnostic assessments
» Ability to appropriately position equipment and patient so as to perform tasks reliably with a range of movement to reduce risk of harm to self and others

Exemplars:

» Maintaining own and patient's balance while safely lifting and positioning individuals
» Able to stand for long periods of time and maintain balance while undertaking ultrasound examinations
» Demonstrating ability to manoeuvre diagnostic equipment into the correct position for optimum assessment

Student demonstrates the ability to use fine motor skills to undertake the required range of skills and assessments.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to coordinate and perform tasks. Tasks that involve fine motor skills can include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects and individuals. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others
» Sufficient fine motor skills to manipulate and use diagnostic imaging equipment

Exemplars:

» Demonstrating accurate and safe operation of diagnostic imaging equipment
» Demonstrating ability to subtly position and manipulate an ultrasound transducer to acquire and enhance ultrasound images

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Competent computing skills that are specific to diagnostic imaging equipment is fundamental to sonography practice
» Capacity to understand and operate complex machinery and computerised instruments specific to sonography practice

Exemplars:

» Accurately manipulate and measure ultrasound images using a variety of different and dedicated computerised programs
» Accurately record patient information and ultrasound examination results into electronic data bases