Ultrasound Guided Brachytherapy

This course is delivered at our Glenside Campus and is also available via distance learning.

Course content:

Potential areas for you to study must be negotiated with the Module Leader, and could include subspecialty of areas such as the following:

• Obstetric Ultrasound: First-trimester anomaly scanning. Fetal echocardiography.
• Gynaecological Ultrasound: Fertility and sub-fertility scanning. Screening for ovarian cancer.
• General Medical Ultrasound: Paediatric. Musculo-skeletal. Superficial parts e.g. breast ultrasound.
• Vascular Ultrasound: Upper limb assessment.

The content of the module will be defined following discussions between the module leader, you and your work-based manager. A Learning Contract will be drawn up and this contract will specify exactly how the module learning outcomes will be achieved. Clinical assessment areas will also be defined as a result of discussions and subject specific competencies must be demonstrated in all areas.Subject specific topics: Normal anatomy & physiology; normal variants; normal ultrasound appearances; pathological processes; abnormal ultrasound appearances; scanning techniques; use in health screening; subject specific variations.

• Legal and Ethical issues: General legal & ethical principles relating to the ultrasound practice of the area of subject specialty.
• Professional and employment issues relating to the area of Negotiated Specialist Ultrasound practice: These subjects will be covered as joint learning sessions with students studying other specialty areas, and will include professionalism and professionalisation, codes of conduct, occupational standards, departmental protocols, continuing professional development, clinical governance, Work related upper limb disorders. Ergonomics
• Communication Skills: Importance of effective communication, listening skills, verbal/non verbal communication and self-awareness.
• Reporting of Ultrasound Images: Principles of verbal and written reporting, approaches to decision making, record keeping Influences of information technology on database development and use of information.
• Action Learning: Action learning sets and research, quality improvement initiatives, exploring strategies for monitoring and evaluation, reflective practice.

The content of this module includes a variety of elements linked to studying within an action learning group:

• Group Working: Group building and team dynamics (theories of collaboration), interprofessional working, power and decision-making, role boundaries, ground rules.
• Project Management Skills: Contract learning, negotiation, time management and management of change, problem solving.
• Enquiry Based Learning: Enquiry Based Learning involves working in small groups with a facilitator and uses triggers to provide the starting point for discussion and the acquisition of knowledge.

Delivery:

The course will be delivered via lectures, class discussions, synchronous on-line discussion boards, seminars, clinical placement visits, medical museum visit, laboratory hands-on clinical practice using a simulator and real-life models and VLE using e-Blackboard.

Lectures will be provided by the course team and by external visiting clinical specialists. Classroom sessions will also include hands-on scanning supervised sessions and review of cases. Discussion groups will be organised covering a range of relevant topics.

Scheduled learning constitutes a minimum of 28 hours but will vary according to the subject speciality chosen to study. It will include lectures, seminars, tutorials, demonstrations, practical classes and workshops; external visits; work based learning; supervised practise time in scanning room.

Independent learning includes a minimum of 122 hours but will vary according to the subject speciality chosen to study. It will include activities such as essential reading, case study preparation, assignment preparation and completion, computer assisted learning; simulator scanning, reflection on learning.

Placement learning: clinical practice placements are negotiated and organised by the student, but should include a minimum of 15 hours a week of supervised scanning for the duration of the module.