Student testimonials

 Testimonial

Background

Which high school did you attend?

Point Gellibrand Girls High School (now closed).

When you started your Bachelor degree at UniSA were you a high school leaver, TAFE student, adult entry or other?

I completed the Master’s in Medical Sonography (incorporating the Graduate Diploma) that I started in 2009.  Therefore I required a Bachelors degree to commence this program which was completed interstate.

Study

Which program did you study?

Master of Medical Sonography.

Why did you want to study this program?

This Graduate Diploma portion of this program is the minimum requirements for registration as a sonographer.  I decided to continue on to the Master’s as the topic areas were extremely interesting to me and I knew from the experience and level of dedication from the lecturers and staff that I would receive excellent tuition.

Why did you choose to study it at UniSA?

I originally started a similar course at another university.  I wanted to study at the best university for ultrasound and realised that this was the University of South Australia so I transferred.

University of South Australia

What did you enjoy most about studying at UniSA?

The enthusiasm from the lecturers, this transferred to the students who would want to go that extra mile to find the answers.

How would you describe the quality of UniSA’s teaching staff? How did they support you during your studies?

The lecturers were knowledgeable and approachable which made it easy for a student to gain help when required.  There was nothing that was too much trouble for the lecturers; this was not a couple of the lecturers but all of them, which made learning very enjoyable.  It made me want to study harder so I would not let the lecturers down with all the effort they were putting in.

What was the highlight of your time at UniSA?

Still being in contact with some of the lecturers now even after graduation.  It has inspired me to continue my learning and undertake a single course in 2014.

Tell me about any practical experience (work experience/work placements/field trips/overseas study) you’ve undertaken during your degree.

This program requires you to be employed as a trainee sonographer to attain accreditation.  This is a profession that you are paid to train just like an apprenticeship. 

Why was the experience valuable? (ie What did you learn here that you couldn't have learned in the classroom?)

The “hands-on” practical experience from being employed full-time, this is something that you cannot learn from a textbook as it involves eye-hand coordination and the “knobology” of the ultrasound machines. 

How did you find the teaching facilities at UniSA? (including laboratories and clinics, and online)

Second to none, the interaction was fantastic despite it being an online program.  There was the availability of all the resources that we would need and the interaction with the other students via the forums.  We just didn’t have the face-to-face interaction of an on-campus program. 

Professional

 Tell me about the work you have done since completing your study.

I am now an accredited medical sonographer after successfully completing my studies.  I have been able to travel around Australia being paid to work and enjoy our countryside.  I have continued to learn different methods of ultrasound and have been fortunate enough to meet some unique and extraordinary people along the way.

Why is this area of work important to you?

I love my job.  I really love meeting knew people and talking to them finding out about themselves.  This job allows for that to happen.  However I really enjoy helping people and people come to me to get help to find out why they are having the signs and symptoms that they are.  When I am able to help them with a diagnosis this is what it is all about and I go home thinking job well done especially when I am their last hope.

What do you think it takes to become a leader in your field?

Dedication to the profession most importantly, to be a leader you need to make sacrifices and not think that you will be a leader with a 9-5 approach.  This is what I have encountered with the lecturers at the University of South Australia, they are available 24/7 and when you ask questions it is not a problem despite how “stupid” the question may be. 

Testimonial  

Background

Which high school did you attend?

(Unapplicable – did my high school in overseas)

When you started your Bachelor degree at UniSA were you a high school leaver, TAFE student, adult entry or other?

(Unapplicable – didn’t complete my Bachelor degree in Unisa)

Study

Which program did you study?

Graduate Diploma in Medical Sonography

Why did you want to study this program?

I have been a qualified vascular sonographer for a number of years. I wanted to expand my area of scanning expertise

 Also, I wanted new challenges in my work.

Why did you choose to study it at UniSA?

UniSA has a good reputation. There were good reviews of the UniSA medical sonography course from my senior sonographers.

University of South Australia

What did you enjoy most about studying at UniSA?

Firstly, applying the knowledge I gained from each unit at my workplace has been very satisfying. Also, I enjoyed the challenge of completing assignments which I thought were difficult and different from what I had done in the past, and found myself coming up with creative ideas. This has given me a great sense of achievement.

How would you describe the quality of UniSA’s teaching staff? How did they support you during your studies?

The teaching staff in the course was exceptional, and definitely performed above and beyond their call of duty. Some unit coordinators even replied to my course-related emails on a Sunday!! They were very approachable, making study enjoyable.  The course unit co-ordinators have vast knowledge on their respective topics, which helped to expand my knowledge.

What was the highlight of your time at UniSA?

One of the highlights of my time at UniSA was to complete a poster assignment. At the time of doing the assignment, I strongly disliked it. I thought that it was a waste of time and was too difficult to put in so much information into an A4-sized poster. However, after completing the poster, I reflected on the journey of creating the poster and realised that it helped me to develop new skills and learn new things about myself.  I think it was one of the best assignments I had ever done. I now have the skills to create a poster, if I want to, for a conference or even at my workplace.

Tell me about any practical experience (work experience/work placements/field trips/overseas study) you’ve undertaken during your degree.

I had been working solely in the area of vascular sonography before enrolling into UniSA course. During the course, I expanded my area of scanning to general sonography.

Why was the experience valuable? (ie What did you learn here that you couldn't have learned in the classroom?)

I could apply what I had learnt in the course to my day-to-day work.

How did you find the teaching facilities at UniSA? (including laboratories and clinics, and online)

In my opinion, the teaching facilities were very good at UniSA. As my course was an online course, there were many video lectures in one of the units which I found it extremely useful. It was like sitting through a lecture and the information provided was easy to understand and made a lot of sense with my day-to-day scanning experience.

Also, I particularly found that the simulator was a fantastic teaching tool in learning/improving scanning techniques. For example, I was having difficulties in obtaining heart views of the fetus in a second trimester anatomy scan. The simulator enabled me to practise obtaining fetal heart views without the stress of time constraints.

Professional

Tell me about the work you have done since completing your study.

I have expanded my areas of scanning, from vascular to general ultrasound.

Why is this area of work important to you?

Having enjoyed vascular sonography for many years, I wanted to broaden my skills and experience into the realm of general sonography.

What do you think it takes to become a leader in your field?

-          Increased knowledge in ultrasonography

-          Extensive scanning experience

-          An interest in research

-          To continue to be curious, and willing to question things. Also, to never be complacent, thinking that I have learnt it all

-          To be willing to be a mentor to junior sonographers. It is by teaching  that we also learn new things

Testimonial Template

Background

Which high school did you attend?

Hampton SHS

When you started your Bachelor degree at UniSA were you a high school leaver, TAFE student, adult entry or other?

I commenced my postgraduate study as an adult after having completed my BSc in Medical Imaging at Curtin University

Study

Which program did you study?

In 2010 I completed my postgraduate diploma in Medical Sonography. I returned 2 years later to commence my Masters in Medical Sonography (IMSO) and will graduate in 2014.

Why did you want to study this program?

Three main reasons: 1) I wanted to expand my knowledge in certain areas of ultrasound, specifically MSK and Fetal Heart imaging. 2) I was on maternity leave initially and did not want to fall behind with current knowledge/developments. 3) I am hoping that by doing my masters it will allow me to broaden my opportunities in terms of future tutoring/mentoring roles.

Why did you choose to study it at UniSA?

UniSA has a good reputation and is well recognised in the ultrasound community. It is possible to study externally online which allowed me extreme flexibility with work hours, family etc.

University of South Australia

What did you enjoy most about studying at UniSA?

- Flexibility of the online learning

- Flexibility of the tutors to student circumstances

- Availability & contactability of the tutors

How would you describe the quality of UniSA’s teaching staff? How did they support you during your studies?

Overall I found the teaching staff to be amazing. Their knowledge was extensive and if there was something that they were not sure about it was researched and responded to in a timely fashion. Their availability via the discussion forums and email was invaluable.

What was the highlight of your time at UniSA?

Obtaining a GPA of 7 ;)

Also being able to discuss my studies online with students that had more and less experience than myself, & learning from their experiences.

Tell me about any practical experience (work experience/work placements/field trips/overseas study) you’ve undertaken during your degree.

During my studies I have been working as a medical sonographer (aside from a short stint on maternity leave) When I commenced my studies I was working as a full time radiographer/sonographer in a tertiary hospital. Since then I have expanded my career to include specialist women’s imaging for a private obstetrician & radiologist in Perth and part-time as a tutor sonographer in one of Perth’s tertiary hospitals. I have been keeping up to date with current developments via my study as well as attending interstate/international conferences.

Why was the experience valuable? (ie What did you learn here that you couldn't have learned in the classroom?)

These changes in my career have been a very steep learning curve. In terms of my imaging I have learnt from specialists what is clinically relevant to them. In particular I found the information required by a clinician is often vastly different from that of a radiologist.

Patients’ reactions vary vastly in terms of receiving bad news/good news. I think it is impossible to learn to read a persons body language/gauge their reaction in a classroom setting. Experience in communication/empathy is essential.

New technologies are constantly being developed and I have been lucky enough to have been exposed to some high end ultrasonic equipment.

Improved communication skills – particularly when training student sonographers – and patience!!!

How did you find the teaching facilities at UniSA? (including laboratories and clinics, and online)

Labs/clinics – N/A

Online – once I got over my initial computer illiteracy problems I found the online study easy to navigate. However I still find the online library frustrating to use at times!!

Professional

Tell me about the work you have done since completing your study.

I am still currently working part-time for a consultant obstetrician & radiologist at a specialist womens imaging clinic, and part-time as a tutor sonographer at a tertiary hospital in Perth.

Why is this area of work important to you?

By doing this I am able to get the best of both worlds so to speak. The tertiary role allows me the time to train/educate/inspire upcoming ultrasound students – this makes me feel like I am contributing something to our profession. The private role allows me to easily keep up to date with new advances, which can also be shared in my tertiary role. The specialised nature of the private role exposes me to more pathology than I might otherwise see which keeps me interested & passionate. Both of these roles are important to me but my main aim is to make a positive difference to somebody’s ultrasound experience whether it’s from a patients’ perspective or a students.

What do you think it takes to become a leader in your field?

I think you need to lead by example. You need to be someone that can be looked up to – both from a knowledge base point of view and character wise. You need to be approachable and willing to help.