NR305 Health Assessment for the Practicing
Week 1 Discussion
Exploring
the Nurse’s Role in Health Assessment
Purpose
This week's
graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
CO 1 -
Utilize prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related
disciplines to explain expected client behaviors, while differentiating between
normal findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
CO 5 -
Explore the professional responsibilities involved in conducting a
comprehensive health assessment and provide appropriate documentation. (PO 6)
The
Assignment
The nursing
process is utilized in a variety of nursing roles and health care settings.
Whether you are working in direct patient care, telehealth, or in a leadership
role - the basic model is the same! Take this opportunity to share how the
nursing process is utilized in your own practice settings! Hint: Your assigned
readings will be helpful in formulating your answers.
Please
answer the following question in your initial post:
Describe
how you apply the first step (assessment) of the nursing process in your
current practice setting. If you are not currently practicing as an RN, you may
use an example from a prior clinical or work experience. Include the following
information:
Briefly
describe your practice setting and the typical patient population.
Provide
examples of key subjective and objective data points you collect.
Describe
how you document your findings. Is there technology involved?
Describe
your process of data analysis. What is the end result of this process? (i.e.,
Do you formulate nursing diagnoses and care plans, collaborate with others
and/or make referrals?)
Remember to
use and credit the textbook or lesson, as well as an outside scholarly source,
for full credit.
NR305 Health Assessment for the Practicing
Week 2 Discussion
Assessment
for Health Promotion
Purpose
This week's
graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
CO 1 -
Utilize prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related
disciplines to explain expected client behaviors, while differentiating between
normal findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
CO 2 -
Recognize the influence that developmental stages have on physical,
psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual functioning. (PO 1)
CO 4 -
Identify teaching/learning needs from the health history of an individual. (PO
2)
The
Assignment
As the
school nurse working in a college health clinic, you see many opportunities to
promote health. Maria is a 40-year-old Hispanic who is in her second year of
nursing school. She complains of a 14-pound weight gain since starting school
and is afraid of what this will do to both her appearance and health if the
trend continues. After conducting her history, you learn that she is an
excellent cook and she and her family love to eat foods that reflect their
Hispanic heritage. She is married with two school-age children. She attends
class a total of 15 hours per week, plus she must be present for 12 hours of
labs and clinical. She maintains the household essentially by herself and does
all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, and chauffeuring of the children. She
states that she is lucky to get 5 hours of sleep per night, but that is okay
with her. She drinks coffee all morning to "keep her going." She
lives 1 hour from campus and commutes each day, and often drinks diet cola to
"stay awake." When asked what she does to relax and de-stress, Maria
states she "doesn't even have time to think about that."
Maria's
vitals today are as follows; T 98.6, R 20, HR 88, BP 148/90
Using the
lesson and text as your guide, answer the following questions.
What
additional assessment data (subjective and/or objective) would you like to
gather from Maria?
What actual
health concerns and risk factors have you identified?
What are
some opportunities to promote health and wellness for Maria?
Write one
nursing diagnosis for Maria (actual, wellness or risk), based on one of the
health concerns or opportunities you have identified. (Please use one of the
formulas outlined in the text and lesson!)
Remember to
use and credit the textbook or lesson, as well as an outside scholarly source,
for full credit.
NR305 Health Assessment for the Practicing
Week 3 Discussion
Exploring
Popular Diet Trends
Purpose
This week's
graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
CO 1 -
Utilize prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related
disciplines to explain unexpected client behaviors, while differentiating
between normal findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
CO 4 -
Identify teaching/learning needs from the health history of an individual. (PO
2)
CO 5 -
Explore the professional responsibilities involved in conduction a
comprehensive health assessment and provide appropriate documentation. (PO 6)
The Assignment
A distant
cousin approaches you at your family reunion and says, "Great to see you!
I heard you are a nurse. My friend is having success with the (insert selection
from list below) and I am wondering what you think about it? Should I give it a
try?"
Choose one
of the following to consider in your response:
Paleo Diet
Anti-inflammatory
Diet
Mediterranean
Diet
Vegan Diet
Ketogenic
Diet
In your
discussion post, please include the following information:
Briefly
describe the diet you have selected to consider.
Share how
you would respond to your cousin. Please include questions you would ask, and
your advice/recommendations.
NR305 Health Assessment for the Practicing
Week 4 Discussion
Community
Access to Mental Health Services
Purpose
This week's
graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
CO 1 -
Utilize prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related
disciplines to explain expected client behaviors, while differentiating between
normal findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
CO 4 -
Identify teaching/learning needs from the health history of an individual. (PO
2)
The
Assignment
Access to
mental health services is a hot topic in U.S. Healthcare. Do you know what
resources are available for clients seeking care in your own community? Select
one mental health related condition from the list below. Conduct a web search
to identify health care services within your community aimed specifically at
addressing this condition.
Choose one:
Depression
Suicidal
ideation
Opioid addiction
Answer the
following questions in your post:
When
reviewing a client's health history and physical examination record, what are
some findings (subjective and objective) that may indicate a need for further
in-depth assessment for the condition you selected above?
Describe a
focused specialty assessment tool you could use to screen the client for this
condition.
What
resources did you find in your community that address this issue? What type of
services do they provide? Were there specific resources or services you were
hoping to locate, and could not? Please explain.
NR305 Health Assessment for the Practicing
Week 5 Discussion
Assessing
for Family Violence
Purpose
This week's
graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
CO 1 - Utilize
prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related disciplines
to explain expected client behaviors, while differentiating between normal
findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
CO 4 -
Utilize effective communication when performing a health assessment. (PO 3)
The
Assignment
A
10-year-old child named Elizabeth is brought into the emergency department by
her mother. The mother appears anxious but sits quietly next to her daughter in
the waiting room. When called into the triage area, the mother gives a history
of coming home from work to find Elizabeth sitting on the couch watching
television. Elizabeth did not go to the door to greet her or look toward her
when she said hello. The mother thought the daughter's behavior was odd because
she always greeted her at the door with a hug. As she approached Elizabeth, she
noticed that she was clutching her right arm as if in pain. The mother asked
what was wrong, but Elizabeth remained silent. Then she said "Nothing is
wrong." The father is sleeping upstairs. The mother gives a family history
of having an alcoholic husband who usually drinks himself to sleep. She said he
has abused Elizabeth physically and psychologically in the past, and she
brought her to the emergency room because she fears he has hurt her. When
Elizabeth is asked about the abuse she appears scared, insecure, and withdrawn.
What
considerations should be made by the nurse, to provide a physically and
emotionally safe environment for the interview and assessment of this client
who has experienced domestic abuse?
In your
response, include some special considerations that should be taken when
interviewing a child.
NR305 Health Assessment for the Practicing
Week 6 Discussion
Providing
Culturally Competent Nursing Care
Purpose
This week's
graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
CO 1 -
Utilize prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related
disciplines to explain expected client behaviors, while differentiating between
normal findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
CO 2 -
Recognize the influence that developmental stages have on physical,
psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual functioning. (PO 1)
CO 3 -
Utilize effective communication when performing a health assessment. (PO 3)
The Assignment
This week
you have your choice of three discussion topics! Select the one that most
interests you and answer the corresponding questions completely.
Remember to
reference both the book or lesson, and an outside scholarly source.
Option #1:
You are the
nurse assessing an Orthodox Jewish client with peptic ulcer. The client is
strictly religious and refuses to eat the food provided at the health care
facility.
Describe
how you would further assess and provide care for this client.
What steps
could you take to increase your cultural competence, if you were not familiar
with this faith?
Option #2:
You are the
nurse caring for a client with Crohn's disease. The client believes he is being
punished by God. The client is spiritually distressed and cannot come to terms
with the illness.
How would
you respond to this client?
What are
some identified risk factors for spiritual distress, and recommended
interventions?
Option #3:
Describe a
time in your clinical nursing practice when you have cared for a client of
cultural, religious, or spiritual practices different from your own.
What were
some of the challenges you faced caring for this client?
What steps
did you take (or could you have taken) to ensure the patient received
culturally/spiritually competent care?
NR305 Health Assessment for the Practicing
Week 7 Discussion
Debriefing
the Week 6 Head to Toe Assessment Assignment
Purpose
This week's
graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
CO 1 -
Utilize prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related
disciplines to explain expected client behaviors, while differentiating between
normal findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
CO 4 -
Identify teaching/learning needs from the health history of an individual. (PO
2)
The
Assignment
In Week 6
you demonstrated a head to toe assessment of an adult participant. This week
you and your classmates will reflect on physical assessment in your own nursing
practice, and on the assessment you performed for your video assignment.
Please
consider the following in your initial post:
Please
share how physical assessment is performed in your practice area. How do you
determine what type of physical assessment is appropriate in caring for your
patients? Do you perform complete head to toe assessments, or are they
typically more focused exams? (If you do not currently work in a patient care
setting, you may reflect on observations from a clinical experience or prior
work setting.)
Based on
your observations, do you feel that patient assessments performed in practice
are as thorough as they should be? Explain your answer.
Reflect on
the assessment you performed for the video assignment. Perhaps you might
compare your performance now, to how it might have been different when you were
a brand new nurse? Or share something you learned (or were reminded of) by
participating in this activity?
NR305 Health Assessment for the Practicing
Week 8 Discussion
Case Study
or Share an Experience
Purpose
This week's
graded topics relate to the following Course Outcome (CO).
CO 2 -
Recognize the influence that developmental stages have on physical,
psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual functioning. (PO #1)
The
Assignment
This week
you have two options for your initial discussion post. Select the option that
is best for you! Please remember to use and credit the lesson or required NIH
website (there was not a textbook reading this week), AND one outside scholarly
source.
Option #1 -
Case Study to Consider
Ann and
Michael have been married for 55 years. Ann is 80 years-old, and suffers from
lung cancer and advanced Alzheimer's disease. She currently resides in a
nursing home, and often does not recognize Michael when he visits. Last night
she was admitted to the hospital with difficulty breathing. Today, you are the
nurse caring for Ann, and her physician is suggesting surgery to remove part of
her lung to potentially slow the progression of her cancer. Michael is feeling
unsure about this course of treatment, and asks for your advice and guidance.
How would you
respond to Michael and serve as advocate for your patient?
Option #2 -
Share a Related Experience
Share with
your classmates a time when you cared for a patient at the end of their life.
This may be a time when you assisted the patient (or their support system) with
decisions related to end of life care; or a time when you were present for the
death of a patient.
What were
your observations related to this experience? Do you believe it was a peaceful
death? What went well? Can you think of anything that could have made the
experience better for the patient and/or family?
