N522PE-20A ADVANCED PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT
Course Description
This advanced physical assessment course builds upon the undergraduate nursing knowledge of anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and health assessment skills. The course uses a comprehensive health promotion, disease prevention, and health restoration model. It focuses on the culturally competent, advanced comprehensive assessment of clients across the life span, including effective data collection and documentation.
This course includes 45 hours of practice experience activities. This course requires purchase of the Shadow Health software for an estimated price of $90 – $110.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Evaluate the role of the graduate-level nurse in integrating knowledge of anatomy and pathophysiology when interpreting assessment and diagnostic data in individuals, families, and populations by performing comprehensive health assessments.
- Synthesize the elements of a culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate and comprehensive health history to implement comprehensive assessment methods that focus on a holistic view of the patient.
- Perform a systematic advanced physical assessment on patients across the life span to differentiate between normal and abnormal findings and formulate sound diagnostic reasoning and clinical judgment.
- Apply the process of collecting and analyzing patient data and correlating it with evidence-based data for clinical reasoning.
- Assess the biopsychosocial, cultural, spiritual, and environmental elements that may affect health.
- Develop nursing care approaches through the process of comprehensive health assessment which promotes health, reduces health risks, empowers preventive health behaviors, and restores health.
- Effectively utilize health informatics technologies to retrieve data, improve decision making, and evaluate evidence to prevent or treat illness, perform patient education, and formulate an adaptive needs list in advanced health assessment with diverse clients and populations.
Practice Experience Learning Outcomes
At the end of the practice experiences, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate synthesis of the elements of a culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate and comprehensive health history into a physical assessment.
- Perform systematic advanced physical assessments on selected patients across the life span.
- Demonstrate effective collection and analysis of patient data through advanced physical assessment, clinical reasoning, and implementation of evidence-based practice guidelines.
- Assess bio-psychosocial, cultural, spiritual, and environmental elements that may affect the health of patients, families, and populations.
- Develop care approaches at the completion of focused or comprehensive health assessments which promote health, reduce health risks, empower preventive health behaviors, and restore health.
- Effectively utilize health informatics technologies to retrieve data, improve decision making, and evaluate evidence to prevent and treat illness, perform patient education, and formulate an adaptive needs list in advanced health assessment with diverse clients and populations.
Program Outcomes
Graduates of the MSN program will be able to:
- Integrate roles as leaders and collaborators in various healthcare settings.
- Use theoretical knowledge to guide graduate nursing practice.
- Analyze models that expand the role of nurses in a global society.
- Evaluate legislation, policies, and economics as applied to the current healthcare environment.
- Appraise research to enhance professional nursing practice.
University Principles and MSN Program Learning Outcomes Aligned with This Course
Accountability:
Analyze models that expand the role of nurses in a global society.
Use theoretical knowledge to guide graduate nursing practice.
Citizenship:
Evaluate legislation, policies, and economics as applied to the current healthcare environment.
Leadership:
Integrate roles as leaders and collaborators in various healthcare settings.
Scholarship:
Appraise research to enhance professional nursing practice.
Quality And Safety in Nursing Education (QSEN) Competencies
Aligned competencies are included here in a list. For more information view www.qsen.org and select Competencies to review detailed information on the items listed below:
- Patient-centered Care
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Evidence-based Practice (EBP)
- Quality Improvement (QI)
- Safety
- Informatics
COURSE MATERIALS, TECHNOLOGY AND SKILLS
- ProctorU account and extension
- high-speed internet connection
- Webcam (internal or external)
- Windows or Mac Operating System
- Up-to-date Chrome or Firefox browser and extension installed
- government issued photo ID
Required Textbooks
American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC. ISBN-13: 978-1433832154
Bickley, L. S. (2017). Bate’s guide to physical examination and history taking (12th ed.).
Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer. ISBN-13: 978-1-4698-9341-9
Dains, J., Baumann, L., & Scheibel, P. (2016). Advanced health assessment & clinical diagnosis in primary care (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. ISBN-13: 978-0323266253,
ISBN-10: 0323266258
Required Learning Materials
- Shadow Health. (2017). Digital Clinical Experience (Version 5.0) [Software].(ISBN: 978-0-9897888-0-9) Available from http://www.shadowhealth.com
- Shadow Health Advanced Health Assessment: You can access the Shadow Health Assignments through the Shadow Health Login link at the top of the course in the practice experiences section.
Embedded Student Guide to Physical Assessment videos and websites for additional study. You will need access to media files for viewing textbook CD-DVD and web-based audio and video files. For access, visit the Point Student Resources and use personal textbook code to access the student resources.
COURSE ACTIVITIES
Instructional Methods
This course consists of a series of online interactive and independent learning activities, collaborative discussion questions, writing assignments and exams. The course is divided into eight weekly topic-related segments. Each week an overview of the topic-related content is presented with (a) topic learning objectives, (b) required and recommended readings, (c) areas for further study, (d) discussion questions, and (e) related course-assignment guidelines. There is a Midterm in week 4 and a Final examination in week 8.
Weekly Assignments
Weekly course assignments are due at the end of each course week or as assigned. The time required to complete assignments will vary according to the nature of the assignment. For example, initial discussion question responses and the final course project will require differing amounts of student coursework time and effort to demonstrate competency.
For information on the Weekly Assignments Late Policy, please see the Nursing Syllabus Standards & University Policy document provided in this course.
Required Course Practice Experiences
This course requires student completion of the assigned Practice Experience. Please complete the course assignment(s) and required hours for each Practice Experience. To complete the Practice Experience: (1) Become familiar with the Practice Experience documents in this course; (2) Complete and submit your Request for Practice
Experiences; (3) Complete your Practice Experiences and, finally, (4) Complete your Practice Experience Record by the end of Module 8. Students must pass practice experiences to pass this PE course.
This course requires 45 hours of practice learning/simulated practice experience hours. Optional: if you would like to enhance your assessment skills, you may complete a focused assessment video of a body system of your choice and submit to the course for peer review and feedback. The video may not show the face of the person you are assessing.
Final Project
Your final project in this course includes a comprehensive patient interview, physical examination and individualized plan of care. This project synthesizes the previous weeks’ assignments and integrates the use of Healthy People 2020 objectives, applied nursing theory, and the role of the graduate level nurse. Additional information can be found by clicking on the Final Project link in Module Seven.
Required Examination
This course requires student completion of multiple-choice comprehensive examinations. These examinations will encompass the learning you have achieved through your work at midterm and the end of the course. These exams are due in week 4 & week 8.
Your ePortfolio
The ePortfolio is an integral part of this class and, indeed, your entire degree program.
Your ePortfolio will showcase the learning you have achieved through your time with American Sentinel University. The following artifact in this course must be uploaded to your ePortfolio:
- Final Project
ASSESSMENT METHODS & EVALUATION CRITERIA
Each course has individualized assessment methods and evaluation criteria. Specific course assessments and evaluation are described in this section of the syllabus. For the general Discussion Guidelines & Grading Rubric, please see the Nursing Syllabus Standards & University Policy document provided in this course.
Assignment Rubrics
Assignment rubrics are included with each assignment. Click on specific Assignments in the course to view each rubric.
Final Grade Calculation
Course grades are determined based on a percentage of the total possible points. Individual assignments will be allotted points based on specific criteria. The following grid illustrates how the points translate into a letter grade for the course.
Assessment | Weight Towards Final Grade |
Discussions (8) | 10% |
Assignment 1 | 10% |
Focused Assessments (Assignments 2,3, 4) | 5% each |
Midterm Examination | 20% |
Final Examination | 20% |
Final Project | 25% |
Practice Experiences (45 hours required) | Pass*/Fail |