Need an answer to questions 1,2,3.
Week 7: Debriefing the Week 6 Head to Toe Assessment Assignment (graded)
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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)
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?
TEXTBOOK,
Weber, J, & Kelley, J. (2018). Health assessment in nursing. (6thEd.). Philadelphia, PA. Wolters: Kluwer Health.
. reference and citations from the textbook and a scholarly site
can i send you a sample assignment if you do not mind.
In my current workplace, physical assessments are done at the bedside. There are admission assessments and focused or problem-oriented assessment. One of the principle roles of the RN is the completion of the initial comprehensive assessment which includes overall body systems, head-to-toe, past medical history, past surgical history, vaccination records, vitals, Braden score, Fall score, elopement risk score, social background, home equipment, etc. Focused assessment or problem-oriented assessments are preformed after the comprehensive assessment is completed. These types of assessments arise as patients encounter complaints and are specific to that problem. If the patient is having dysuria, the focused assessment would be on genitourinary (Weber & Kelley, 2018). Nurses determine what type of physical assessment is appropriate in caring for the patient by utilizing critical thinking skills and determining which body system is involved in the complaint. Furthermore, nurses then use the focused assessment to decide what steps next to take to effectively and efficiently provide the best possible care to the patient.
Based on my observations I do not feel that assessments preformed in practice are as thorough as they should be. Nurses tend to prioritize assessments and gather data according to complaint. Nurses do not always have the time to do a thorough assessment. Critical thinking is a highly complex skill that develops within a nurses’ career. Those who critically think take the time to examine all aspects of the situation including content, context, and consequences of anticipated actions. Those who critically think have solid, logical reasons for judgements and actions (Leddy & Pepper, 2018). Not all nurses are at the same assessment skill level in their practice therefore assessments vary in degree of thoroughness.
The assessment that I performed in my video examination assignment went great. I recorded a few times because I would forget some of the tasks of the head-to-toe assessment. While videoing myself, I noticed certain techniques that I preformed correctly while others I could expand more on such as lung sounds and heart sounds. In my current practice, it is not essential to listen to all the landmarks of the heart. I find that is more geared towards those who specialize in cardiac floors and acute care settings. The head-to-toe assessment in the video assignment was very thorough and helped to refresh my memory so I can utilize the skills in my nursing practice.
Hood, L. J. (2018). Leddy & pepper’s professional nursing (9thed.). Philadelphia, PA; Wolters Kluwer.
Weber, J, & Kelley, J. (2018). Health assessment in nursing. (6thEd.). Philadelphia, PA. Wolters: Kluwer Health.
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Head to Toe Assessment
The process of physical assessment in my area of practice as a nurse involves the use of observation techniques to assess the physical condition of my patient (Weber & Kelley, 2018). This is one of the most effective assessment as most health issues are depicted through physical ways on the patient’s body. I have come to realize that care is best provided by a nurse’s if they have the ability to identify the physical changes and conditions of a patient as required for a professional nurse.
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