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School of Nursing
www.csustan.edu/nursing
209-667-3141
Fax: 209-667-3690

NURS 4400

Health Assessment

COURSE SYLLABUS

SPRING 2018

WEDNESDAY
Lecture: 0800-0950
Science bldg, rm #228
Laboratory Sec 1: 1000-1245
Science bldg, rm 221
Laboratory Sec 2: 1315-1600
Science bldg, rm 221

Dr. Diane Katsma

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COURSE OVERVIEW

COURSE NUMBER: Nursing 4400

COURSE TITLE: Health Assessment

UNITS: 3 Units (2 hour lecture and 3 hour laboratory)

PLACEMENT IN CURRICULUM: RN to BSN 2nd Semester

FACULTY: Dr. Diane Katsma DNP, MN, FNP, RN

Email: dkatsma@csustan.edu
Phone: 209-667-3093
Office Hours: Thursday 1040-1340

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Course focuses on comprehensive health assessment, the nursing

process, and its relationship to health promotion and disease prevention
across the lifespan. Students are expected to identify and apply
pathophysiological principles to selected health issues across the
lifespan. Pre-requisites: Admission to the RN to BSN nursing program,
graduate program, or consent of the instructor.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

1. Conduct comprehensive, focused, behavioral, psychological,

environmental health assessments, including the health history and
physical assessment across the lifespan.
2. Perform health histories, including environmental exposure, use of
complementary and alternative therapies, and family history that
recognizes genetic predictors, to identify bio-cultural variations, and
current and future health problems.
3. Identify patients’ health risks, strengths, and needs, while
developing teaching plans appropriate to the developmental,
educational, and cultural characteristics of the patient.
4. Analyze the findings from the health history, physical assessment,
and select diagnostic tests to differentiate normal from abnormal
findings.
5. Communicate a comprehensive oral and written summary of the
findings of the history and physical assessment in a clear, concise,
and organized manner.
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6. Discuss common pathophysiological principles in relation to health
assessment, health promotion, and disease prevention.

EVALUATION METHODS: Quizzes (10 x 5 points each) 50 points

Health History 25 points
Worksheets (10 x 1 point each) 10 points
Midterm 25 points
Physical exam = 20 points
Write up of findings = 5 points
Final 60 points
Physical exam = 55 points
Write up of findings = 5 poits

TOTAL 170 points

TEACHING STRATEGIES: Lecture/discussion, unfolding cases, demonstration, audiovisual, guided

practice.

REQUIRED TEXTS: Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon B. S., & Steward, R. W.
(2015). Seidel’s guide to physical examination (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO:
Elsevier Mosby.

ATTENDANCE/PREPARATION: Students are expected to attend both the didactic and laboratory parts of
class. If a student must miss a class, it is their responsibility to contact a
classmate for information regarding the missed class.

LATE POLICY: Late assignments will be marked down 2 points per day late.

ETHICAL EXPECTATIONS: Students are expected to uphold University and professional standards
related to personal integrity and academic honesty. Any breach of ethical
standards will result in serious disciplinary action and failure in the
clinical course.

GRADING SCALE: A=94-100%

A-=91-93%
B+=88-90%
B=85-87%
B-=82-84%
C+=79-81%
C=76-78%
C-=73-75%*
D+=70-72%
D=67-69%
D-=64-66%
F=< or = 63%
*must earn a 73% or higher to pass the course

Please keep assignments for possible use in a portfolio in a final nursing course.
SYLLABUS IS SUBECT TO CHANGE
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Quizzes:
There will be quizzes throughout the semester that occur at the beginning of
class. Quizzes are over the reading for the day and content from the prior
week. If a student misses a quiz, they may retake up to 2 quizzes. The make-
up quiz will be essay. If > 2 quizzes are missed a make-up quiz is not allowed
and the student will miss those points.

Health History
The health history is a detailed report of an individual’s health status. The
history must:
 Be from an individual you do not know
 Come from a culture different than your own
 Be from an individual > 50 years of age

Adjustments can be made in the following areas:

 If the individual does not have a current health problem for the CC and
HPI section, ask them to think back to the last time they were sick or
had a prior health problem and use that information for the 2 sections.
 If an individual was adopted and does not know their family history,
then find an alternate individual just for the FH section. Make a
notation on the paper.

Use the form provided and type the results from your “patient” on the form
(no handwritten submissions). Please be sure and use the individual’s initials
only in the paper. See course schedule for due date. The health history form
can be found on the Blackboard site.

Worksheets
Each laboratory session will have a corresponding worksheet that guides the
laboratory practice. The faculty will demonstrate the physical examination
techniques on the worksheet and assist students in their practice of the
techniques on laboratory partners. There will also be an example of
worksheet normal results posted in the laboratory. Students are allowed to
use the posted example to assist completing their own worksheets. Exercise
caution in merely copying the example worksheet results because the
midterm and final will require documenting results with no resources. Bottom
line: students need to think about and understand what they are examining
and how to communicate results. Worksheets are due at the end of
laboratory session. If a student misses a laboratory session, they will have 1
week to submit the worksheet. Two late worksheets are allowed without
penalty, but > than 2 late worksheets will result in missing the point for that
worksheet. Again—if students miss the laboratory session it is their
responsibility to contact a classmate for the content missed. The worksheets
can be found on the Blackboard site.

Midterm
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The midterm exam consists of two parts: a demonstration of the physical

exam and documentation of results. For the demonstration part, be prepared
to perform any of the systems covered prior to the midterm (see course
schedule & midterm physical exam form). At the exam students will be given
one to two systems to demonstrate. Students have 10 minutes to complete
the exam. Students are responsible for providing a “client” on which to
demonstrate the physical exam. The volunteer must be 18 years or older.
After the physical examination, students must document their findings.
Twenty minutes are allowed to write up the findings and no forms or
resources may be used. The midterm forms can be found on the Blackboard
site.

Final
The final is a head to toe physical examination and documentation of results.
For the final students must demonstrate all the items on the final exam form
within 25 minutes. At the end of 25 minutes any physical assessment items
that have not been assessed will receive a “0”. Afterwards students have one
hour to record findings on the final results form. No resources may be used
for either the physical examination or the recording of results. Like the
midterm students must provide a “client” on which to perform the physical
exam. The final exam forms can be found on the Blackboard site.

California State University, Stanislaus Student Code of Conduct

All student behavior and interactions must also conform to the California
State University, Stanislaus Student Code of Conduct, found here:
https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/JudicialAffairs/documents/Student
ConductCode.pdf

Academic Honesty
Students are expected to uphold University and professional standards
related to personal integrity and academic honesty. Any breach of ethical
standards will result in serious disciplinary action. Penalties for cheating and
plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a particular assignment, through an F for
the course, to expulsion from the University. Please refer to the California
State University, Stanislaus Student Manual and the APA Style Manual
regarding Plagiarism. https://www.csustan.edu/judicial-affairs/resources-
forms-publications

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas, words, or artistic,
scientific, or technical work as one’s own creation. Using the ideas or work
of another is permissible only when the original author is identified/cited.
Paraphrasing and summarizing as well as direct quotations require citations
to the original source. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of
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dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for

plagiarism. Students who are unsure how and when to provide
documentation are advised to consult with instructors. The library has
guides designed to help students to appropriately identify a cited work.
https://www.csustan.edu/english/policy-plagiarism

Student Support Services

https://www.csustan.edu/student-support-services

Services for Students with Disabilities

American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodations: The University is
committed to providing reasonable academic accommodations to students
with disabilities. Please notify your instructor if you are registered with the
Disabilities Resource Center so that reasonable efforts can be made to
accommodate you. The Disabilities Resources Center is in the Student
Services Building 210 and the telephone number is 209-667-3159.
https://www.csustan.edu/disability-resource-services/contact-information

SCHOOL OF NURSING

MISSION & GOALS

The mission of the School of Nursing at California State University, Stanislaus
is to improve the health and wellness of diverse populations through the
advancement of nursing science, promotion of excellent clinical scholarship
and practice, and the development of leadership in the healthcare
environment. The School provides baccalaureate and graduate student-
centered learning environments that utilize technological innovation,
promote clinical reasoning, and encourage lifelong learning.
Specifically, the goals of the School of Nursing are to prepare practitioners
who will:
 Provide patient-centered care
 Work in interdisciplinary teams
 Employ evidence based practice
 Apply quality improvement
 Utilize information from a variety of sources

PHILOSOPHICAL BELIEFS
The California State University, Stanislaus School of Nursing derives its
mission and philosophy from the goals of the University and the College of
Human and Health Sciences. The mission and philosophy regarding nursing
education and nursing practice are consistent with the University and
College missions as they relate to leadership, collaboration, scholarship,
diversity, and service to the community.
The Baccalaureate and Master’s Essentials of the American Association of
Colleges of Nursing and the School’s philosophical beliefs provide the
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framework for the baccalaureate and graduate curriculum at California State

University, Stanislaus. Our Philosophical Beliefs are articulated below through
the topics of Professional Nursing Education and Nursing Practice. We
believe:

PROFESSIONAL NURSING EDUCATION is a science based process and draws

on the curricular philosophies of humanism and pragmatism. During their
studies, students will encounter an abundance of intellectual diversity, new
knowledge, different perspectives, competing ideas, and alternative claims
of truth. The process of professional nursing education is personalized, taking
into consideration individual student differences including culture, ethnicity,
diverse learning styles, student goals, ways of life, and support systems.
Faculty believe students are unique individuals capable of thinking logically,
analyzing critically, and communicating effectively. Faculty believe teaching
and learning are lifelong, self-directed processes that encompass the
acquisition of nursing knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Teaching integrates
knowledge through the eclectic processes of sharing knowledge, facilitating
the exploration of ideas and values, while utilizing a variety of strategies and
respecting all learning styles. Students assume primary responsibility and
accountability for learning and deserve to have the best opportunities for
learning in order to improve health outcomes for the populations to whom
they provide nursing care.

NURSING PRACTICE is both a science and an art involving direct care of the
sick, health promotion and clinical prevention, and population based health
care. Nursing practice occurs in an increasingly diverse environment in which
the nurse provides patient-centered care that identifies, respects, and
addresses patients’ differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs
(IOM, 2003a).Attention to quality and safety, scientific advances in genetics
and genomics, an aging population, increased prevalence of chronic illness,
and technological and therapeutic advances will continue to impact nursing
practice. Students must be prepared to adapt to this ever changing
landscape, thus the following philosophical beliefs provide a foundation for
the nursing curriculum at California State University, Stanislaus:
 Health exists on a continuum from wellness to death, and is interpreted individually
through emotional, physical, spiritual, and behavioral values and beliefs. Using a
holistic approach, the nurse’s role is to work collaboratively with patients, families,
and populations to optimize health, wellness, and function, or to achieve a dignified
and peaceful death.
 Patients include individuals, families, groups, and communities with a broad range
of needs. Faculty believe patients are worthy of respect regardless of their values,
beliefs, experiences, goals, and ways of life. Each person is an autonomous individual
with innate abilities, resources, experiences, and value systems that guide decision-
making regarding health issues. Patients have the right and responsibility for their
own behaviors and healthcare decisions.
 The Environment is a dynamic, constantly changing system comprised of biological,
psychological, spiritual, behavioral, and socio-cultural factors that affect health.
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Faculty believe that through health promotion, disease prevention, illness care, and
the close monitoring of and adherence to safety and quality, the environment can be
modified, leading to alterations in patient outcomes.
 Nursing is a theory-driven, science based profession, actualized through the art of
evidence-based practice. Clinical practice, research, education, and service are the
foundation for professional nursing practice. The professional nurse is responsible
for and accountable to individuals, families, aggregates, the community, and society.
In collaboration with other disciplines, nurses offer distinctive care which includes
health promotion and disease prevention. Nurses design, manage, provide, and
coordinate care across the lifespan.