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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
NURS D091A
Course Title (CB02)
Health Assessment
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2021
Course Description
This introductory course focuses on health assessment as an integral part of the nursing process. In addition, students will receive an introduction and additional orientation to the °®¶¹´«Ã½ College Nursing Program. The emphasis is on developing knowledge and skills to conduct basic and comprehensive health assessments and learning to use assessment data to plan, implement, and evaluate nursing care. Both NURS 91A and NURS 91AL must be taken and passed concurrently within the same quarter. Failure of either component requires both courses to be retaken.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is in a CTE program that was developed based on requirements from the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN), and input from current/ potential healthcare employers and current/ future needs of society. This course belongs on the AS degree in Nursing. This course is a BRN mandated component of the nursing program and exposes students to the basics of patient assessment. Successful completion of this course is required for students to be eligible for the national licensing exam.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to CSU only

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
2.0
Maximum Credit Units
2.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours2.04.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
24.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
24.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
48.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

NURS D91AL

Advisory(ies)

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

(Admission into the °®¶¹´«Ã½ College Nursing Program.)

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

Methods of Instruction

Discussion of assigned readings, videos and case studies

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

Collaborative learning and small group exercises and presentation

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Assignments

  1. Reading assignments from text, syllabi, and other pertinent articles
  2. A written assignment analyzing an interview with a culturally diverse client
  3. Required on-line case studies

Methods of Evaluation

  1. One multiple choice test and one multiple choice final exam to evaluate comprehension and retention of concepts.
  2. Pop quizzes for assessing concept retention.
  3. A two to three page paper analyzing an interview with a culturally diverse client taking into account the reported use of culturally appropriate interviewing techniques, accuracy of reported cultural characteristics and signs of growth and understanding of the importance of cultural sensitivity in nursing.
  4. Successful completion of NURS 91AL within the same quarter is required to pass NURS 91A.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • Nursing Laboratory with relevant equipment for assessment and patient care

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
* Potter & Perry. "Fundamentals of Nursing", 9th ed. 2017. Elsevier.
Ignatavicius, Workman & Rebar. "Medical Surgical Nursing: Patient-Centered Collaborative Care", 9th ed. 2018. Elsevier.
Doenges, Moorhouse & Geissler-Murr. "Nursing Diagnosis Manual", 6th ed. 2019. F.A. Davis.
Purnell. "Guide to Culturally Competent Health Care", 3rd ed. 2014. F.A. Davis.
Deglin. "Davis'Drug Guide for Nurses", 15th ed. 2018. F.A. Davis.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
"Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary", 23rd ed. 2017. F.A. Davis.
Van Leeuwen & Bladh. "Davis's Comprehensive Handbook of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications", 7th ed. 2018. F.A. Davis.
Nursing 91A Course Syllabus-most current version
°®¶¹´«Ã½ College, Department of Nursing Student Handbook, on-line
Adam, Holland & Urban. "Pharmacology for Nurses: A Pathophysiologic Approach", 2017. Pearson.
Morris. "Calculate with Confidence", 6th edition. 2018. Elsevier.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Identify the assessment principles and data trends necessary for the management of care across the lifespan.
  • Examine the principles of communication with patients, families, and staff in order to foster mutual respect, shared decision making and enhanced patient satisfaction and health outcomes across the lifespan.
  • Use information and technology to facilitate communication, manage knowledge, mitigate errors, and support decision-making for patients across the lifespan.
  • Explore the role of interdisciplinary teams and shared decision-making in the planning and delivery of care across the lifespan.
  • Identify, evaluate, and integrate the best current evidence with clinical expertise and consideration of patient preference, experience and values to make practice decisions for patients across the lifespan.
  • Discuss the use of data to monitor the outcomes of care, and examine approaches to improve the quality and safety of health care systems and individual performance, thus minimizing the risk of harm to providers and patients across the lifespan.
  • Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner while providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient preferences, needs and cultural values across the lifespan.

CSLOs

  • Demonstrate a basic understanding of the patient health assessment process.

  • Utilize cultural assessment as part of a holistic approach to assessment of patient healthcare needs.

Outline

  1. Identify the assessment principles and data trends necessary for the management of care across the lifespan.
    1. Describe the use of nursing process in management of care.
    2. Identify common sources of assessment data including patient interview, health history, physical examination and diagnostic studies.
    3. Differentiate novmal vs. abnormal assessment findings.
    4. Describe common developmental changes across the lifespan.
    5. Indentify elements of comprehensive and focused assessments and their significance for planning and implementation of care.
    6. Identify priorities of care based on assessment findings.
  2. Examine the principles of communication with patients, families, and staff in order to foster mutual respect, shared decision making and enhanced patient satisfaction and health outcomes across the lifespan.
    1. Discuss the impact of effective communication on patient outcomes and quality of care.
    2. Identify communication challenges and the principles of effective communication.
    3. Reflect on own communication style and identify own learning needs.
    4. Act consistently with integrity and respect for differing views.
  3. Use information and technology to facilitate communication, manage knowledge, mitigate errors, and support decision-making for patients across the lifespan.
    1. Describe the use of technologies to collect assessment data and other salient information to support clinical decision-making.
    2. Utilize technology to locate scholarly and clinical resources.
  4. Explore the role of interdisciplinary teams and shared decision-making in the planning and delivery of care across the lifespan.
    1. Describe the unique contribution of nursing in the context of interdisciplinary care focusing on nursing assessment within the legal and ethical scope of practice.
    2. Discuss the role of other disciplines in the provision of care.
  5. Identify, evaluate, and integrate the best current evidence with clinical expertise and consideration of patient preference, experience and values to make practice decisions for patients across the lifespan.
    1. Identify scholarly and practice resources for evidence-based practice.
    2. Discuss the role of evidence-based practice in the provision of care.
    3. Explore the role of the patient, family and other members of the care team as a source of assessment data.
  6. Discuss the use of data to monitor the outcomes of care, and examine approaches to improve the quality and safety of health care systems and individual performance, thus minimizing the risk of harm to providers and patients across the lifespan.
    1. Discuss ongoing assessment as a tool for early detection of changes in patient status.
    2. Examine strategies to promote safe care using QSEN principles.
    3. Describe quality improvement indicators.
  7. Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner while providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient preferences, needs and cultural values across the lifespan.
    1. Discuss the assessment of patient preferences,cultural and personal beliefs as an integral part of nursing assessment.
    2. Identify the impact of patients' culture and personal preferences on assessment findings and provision of care.
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