Impact Lives

NRHL 6507 Advanced Health Assessment

Credits: 
3
Prerequisites: 
NRHL 5501, NRHL 5502, NRHL 5503, NRHL 5505, NRHL 5506

Format: Online
Duration: 8 weeks

Health assessment is the blueprint for a patient’s care. Through a systematic method of collecting patient data, healthcare providers can determine a patient’s current and ongoing health status, predict risks to health and identify health-promoting activities. NRHL 6507 Advanced Health Assessment builds upon your previous health assessment experience to provide the foundation for advanced roles in nursing.

Throughout the course, you’ll explore the process of health assessment, including the interview-health history, physical assessment, documentation and interpretation of findings. You’ll learn why the interview and health history may uncover more about the patient’s health than the physical exam. You’ll gain insight from fellow classmates as you discuss timely topics like how a patient’s beliefs about health and illness can affect healthcare delivery.

What You’ll Learn in NRHL 6507

In this course, you’ll explore advanced assessment topics including focused health histories, advanced physical assessment techniques, differentiation of assessment findings and health assessment documentation standards.

NRHL 6507 emphasizes physical, psychosocial, spiritual and functional assessment among diverse populations.

Course Topics

Throughout this course, weekly topics may include but are not limited to:

  • The comprehensive and Focused Health History
  • Advanced Physical Assessment of Head, Neck, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat
  • Advanced Physical Assessment of Heart, Blood Vessels, and Lymphatic System
  • Growth & Measurement, Nutritional Status, and Pain Assessment; Skin, Hair, and Nails Assessment
  • Advanced Physical Assessment of Chest & Lungs and Abdomen
  • Advanced Physical Assessment of Mental Status & Neurologic system and Musculoskeletal System
  • Advanced Physical Assessment of Breast and Axilla, Female and Male Genitalia
  • Advanced Physical Assessment of the Anus, Rectum and Prostate; Putting it all Together

Planning Your Time

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of NRHL 6507, you will be able to:

  • Communicate understanding of the multicultural and multiethnic needs of persons and families in health assessment, treatment planning and therapeutic communication with clients, families, and allied health professionals.
  • Define the components of a comprehensive health history, incorporating the bio-psychosocial, environmental, cultural, and spiritual factors that enhance or impede an individual's health.
  • Integrate developmental, socio-cultural, pathophysiological and psychosocial theoretical perspectives with empirical and experiential, practical knowledge for comprehensive health assessment of well and ill individuals across the lifespan.
  • Appropriately utilize and interpret assessment strategies including: clinical interviewing, physical examination techniques, diagnostic procedures, and common laboratory testing in health assessment of individuals across the lifespan. Interpretation includes recognizing variations of, and deviations from, normal. Utilize appropriate information technology to gather, analyze, and record data.
  • Demonstrate sound critical thinking, diagnostic reasoning, and clinical decision-making skills in obtaining, interpreting, and integrating health assessments, and recognizing actual and potential problems.
  • Demonstrate competence in the written documentation, computer charting, and oral presentation of health assessments. Utilize information technology appropriately in communication and documentation.
  • Use diagnostic reasoning to formulate both a problem list and a differential diagnosis based on assessment findings, which reflects both normal and abnormal clinical findings.

*Disclaimer: Course content and outcomes may vary and are subject to change without notice.

Request More Information

To learn more about the online Master of Science in Nursing curriculum from Benedictine University, including Advanced Health Assessment, call (866) 295-3104 to speak with a program manager or request more information.