Meeting Dates:

AC11-210 Tuesday, January 4, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Mid-term practice laboratory Assessment skills check off March 20 and March 21

End of term laboratory Assessment skills check off April 10 and April 11

Placement: Spring

Course Credits: 3 credits

This course will focus on mastering your knowledge and clinical skills in health history and physical examination of infants, children, adolescents, adults,  pregnant  females  and geriatric  clients.  Health assessment  is a comprehensive  course  teaching  how  to obtain subjective  data (client's health history),  and perform objective  data (physical examination  skills, health promotion techniques,  and clinical assessment  tools). It enables students  to practice and refine interdisciplinary  and therapeutic  communication  as well as assessment  and psychomotor  skills. Activities  foster critical thinking, prioritization,  delegation, and teamwork. Planned seminars and/or conferences promote professional development.

Course  description  includes  health  and  physical  assessment   of  diverse  individuals   and  health  promotion;   disease  and  injury  prevention, evidence-based  teaching/learning in multicultural environment.

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

1. Conduct comprehensive and focused assessments (physical, psychosocial, spiritual, developmental, socioeconomic, and environmental) of individuals.
2. Complete a health history that assesses protective and predictive factors, including lifestyle, genetic, genomic, and environmental risks, to identify current and potential health problems and promote health across the lifespan.
3. Assess health/illness beliefs, values, attitudes, and practices of diverse individuals.
4. Perform a complete review of systems and physical assessment, discriminating between normal and abnormal findings, using developmentally and culturally appropriate approaches.
5. Identify evidence-based practice guidelines/research, theories from nursing and other disciplines that support the prioritization of activities, implementation of nursing skills, and quality outcomes in health promotion and disease and injury prevention.
6. Demonstrate collaboration and communication with healthcare professionals and individuals to develop plans of care that take into account determinants of health, genetics, and genomics, patient preferences, available resources, and range of activities that contribute to health promotion and the prevention of disease and injury.
7. Develop patient/client teaching plans, using appropriate technologies that reflect developmental stage, age, culture, spirituality, patient client preferences, and health literacy considerations to foster patient/client engagement in his/her care.

Please review the policies page as it contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU and additional information on the standards for acceptable netiquette important for online courses.

Drop Date: See the University Calendar (http://registrar.fiu.edu/index.php?id=88) for drop dates for this course.

FIU   Code   of   Academic   Integrity   and   Academic   Misconduct.    Information   is   available   at    http://academic.fiu.edu/AcademicBudget/misconductweb/1acmisconductproc.htm

Florida  International  University  is a community  dedicated  to generating  and imparting  knowledge  through excellent  teaching  and research,  the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas, and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly  to demonstrate  the quality  of their learning.  Therefore,  all students  are expected  to adhere  to a standard  of academic conduct,  which demonstrates  respect  for  themselves,  their  fellow  students,  and  the  educational  mission  of  the  University.  All  students  are deemed  by  the  University  to understand  that  if  they  are  found  responsible  for  academic  misconduct,  they  will be  subject  to the  Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Academic Misconduct
Florida  International  University  is a community  dedicated  to generating  and imparting  knowledge  through excellent  teaching  and research,  the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas, and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly  to demonstrate  the quality  of their learning.  Therefore,  all students  are expected  to adhere  to a standard  of academic conduct,  which  demonstrates  respect  for  themselves,  their  fellow  students,  and  the  educational  mission  of  Florida  International  University. Students who plagiarize or cheat can be charged with academic misconduct.  Penalties for academic misconduct  can include up to dismissal from the University.

Cheating:  The unauthorized  use of books,  notes,  aids,  electronic  sources;  or assistance  from another  person with respect  to examinations, course assignments,  field service reports, class recitations;  or the unauthorized  possession of examination papers or course materials,  whether originally authorized or not.

Plagiarism:  The deliberate use and appropriation of another's work without any indication of the source and the representation  of such work as the student's own. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas, expressions  or materials taken from another source, including internet sources, is guilty of plagiarism.

Evidence  of misconduct  the first  time  results  in a zero  (0)  for  the assignment  and  a referral  to the Office  of  Student  Conduct  and  Conflict Resolution.  Evidence of misconduct  the second time results in a Failure (F) for the course and a referral to the Office of Student  Conduct  and Conflict Resolution.  Evidence of misconduct  the third time results in dismissal from the program and a referral to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.

All students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates  respect for themselves,  their fellow students,  and the educational mission of the University. As a student taking this class:

• I will be honest in my academic endeavors.
• I will not represent someone else's work as my own.
• I will not cheat, nor will I aid in another's cheating.
• I understand that if I am found responsible for academic misconduct, I will be subject to the academic misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Religious Holidays
Religious  holidays  are an excused  absence,  but not beyond  the day for the holiday  itself.  Students  should  make their requests  known at the beginning of the semester and arrangements  must be made with the faculty member for missed work.

Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities  who may need special accommodations  must register with the Office of Disability Services.  In addition,  students must contact the instructor so that arrangements  can be made to accommodate their needs.

Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment  is defined  as any unwelcome  sexual advances,  requests  for sexual favors or other verbal or physical  conduct  of a sexual nature. Detailed information and FIU regulations on sexual harassment are found at http://www2.fiu.edu/~diversit/publications/EOPSexH.pdf

Policy on Late Submission of Assignments
Due dates are established for reasons of equity.  It is not fair to peers who complete assignments on time if other classmates have extra time to work on their assignments.  It is also not fair to the professor who must grade assignments in a timely fashion.  Therefore, 0.2 points out of 4.0 (5%) per day will be deducted for late submissions.  There are occasionally extenuating circumstances that merit exception; however, extensions must be pre-negotiated with Dr Hawthorne before the due date.

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" page to find out more information on this subject.

For detailed information about the technical requirements, please click here.

For detailed information about the specific limitations with the technologies used in this course, please click here.

For more information about Blackboard's Accessibility Commitment, click here.

For additional assistance please contact our Disability Resource Center.

A Stethoscope, penlight, wristwatch with second hand, two 3X5 index cards, safety pin and a cotton ball are required for assessment skills check off.

Mosby's Nursing Video Skills: Physical Examination & Health Assessment (2nd edition)
Elsevier Health Sciences
Elsevier Health Sciences (2011)

ISBN: 978-0-323-07798-9

This is an online course, meaning that most of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same as for a traditional course; in fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills that can make them more demanding for some students.

Fully online courses are not independent study courses. You will be expected to interact online with the professor and your fellow students; to do assignments; to meet deadlines; and in many classes, to work in virtual groups. In some fully online courses, you may be required to come to campus to take midterms and exams, but in most, you will take your tests online.

Students are expected to:

• Review the how to get started information located in the course content
• Interact online with instructor/s and peers
• Review and follow the course calendar
• Submit assignments by the corresponding deadline

Students are expected to read the assigned reading every week on their own time and pace. Students must visit on-line course at least once a week and utilize the contents effectively, i.e. see assessment videos, practice interactive exercises, participate in the discussions and visit pertinent web links. Students must respond to at least two on-line discussions posts each week and complete student lab manual assignments.

Communication in this course will take place via email and/or messages.

Messages are a private and secure text-based communication that occurs within a Course and among Course members. Users must log on to Blackboard to send/receive/read messages. The Messages tool is located on the left side Course Menu (Blackboard user interface). It is recommended that students check their messages routinely to ensure up-to-date communication. 

The Email feature is an external communication tool that allows users to send emails to users enrolled within the course including the instructor and other students. Emails are sent to the students' FIU email on record.

• E-mail: Contact me via my Black Board messages
• Discussion Forum: It will be used for class discussions and other postings of general interest that are directly related to the course. Everyone can read Discussion Forum postings; therefore, do not post private information.

A. Health Assessment: Dimensions and Tools

• Developmental
• Cultural
• Spiritual
• Psychosocial
• Socioeconomic
• Genetics/Genomics
• Nutrition
• Pain
• Family
• Environment
• Wellness
• Risk assessment: Lifestyle, genetic, environmental            

B.   Health history
C.   Review of systems
D.   Physical assessment: Observation, palpation, percussion, and auscultation

a.   Assessment of the integumentary system
b.   Assessment of the perceptual system
c.   Assessment of the respiratory system                          
d.   Assessment of the cardiovascular system                            
e.   Assessment of the gastrointestinal system                            
f.    Assessment of the genitor-urinary system                           
g.   Assessment of the neurological system                        
h.   Assessment of the musculoskeletal system

E.   Health Promotion, Disease and Injury Prevention

• Theoretical frameworks and models (health promotion, health behavior change)
• Screening and risk analysis
• Coping strategies
• Complementary and alternative therapies
• Use of technologies in health promotion

F.   Teaching and Learning

• Theoretical foundation of teaching and learning
• Assessment of cognitive developmental, age, culture, spirituality, patient preferences, literacy, health literacy, learning readiness
• Use of technologies: Information retrieval & audiovisual
• Development a Teaching Plan
• Writing goals & objectives
• Teaching strategies
• Evaluation method

You are responsible for all material, information and discussion held in class. You should check your BlackBoard for any announcements for the class.

Please be advised that this course requires Assessment Skills “check off” On-Campus before the semester ends. Assessment skills check off will be done only during the designated weeks and will be at the Biscayne Bay Campus. This online assessment section requires two meetings.

Students will be required to perform assessment skills on all clients cared for in clinical courses throughout the nursing program.

Breasts and regional lymphatics, genitourinary systems, anus and prostate systems will be excluded during the assessment skills check offs.

Students are strongly encouraged to watch videos located on textbook CD-ROM and practice physical assessment skills on patients, friends and family members, etc. Students can be grouped in pairs of two for their physical assessment skills check off. Students who do not have a partner can bring their friend or family member for the assessment skills check off. The grading criteria will be done in accordance with the Performance Checklist located in the Home Page of the Class. Each No will count as 1% off the check off grade. For example, if a student misses inspection of the skin for color but performs the rest of the skin assessment and other system assessment correctly, student will earn 99% for the check off.

During the assessment check off evaluation student randomly will be given a system in which student will be evaluated. Neither instructor nor the students know what system will be selected; therefore, student must study and practice all assessment systems indicated in the check off list, starting from the skin assessment through neurological assessment excluding the perineum and breasts.

Students are NOT allowed to look at the performance check list during the assessment check offs.

Performance check list is available for students in the course in the Chapter 27 Learner's Guide link. Students MUST bring their performance checklist to the nursing lab during physical assessment skills check off.

Teaching plan must be submitted on the assigned date and time. Guidelines for the teaching plan are located under the course content in the Turnitin link of the class Blackboard Home page! No late submission of the teaching plan will be accepted! Teaching plan must be typed in Microsoft Word and attached in a file in the teaching plan Turnitin assignment window.

ALL TEACHING PLAN PAPERS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THE PLAGIARISM PREVENTION SERVICE (TURNITIN), NOT through the Blackboard Assignment Inbox! See below for step-by-step instructions for uploading to TURNITIN. Do NOT e-mail assignments to unless instructed specifically to do so.

Use the Nursing Student Writing Guidelines for writing your papers. The Guidelines are based on the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) Publication Manual (6th edition). A checklist is included with the Guidelines. Not all formatting is addressed in the Guidelines, so you must also purchase the APA Manual in the bookstore or an online store. Points will be deducted if you do not follow the Guidelines/APA format. Ten points will automatically be deducted if text citations and references lists are not formatted according to APA (6th ed.). All references MUST be cited within the text. All text citations MUST be found on the reference list.

Papers will be evaluated based on criteria established by the nursing faculty to evaluate writing skills (CLICK on WRITING EVALUATION [PDF file]) for criteria. I will grade your paper and return it to you (with comments) via Blackboard. Please make sure that you read my feedback. Feedback is provided to help you improve your assignment submissions.

SUBMITTING A PAPER TO TURNITIN

AFTER YOU HAVE WRITTEN AND SAVED YOUR PAPER ON YOUR HARD DRIVE, you must submit the paper to Turnitin. You will receive a report from Turnitin indicating similarities between the text in your paper and text in an existing document. Turnitin highlights those similarities, providing an annotated document showing your paper and the original source and the percentage of the paper that was plagiarized. Plagiarism is a serious transgression in the University; students who plagiarize can be dismissed for academic misconduct.
You may re-submit your paper (overwrite a previously submitted paper) to Turnitin BEFORE THE DUE DATE to correct plagiarism. I suggest you do that. A paper that indicates a high level of direct quoting and/or lack of citations and referencing will earn a failing grade.

PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING YOUR PAPER TO TURNITIN:

1. CLICK on the TURNITIN icon on the Course Content page.
2. You will see paper assignments for the MODULES and the Term Paper. CLICK on the correct MODULE paper assignment.
3. CLICK on the following statement: "If you would like to submit a paper to this assignment, click here.
4. Follow the instructions on the page for a SINGLE FILE UPLOAD. This includes indicating enrolled student, name, and submission title.
5. CLICK on “Browse” to locate your paper file on your hard drive.
6. CLICK "Upload"
7. CLICK on "Submit" to submit your paper.
8. You will be asked "Is this the paper you want to submit?" Confirm that it is the correct paper and CLICK on "Yes, Submit." You MUST do this last step for the paper to be submitted!
9. After you confirm your submission, a digital receipt will be e-mailed to you. To view your submission, click the portfolio button.

RE-SUBMITTING A PAPER:

You may overwrite your previous submission until the due date/time set for the assignment. Any second or subsequent submission will overwrite the original file submission.

1. Follow the steps for a first time submission.
2. CLICK on the "Resubmit" button in the class portfolio page. This allows the re-submission of the paper.

The originality report for any re-submission will require an additional twenty-four hours to generate.

F/F0< 60%

Note:  Credit hours for courses in which the grade is"C+" or below will not count toward satisfying graduate degree requirements (Florida International University Graduate Catalog, see http://cnhs.fiu.edu/nursing/pdf/policies/MSN/E%20Sources%20of%20Info.doc)

Fzero Grade
Beginning Fall, 2004, the Faculty Senate approved the addition of a course grade of F0 (Fzero). An F0 will be given to students who both earn a failing grade based on course standards and who fail to complete at least 60% of the course requirements or fail to attend at least 60% of class sessions. An F0 equals zero grade points per credit hour and is a permanent grade.

Incomplete Grades
An incomplete grade is a temporary symbol given at the discretion of the instructor for work not completed because of serious interruption not caused by the student’s own negligence. An incomplete must be made up as quickly as possible, but no later than two semesters or it will automatically default to an “F” or the grade that the student earned in the course. See the FIU Catalog for additional policies/procedures related to an incomplete grade.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the faculty member has received the missing materials in a timely fashion and has forwarded the necessary Change of Grade form.

• Academic Center for Evidence-based Nursing (ACE): http://www.acestar.uthscsa.edu/
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): http://www.ahrq.gov
• Cochrane Library: http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/view/0/index.html
• Joanna Briggs Institute: http://www.joannabriggs.edu.au/
• National Guideline Clearinghouse: http://www.guideline.gov/