NURS 217 - Health Assessment in Nursing

3 Credits
This course prepares the undergraduate nursing student to collect data and perform a complete and thorough client assessment, including history and physical examination. The course emphasizes a holistic approach to assessment. The focus of the four domains of man’s physical, psychological, spiritual, and cultural needs throughout the lifespan are presented. The student will gain an advanced level of competency in health assessment to function in the role of a professional nurse. This course will lay the foundation of advanced assessment skills to enable the student to consider graduate studies in nursing science.

Grade Note(s): A grade of B- or better is required to pass this course successfully.
Component Corequisite(s): NURS217 and NURS 217L
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 221 BIOL 221L NURS 101 NURS 101C
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Integrate basic principles of physical and behavioral sciences in the development of health history and physical assessment skills.
2. Apply evidence-based, theoretical foundations of health assessment in prioritizing patient problems, generating a plan of care, and evaluating outcomes.
3. Explain the use of therapeutic communication in the health interview process.
4. Examine the principles of holism and patient-centered care in conducting a complete health assessment of adults, including the biopsychosocial, cultural, and spiritual domains.
5. Describe principles of effective written, verbal, and electronic communication of assessment findings within the context of interprofessional collaborative care.
6. Identify health assessment findings that indicate a risk for, or actual alteration in, health or function.