The University of Texas at El Paso

College of Health Sciences

School of Nursing

COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE Nursing 3502 - Health Assessment

Spring 2005

COURSE DESCRIPTION Focuses on evaluation of the health status of individuals across the
lifespan, including obtaining a health history and performing a
physical-psycho-social assessment.

PRE-REQUISITES NURS 2401 with a grade of “C” or better and departmental approval
are required. Nursing major fee required.

CREDIT ALLOCATION (3-6-0)

5 Credit Hours
3 Theory Hours/Week
6 Simulation Lab/Clinical Hours per Week

COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course the student is expected to:

1. Utilize interviewing skills in obtaining a health history.

2. Perform a systematic health assessment.
3. Recognize physiological, psychological and socio-cultural variations in
assessment finding across the age continuum.
4. Utilize health assessment findings in the initiation of the nursing process.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS

• Carpenito, L.J. (2000). Nursing diagnosis: application to clinical practice.

Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott
• Dillon, M.P. (2003.) Nursing Health Assessment: A Critical
Thinking, Case Studies Approach. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis
Company.
• Dillon, M.P. (2003). Nursing Health Assessment: Student
Applications. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
• Kneisl, C. R., Wilson, H. S., & Trigoboff, E. (2003).
Contemporary Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing. NY: Prentice
Hall.

GRADING STRUCTURE

To be successful in the course both theory and lab portions must be passed at a minimum
of 75%.
Theory

Exam I 100
Exam II 100
Exam III 100
Final 200
Total 500
75% 375

Lab
SOAP Notes 5 (10 pts. each) 50
History 1 50
History 2 50
V/S Practicum 1 70
V/S Practicum 2 70
Physical Assess Practicum 1 100
Physical Assess Practicum 2 100
Total 490

75% 368

A minimum of 5 SOAP Notes will be submitted and each graded as follows:

Subjective Data = 3 pts.
Objective Data = 3 pts.
Analysis (NANDA) = 2 pts.
Plan = 2 pts.

Spelling counts! A medical dictionary is highly recommended. All lab assignments are
due the next day after completing the lab. Five percent of the available score will be
deducted for each day the assignment is late.

There will be 2 Physical Assessment Practicums during the semester. The first, at
midterm, will cover material learned in the 1st half of the semester. The second, at final
time, will be a complete head-to-toe assessment. Practicums are not made-up if
missed. The student will receive an incomplete if he/she does not complete all 6
checkoffs: Health History 1, Health History 2, V/S 1, V/S 2, Physical Assessment
Practicum 1 and Physical Assessment Practicum 2.

A total of 990 points may be achieved in the course. You may calculate your grade by
dividing the total points you have earned to date by the total possible to date.

Total Points Possible = 990

Grade:
A = at least 93% of 990 points = or > 920
B = at least 84% of 990 points = or > 831
C = at least 75% of 990 points = or > 742
D = at least 60% of 990 points = or >594
F = <60% of 990 points

Students must achieve a “C” or better in order to progress in the nursing program.
Grades are not rounded up.
COURSE POLICIES

• Review Academic Regulations in the University of Texas at El Paso

Undergraduate Studies Catalog and the College of Health Sciences, School of
Nursing Undergraduate Nursing Student Handbook in relation to the following
policies:
o Attendance
o Religious Holidays
o Scholastic Integrity
o Disability

• Students should notify the instructor if he/she is having problems

in fulfilling the course requirements. Early recognition of learning
difficulties is imperative so that options may be explored to
enhance the acquisition of accomplishing the objectives.
A Retention Action Plan (RAP) will be completed upon failure of any examination/test
or major grading factor in the course. The RAP will be completed in accordance with
the UTEP School of Nursing Undergraduate Program Operating Guidance criteria.

• Mandatory use of academic resources is required for any exam

failure. The Didactic Retention Action Plan form will be
utilized to specify academic resources and time lines. The
student, coach, and course manager will sign the form within a
week of posted exam grades. Students who fail to comply with
use of academic resources requirements will not be permitted
to repeat the course if their final didactic grade is less than 75.

• Students should subscribe to the UTEP WebCT page for this course, NURS
3502, and access it at least every 48 hours for announcements, student grades,
Power point presentations, e-mail messages and other materials. For assistance
with Web-CT please see the Independent Learning Center staff.

DIDACTIC POLICIES

• Examination policies
Examinations are scheduled during the semester with a cumulative
final. The questions are written from the course objectives, and are
based primarily on hypothetical clinical situation. Examination
questions are directed toward the synthesis and application of
knowledge.
All students are expected to take the examinations at the scheduled time. If
unable to take an exam as scheduled, the student MUST call the instructor prior
to class time to make alternative arrangements. Failure to do so will result in
receiving a zero (0) for the exam. (See the University catalog, Academic
Regulations, Class Attendance: Absence from Examination) No make-up
exams will be given unless instructor has been contacted prior to class time.

All personal items including books, backpacks, purses and briefcases will be left at the
front of the room during exams.

CLINICAL POLICIES
 • Professional dress is important in the clinical setting because this is the first
impression you make to an individual, whether it is a nurse, instructor, patient or
family member. A good habit to develop is to lay your lab coat and supplies out
the night before the day of clinical in the event that you wake up late and have
limited time to get ready. There are reasons behind the elements of the dress
code. For example:
o Short nails and no colored fingernail polish: risk of transmitting
infection and injury to patients.
o Hair worn off the collar: interference with procedures.
o No jewelry except plain wedding bands and post earrings: dangling
earrings or necklaces can be targets for delirious patients and rings can
tear gloves and carry bacteria.
Appropriate dress for the clinical unit is professional attire, closed toed shoes, and lab
coat with UTEP patch on the left shoulder. Only conservative make up and jewelry
may be worn. Any student not appropriately dressed for clinical will be sent home and
receive a zero (0) for that day.

• Promptness is of utmost importance, not only in nursing school but also in your
future practice. One of the main reasons for this is to ensure that you are present
for report. A good rule of thumb is that you should always leave 10-15 minutes
earlier than required in order to allow for unavoidable delays such as traffic
accidents, car trouble, etc. Two instances of tardiness will result in a 1 point
deduction from the points that are available for the day. Being late for
clinical can result in an unsatisfactory remark in your permanent record, which
can be viewed by future employers and teachers. If a special circumstance
occurs, have the clinical instructor’s phone number handy and make sure you
notify them as soon as possible.
• Due to the limited amount of clinical opportunities all students are encouraged
to attend all assigned clinical sessions.

• Statement on Pregnancy: It is the responsibility of the student to inform her

instructor of a pregnancy. Written guidelines (i.e., lifting limitations) from her
health care provider should also be submitted to appropriate clinical faculty and
course coordinator

OTHER CONTENT

• Required Equipment:
Nametag
Stethoscope
Watch with a second hand
Penlight
Black Ink Pen
Lab coat with UTEP shoulder patch (Left shoulder)
2 Folders with pockets

• Lab Policies:

Appropriate attire for the lab is sweat suits, shorts and loose shirts
or other comfortable clothing. You should come to the lab dressed
casually and prepared to practice.
 No more than 1 lab may be missed during the semester. Missing
more than 1 lab during the semester may result in the student
being administratively dropped from the course.

You are encouraged to check out materials from the Simulation Lab and practice
skills/techniques on family members, friends, etc. The more you practice, the more
relaxed you will feel.

• Communication is the responsibility of both students and faculty. The faculty will keep
students informed of progress in both didactic and clinical instruction.
a. To facilitate student-faculty communication, the NURS-3502 class should elect
a representative. It will be the responsibility of the representative to convey any
concerns of the class to the faculty team.
b. Students with questions or concerns should:
1. First go the appropriate faculty member. If the concern is
not resolved then,
2. Go to the NUR 3502 course coordinator. If not resolved
then,
3. Ask for a student-faculty team meeting to discuss the issue
together. If not resolved at the faculty team level, then
4. Request to meet with the Director of the Undergraduate
Nursing Program in this college. If not resolved at this level,
then,
5. Request to meet with the Associate Dean, College of Health
Sciences and Director of the School of Nursing.