Create a 10 to 15 minute video recording of yourself performing a
head-to-toe assessment on a volunteer who will be acting like
one of the patients from the scenario case studies in this course.
As you grow as a nurse, the ability to conduct a comprehensive
and precise physical assessment of a patient is paramount,
serving as the foundation for all subsequent healthcare
decisions. This skill is closely tied to the crucial task of
formulating an accurate differential diagnosis, which guides the
course of treatment and significantly impacts patient outcomes.
Incorporating an understanding of pathophysiology and
pharmacology not only aids in the diagnostic process but also
informs the development of an effective treatment plan. Lastly,
the nurse’s role extends beyond these technical aspects,
encompassing the vital responsibility of communicating these
findings and plans to the patient, thereby fostering a
collaborative and informed approach to healthcare.
This assessment must be completed on camera. You should use
Kaltura to make your recording.
Remember, your assessment submission will not be graded if
you have not completed and submitted the Comprehensive
Head-to-Toe Assessment Waiver. If you have not, complete and
submit the waiver for Assessment 1.
The purpose of this assessment is to allow you the opportunity to
demonstrate your ability to conduct an accurate and thorough
examination of a patient, which is a critical skill for nurse
practitioners. Patient assessments that are either inaccurate or
not thorough can lead to misdiagnoses or suboptimal health
outcomes for patients.
For this assessment, you will submit a video of yourself
conducting a head-to-toe assessment on a volunteer based on
one of the Sentinel U case studies presented in this course. Your
head-to-toe assessment should include a detailed analysis of the
underlying pathophysiology of the selected disease process, the
expected assessment findings, and the patient’s
pharmacological needs. Additionally, you should discuss nursing
implications for the selected disease process, from a
pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment
perspective.
Your video submission will be assessed on the following:
• Comprehensive and Professional Assessment: Perform a
comprehensive, thorough, and accurate assessment of a
patient based on a selected disease process.
◦ Remember, that the person standing in as your patient
should be acting out one of the diagnoses from the
Sentinel U case studies in the course.
◦ Be careful and thorough in your assessment, make
sure the camera can see what you are doing or make
sure you are describing what you are doing to the
patient.
• Discussion of Diagnosis and Findings: Explain the
diagnosis and findings of the physical assessment with the
patient.
◦ What did you find in your assessment?
◦ How did the findings help you arrive at your diagnosis?
◦ Are you communicating the findings to the patient in a
way that provides context and helps the patient
understand your findings?
• Understanding of Pharmacological Needs: Discuss the
pharmacological needs of the patient within the context of
their disease process and current best practices.
◦ What are the standard pharmacological treatments for
the patient’s diagnosis?
◦ How does the patient’s health history, other conditions,
and other medications impact the decision making
process related to pharmacological treatment options?
◦ What other information does the patient need to know
related to potential side effects or things to avoid
related to any new pharmacological treatments for their
condition?
• Understanding of Pathophysiology: Explain the underlying
pathophysiology of the disease process to the patient.
◦ How does the disease process work in the body?
Which systems does it impact?
◦ How is the patient likely to feel if the disease process
progresses?
◦ How might symptoms of the disease process look or
sound like to the patient?
• Critical Thinking and Clinical Reasoning: Synthesize
assessment findings with knowledge of the disease
process, pharmacology, and pathophysiology to establish
care priorities for the patient.
◦ What are the care priorities for the patient?
◦ How have you used your assessment findings,
combined with what you know about the
pharmacology and pathophysiology to arrive at these
priorities?
▪ What evidence-based or best-practices support
these priorities?
• Communication and Professionalism: The nurse displays
professionalism and communicates clearly and effectively
with the appropriate use of terminology with the patient
throughout the assessment.
• Captions: Make sure that your Kaltura has been auto-
captioned by the system before turning it in. This helps to
support accessibility best practices and can help faculty
more effectively assess your video.
◦ Kaltura captions are automatically generated within 24
hours of you uploading the video recording to your
Kaltura library. So, make sure you are not making your
recording at the last minute.
• Total Length of Submission: Your video assessment must
be 10 to 15 minutes in length.
