NUR 138 - Basic Health Assessment Skills

• Introduction to the nursing process with a focus on “assessment.”
• The use of the four assessment tools (inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation) to perform a head-to-toe nursing health assessment of the following body systems:
  • Mental status
  • Head and face
  • Eyes and ears
  • Mouth, nose, throat, neck, and sinuses
  • Musculoskeletal
  • Respiratory and thorax
  • Cardiac and peripheral vascular
  • Gastrointestinal
  • Neurologic
  • Integumentary
  • Urogenital
  • Breast and axilla

• Stethoscope (with diaphragm and bell capabilities)
• Functioning penlight

1. Assign patient-directed questions to their appropriate question category (e.g., past medical history).
2. Correctly identify and perform the cognitive and psychomotor components of a head-to-toe nursing assessment and review-of-systems examination during a scheduled appointment with a course instructor.
3. Choose appropriate HPI (history of present illness) questions to obtain information about a presenting client’s chief complaint.
4. Demonstrate a rising second semester technical proficiency level in the performance of nursing assessment techniques (i.e., inspection, auscultation, palpation and percussion) and utilization of the equipment used to perform a nursing physical assessment (e.g., stethoscope, penlight, tuning fork, etc.).

• Required materials for all online courses
• Mandatory Attendance Requirement
• Proctored Exams

• Academic Integrity
• Academic Misconduct
• Add/Drop period
• Appeals Process
• Class Attendance
• Classroom Behavior (traditional and online)
• Classroom Conduct/Expectations
• Lab Procedures (general SCC policy regarding this)
• Online Confidentiality
• Services For Students with Disabilities
• Withdrawal Policy