Health Assessment: Adults and Older Adults
Curriculum guideline
It is the intent of faculty to facilitate student learning, and promote critical inquiry, reflection and analytical reasoning through the use of active experiential learning strategies including simulation, online learning activities, and laboratory practice.
In this course, the holistic health assessment of adults and older adults and a variety of basic psychomotor skills used in nursing practice with adults and older adults are the foci for discussion. The concepts and essential content that will be addressed relative to these topics are listed below. In addition, the core curriculum concepts are integrated in this course.
Holistic health assessment of adults and older adults with a focus on physical assessment
- Comprehensive assessment
- Focused systems assessment
- Ongoing, continuous, and episodic assessment (introduction)
- Vital sign measurement
- Integumentary assessment
- Rest and sleep
- Nursing health history
- Reporting and documenting assessments and nursing care
Psychomotor skills commonly used in nursing practice with adult and older adult clients
- Hygiene
- Toileting
- Occupied bed making
- Range of motion
- Medication administration
- Specimen collection
- Prevention of complications
Safety
- Safe work practices
- Falls risk assessment
- Transfers
- Positioning
- Body mechanics
- Mechanical assists
- Mobility aids
- Infection transmission precautions
- Handling biohazardous materials
- Cultural safety
Nurse's role
- Consolidation, integration, and application of course and other nursing knowledge in simulated nursing practice experiences.
Concepts relative to health assessment to be explored include:
- Purpose
- Principles
- Engaging with clients
- Planning
- Rationale
- Implementation
- Evaluation
- Preventing complications
At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:
- Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for basic comprehensive and focused physical assessment of adults and older adults.
- Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for the safe implementation of a variety of basic psychomotor skills commonly used in nursing practice with adults and older adults.
- Demonstrate the integration and application of course and other nursing knowledge in simulated nursing practice experiences.
The course evaluation is consistent with Douglas College Evaluation Policy. A course evaluation schedule and other course evaluation information are provided on the instructor’s course outline which is available to students at the beginning of each semester. This is a graded course.
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:
A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided on the instructor’s course outline which is available to students at the beginning of each semester.
Students in the BSN program are required to maintain a passing grade of 65% (C+) in all courses in order to progress in the program.