NURS 6512 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning is a vital course for graduate nursing students at Walden University, designed to enhance their clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning skills. This NURS 6512 syllabus prepares nurses for advanced practice roles by equipping them with the knowledge and competencies necessary to perform comprehensive health assessments and diagnostic evaluations across the lifespan.
Course Description- NURS 6512 syllabus
The physical and emotional health of patients is multifaceted, requiring advanced practice nurses to possess an extensive set of skills to assess and address a range of acute and chronic health problems. NURS 6512 focuses on the use of diagnostic reasoning, advanced communication, and physical assessment skills.
Students learn to:
- Elicit relevant patient data through history-taking and physical assessments.
- Interpret health history and examination results.
- Apply critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning to establish differential diagnoses.
- Focus on specialized assessment techniques such as suturing, reading 12-lead ECGs, and interpreting X-rays.
Prerequisites:
- NURS 6501: Advanced Pathophysiology
- NURS 6521: Advanced Pharmacology (pre- or co-requisite)
Course Outcomes- NURS 6512 syllabus
By the end of NURS 6512, students will be able to:
- Apply critical thinking to clinical assessments and decision-making.
- Develop patient assessment approaches considering cultural, ethnic, and developmental factors.
- Conduct functional assessments and compile patient health histories.
- Interpret physical assessment data and patient history to inform care.
- Use diagnostic reasoning in evaluating patient physiology.
- Relate clinical findings to underlying physiological or pathological changes.
- Formulate differential diagnoses based on assessment data.
- Implement systematic approaches to preventative and palliative care.
- Incorporate evidence-based and ethical principles in health assessments.
Course Structure
Credit Hours: The course is worth 5 quarter hours, with each quarter credit requiring approximately 28 hours of student work. The assignments and assessments in the course are designed to ensure students meet the course objectives.
Course Materials
Students must procure the following materials through Walden University’s bookstore:
Required Texts:
- Dains, J. E., Baumann, L. C., & Scheibel, P. (2016). Advanced health assessment and clinical diagnosis in primary care (5th ed.).
- Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2015). Seidel’s guide to physical examination (8th ed.).
- Sullivan, D. D. (2012). Guide to clinical documentation (2nd ed.).
Optional Text:
- LeBlond, R. F., Brown, D. D., & DeGowin, R. L. (2014). DeGowin’s diagnostic examination (10th ed.).
In addition to textbooks, students will access readings such as journal articles and media resources through Walden University’s library and the Elsevier Evolve website.
Assignments and Assessments
The course includes a variety of assignments to evaluate students’ mastery of advanced health assessment skills, including:
- Discussion Participation: Students engage in weekly discussions, responding to prompts and interacting with peers. Thoughtful, evidence-based contributions are required to demonstrate comprehension of course materials.
- Physical Health Assessment Videos: Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in performing physical health assessments via video submissions. They will need access to essential equipment such as a stethoscope, otoscope, and ophthalmoscope, among others. Passing these video assessments with a score greater than 69.5% is mandatory.
- Assignments: Weekly assignments give students opportunities to apply course concepts, including case studies, risk assessments, and diagnostic evaluations. Rubrics are used to evaluate each submission.
Course Resources
Media Support:
Students can contact Walden’s media support team at mediasupport@waldenu.edu or via phone at 1-877-238-2963 for any issues related to course media.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources:
Students are encouraged to use primary research from peer-reviewed journals, particularly research published within the past five years. Secondary sources such as textbooks and review articles should be used with caution, as they are prone to interpretation errors.
Course Schedule
A detailed course schedule is provided in the syllabus, outlining the weekly topics, readings, assignments, and deadlines. Students are encouraged to print the course schedule and syllabus for easy reference.
Course Procedures
- All class discussions occur in the weekly discussion areas.
- Course-related questions should be posted in the “Contact the Instructor” area. For urgent questions, it’s best to email the instructor. If a question benefits the whole class, the instructor may share the response via email or as an announcement.
- Instructor feedback on content and writing issues that benefit the class may be posted in the “Contact the Instructor” area. Personal feedback will be given privately in “My Grades,” so check this area weekly, even if full credit is received.
- The “Class Café” is available for non-course-related conversations. The instructor may browse but generally will not respond unless directly asked.
- Check your Walden University email account regularly. You’re expected to check it daily during the week. For email issues, contact the Student Support Team.
- Review all materials in the “Course Information” and weekly sections. Optional readings are provided in each week’s Learning Resources to enhance your understanding.
Preferred Methods for Delivering Assignments
- Post to the correct discussion area each week. Do not email discussion posts. Ensure your initial post begins with “Main Question Post” and responses with “Response.”
- Assignments should be submitted to the SafeAssign link and named according to the week. Instructions for naming each assignment are in the weekly assignment areas.
- Email correspondence should follow the format: “NURS 6512-XX-NAME” (XX = section number). Include your course-registered name in the signature for easy identification.
Late Assignment Policy
Assignments are due on the specified dates. If extenuating circumstances arise, such as illness, contact the instructor as soon as possible. Depending on the situation, the instructor may accept late submissions with or without penalties or suggest dropping the course. Late assignments without prior approval may face up to a 20% grade reduction. After five days, they will not be graded. Late assignments may also receive limited feedback.
Keeping Your Coursework
You will have access to the course and your assignments from the course start date until 60 days after it ends. It’s recommended that you save copies of your assignments, as the university is not responsible for lost work.
Course Evaluation
Near the end of the course, you will receive an email inviting you to submit an online evaluation. Course evaluations are confidential, and only aggregate data will be shared with the instructor and program director. Your feedback is valuable for improving the program.
Students With Disabilities
If you have a disability that may affect your participation, contact the director of disability services at disability@waldenu.edu or call 1-800-925-3368, ext. 312-1205, as soon as possible to discuss accommodations.
Classroom Participation
In compliance with the U.S. Department of Education, Walden University requires students to submit at least one Week 1 assignment (including discussion posts) within the first 7 calendar days of class. Financial aid cannot be released without participation. Assignments submitted before the official start date do not count.
First-time students who do not submit by Day 7 will be withdrawn, while returning students will be dropped from the class. Contact your instructor if you have any concerns about assignments or if you’re unable to complete them.
Checklist
Each week, refer to the checklist to keep track of your assignments. All assignments are due by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time (MT), which is 1:59 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The classroom time stamp reflects Eastern Time. As long as your submission is timestamped no later than 1:59 a.m. ET, it will be considered on time.
Weekly Course Schedule
- Week 1: Building a Comprehensive Health History
Discussion: Building a Health History
Looking Ahead: Physical Health Assessment Videos - Week 2: Functional Assessments and Cultural and Diversity Awareness
Discussion: Diversity and Health Assessments - Week 3: Assessment Tools, Diagnostics, Growth, Measurement, and Nutrition
Discussion: Assessment Tools and Diagnostic Tests in Adults and Children
Assignment: Health History Assessment Video - Week 4: Assessment of the Skin, Hair, and Nails
Assignment 1: Differential Diagnosis for Skin Conditions
Assignment 2: Health History Assessment Video
Optional: Practice Assessment - Week 5: Assessment of Head, Neck, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat
Discussion: Assessing the Ears, Nose, and Throat - Week 6: Assessment of the Abdomen and Gastrointestinal System
Assignment 1: Assessing the Abdomen and Gastrointestinal System
Midterm Exam
Optional: Practice Assessment - Week 7: Assessment of the Heart, Lungs, and Peripheral Vascular System
Discussion: Assessing the Heart, Lungs, and Peripheral Vascular System
Optional: Practice Assessment - Week 8: Assessment of the Musculoskeletal System
Discussion: Assessing Musculoskeletal Pain
Assignment: Assessing the Skin, Hair, Nails, and HEENT - Week 9: Assessment of Cognition and the Neurologic System
Discussion: Assessing Neurological Symptoms
Optional: Practice Assessment
Looking Ahead: Head-to-Toe Physical Assessment Video - Week 10: Special Examinations—Breast, Genital, Prostate, and Rectal
Assignment 1: Assessing the Genitalia and Rectum
Assignment 2: Head-to-Toe Physical Assessment Video - Week 11: The Ethics Behind Assessment
Assignment: Ethical Concerns
Final Exam
Bibliography
The bibliography contains references for all learning materials in the course. You can download it for convenience by accessing the “NURS 6512 Bibliography (PDF)” link.
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