- CO1 Utilize prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related disciplines to explain expected client behaviors, while differentiating between normal findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
- CO3 Utilize effective communication when performing a health assessment. (PO 3)
The topic this week asks you to apply what you have learned to the following case study.
As the school nurse working in a college health clinic, you see many opportunities to promote health. Maria is a 40-year-old Hispanic who is in her second year of nursing school. She complains of a 14-pound weight gain since starting school and is afraid of what this will do to both her appearance and health if the trend continues. After conducting her history, you learn that she is an excellent cook and she and her family love to eat foods that reflect their Hispanic heritage. She is married with two school-age children. She attends class a total of 15 hours per week, plus she must be present for 12 hours of labs and clinical. She maintains the household essentially by herself and does all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, and chauffeuring of the children. She states that she is lucky to get 6 hours of sleep per night, but that is okay with her. She lives 1 hour from campus and commutes each day. Using Healthy People 2020 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and your text as a guide, answer the following questions.
- What additional information would you like to gather from Maria?
- What are Maria’s real and potential health risks?
- Why is Maria’s culture important when obtaining the health assessment?
- Pick one of Maria’s health risks. What would be one reasonable short-term goal for this risk?
- What nursing interventions would you incorporate into Maria’s plan of care to assist her with meeting your chosen goal? Please provide rationale for your selections.
When formulating your posts, remember the Course Outcomes (CO’s. I am looking at your communication skills when discussing potential and actual problems with Maria. Each of you brings a wealth of knowledge with you to the course. Use your knowledge and experience to formulate your plan for her. Also be sure to expand your knowledge by utilizing professional research.
Reading/ references
Jarvis, C. (2016). Physical examination & health assessment (7 th ed.) Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.
- Chapter 1: Evidenced-Based Assessment
- Chapter 2: Cultural Competence: Cultural Care
- Chapter 4: The Complete Health History
