Seton Hall University

College of Nursing
Spring 2014
Course Title:

NUTC 2011 DD Health Assessment

Credits:

3 credits (2 hours lecture/2 hours supervised lab)

Lecture: Wednesday 8am to 9:50am
Lab: Wednesday 10:00am 11:50am

Prerequisites:

BIOL 1102, BIOL 1103, NUTH 1002, NUTH 2001

Co-Requisites:

NUTH 2003, NUTH 2012

Faculty:

Kristi Stinson, PhD, RN, MSN, APN-BC

Lecture & Clinical Lab Faculty
Office Hours: Wednesdays 12pm2pm; Fridays 10 - 11am
and by appointment
Schwartz Hall Room 218
Phone: (973) 761-9303
E-mail- kristi.stinson@shu.edu

Lab Faculty:

Kristi Stinson kristi.stinson@shu.edu

Colleen Carrington colleen.carrington@shu.edu
Portia Johnson portia.johnson@shu.edu

Course Description:
This course will introduce the student to the theoretical basis necessary in order to perform a comprehensive
health assessment. This course will focus on the theory and practice of health assessment skills,
identification of deviations from the norm, and accurate documentation of findings. Emphasis is placed on
the integration and application of these skills through the use of critical thinking.
Course Competencies:
At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Utilize therapeutic communication techniques and effective interpersonal skills to obtain a

comprehensive health history from a healthy adult.
Demonstrate competency in physical assessment techniques to obtain objective data from a healthy
adult.
Differentiate between normal and abnormal health findings when presented with assessment data.
Analyze and document comprehensive health assessment findings to make clinical judgments about
actual or potential health problems.
1
Critically examine developmental and sociocultural factors in relation to health assessment.

Required Textbooks:
Elsevier Digital Bundle
Jarvis, C. (2012). Text book & Users Guide Package for Health assessment Online for Physical
examination and health assessment (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders.
Jarvis, C. (2012). Student laboratory manual for physical examination and health assessment (6th ed.). St.
Louis, MO: Saunders.
Jarvis, C. (2012). Pocket companion for physical examination and health assessment (6th ed.). St.
Louis, MO: Saunders (Optional).
Chabner, D-E. (2015). Medical terminology A short course (7th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders.
Recommended Resources:
Healthy People 2020 - http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/default.aspx
Teaching Strategies:
Lecture, discussion, audio-visual materials, critical thinking activities, demonstrations, return
demonstrations, practical application/practice of psychomotor and communication skills, homework
assignments, Top Hat audience response, and internet activities including Sims charting, Shadow Health and
Evolve case studies.
Evaluation Methods:
Examinations and Graded Assignments:
1. Quiz One
2. Midterm Examination
3. Quiz Two
3. Comprehensive Health Assessment Shadow Health Project
4. Final Comprehensive Examination
5. HESI
6. Reading Quizzes / Shadow Health

Weight
10%
20%
10%
20%
30%
10%
P/F

Clinical Lab Evaluations

Midterm Practicum
Final Practicum (Head-to-Toe Exam)
Weekly Written Assessments

Weight
Pass/Fail
Pass/Fail
Pass/Fail

Students are expected to be on time for all quizzes, tests, and exams. If a student comes late to a quiz, test,
or exam, additional time is not provided. The student must complete the quiz, test, or exam in the time
remaining.
**If weekly written assignments are handed in late, it is at the discretion of the faculty to deduct points from
the overall didactic class grade.**
Written assignments must be neatly TYPED and formatted in the style of the American Psychological
Association Publication Manual (6th Ed.). Examinations in the CON will include an integrity statement, to
be signed (or electronically signed when examinations are online) by each student sitting for the test.

The Course letter grade will be determined from grades received from weighted course requirements. The
final letter grade is based on the following accepted University scale:
Undergraduate Grading System: The University uses the following letter grades on the graduate level to
indicate the record of achievement in courses taken:
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F

Numerical
Equivalent
93.0 100
90.0 92.9
87.0 89.9
83.0 86.9
80.0 82.9
77.0 79.9
73.0 76.9
70.0 72.9
67.0 69.9
63.0 66.9
62.9 or lower

Quality Points
4.0
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
0.00

**THE MINIMUM PASSING GRADE FOR ALL NURSING COURSES IS A C+ (PLEASE NOTE:
NUMERIC SCORE OF AT LEAST 77.0%).
Only when a student's weighted score is on the border between two grades, the weighted score will be rounded
according to standard mathematical rules. Scores with .95 and higher only, will be rounded up to the next tenth.
Scores of .94 and lower will round down to the tenth. Example: 79.96 rounds to 80.0; 79.94 rounds to 79.9.
**THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON ACADEMIC NEEDS**

REQUIRED NURSE PACK EQUIPMENT FOR LABORATORY EXPERIENCE:

Stethoscope (dual head)
Penlight
Reflex hammer
Watch with a second hand
Digital Thermometer
Scissors

Blood pressure unit with cuff

Tuning Fork
Otoscope with batteries
Tape measure
Eye charts (distance & reading)
Kelly Clamps

GENERAL INFORMATION, POLICIES, RESOURCES AND STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN

HEALTH ASSESSMENT:
Health Assessment Skills Lab: Health Assessment is a clinical nursing course. The emphasis for this course
is on systematic data collection, accurate clinical judgments, the use of these data and judgments in patient
care, and the use of therapeutic communications skills during nursing practice. Emphasis is on assessment
of the NORMAL, not dysfunctional or pathological (some abnormal findings will be discussed).
Students are expected to complete the assigned readings and view the corresponding online videos prior to
each class. Each lecture will present the theory required for the skills that will be practiced in the lab that
week. Health assessment requires hands-on participation and cooperation of student partners.
Each skills lab experience is unique and non-reproducible. Therefore, students are expected to attend ALL
lectures and clinical lab experiences. The clinical instructor must be notified in advance if the student is

unable to come to a skills lab or to a scheduled clinical experience for a legitimate absence documented by a
note from a Health Care Provider. It is the students responsibility to schedule an appointment with their
individual clinical instructor to make up all missed skills labs as soon as possible. Students must attend lab
in order to practice skills with lab teaching assistants. Students who miss scheduled clinical experiences risk
failing the course.
Weekly Written Assessments in Lab: The documentation of assessment findings should be started in the
skills lab and must be completed and neatly typed for submission through Sim Chart to your clinical
instructor every week within 48 hours of your lab. Feedback will be provided weekly through your clinical
instructor.
Weekly lab practices: In addition to lecture and lab, students are required to attend a weekly practice hour in
the simulation lab. This is to provide additional practice time for the newly learned assessment skills. At the
beginning of each practice hour, students will take a brief (5 10 question) quiz about the assessment skill
learned in lecture that week. These scores do not count toward the course grade. They are simply a measure
of readiness to practice.
Students must achieve a grade minimum of 80% or higher in order to be able to practice. However, on the
first practice, any student who achieves a score of 60% or higher will remediate on that skill immediately
and will then be permitted to practice in that same hour. Students who earn less than 60% will need to
remediate themselves by reading the relevant textbook pages and reschedule a make-up for the next
available practice time.
Clinical Lab Midterm & Final Practicum Evaluations: Faculty will evaluate students on their attainment of
skills competency at mid semester and at the end of the semester. Students are required to have practiced
each skill demonstrated in class at least twice in the lab in order to take the clinical midterm and/or
final practicum evaluations.
Students who receive an F grade in either the clinical lab midterm practicum or final practicum (head-totoe exam) will have a second opportunity to be tested. Students are required to make an appointment and
remediate with the Director of the Patient Care Simulation Lab or other qualified faculty member prior to
retesting. Two (2) faculty members will conduct the second evaluation. If a student is unsuccessful on the
second evaluation (in either the midterm or final practicum), the student will immediately receive an F as
the final course grade regardless of the grades received on written assignments or examinations.
REQUIRED HESI TESTING:
Students will take the HESI proctored exam at the end of the semester. The grade each students earns will
be counted as 10% of their final grade
The Hesi Admissions Assessment (A2) exam is a multi-subject test which measures the key skills and
competencies that students will need in order to be successful in Nursing school; sections include Anatomy
and Physiology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, etc. All students
enrolled in Health Assessment must take the A2 exam at the mandatory Success Workshop prior to the start
of the semester. All students are strongly encouraged to complete remediation for the A2, as developing
those competencies will increase the likelihood for success in Nursing school. Moreover, students who
score 75 or below on any section of the A2 are required to schedule a meeting with Asst. Dean Hoehn
to review their scores and remediation plans.

Total Testing Policy

All pre-licensure students enrolled in the College of Nursing are required to take nationally - normed
specialty exams throughout the curriculum and exit exams in the last semester. The conversion scores
achieved on exams with the exception of Synthesis will account for 10% of the course theory grade in the
course where the exam is administered. The College of Nursing requires all students to take all HESI exams
as scheduled in each course. Where two equivalent versions of the same exam are required, conversion
scores from both exams will be averaged to obtain the test grade for the course as indicated in the course
syllabus. The only exception to averaging the test scores is as follows. If a student achieves a conversion
grade of 90.00 or higher on either of the HESI exams then that grade may serve as the test grade, rather than
averaging both exam scores.
Purpose: The purpose of the TOTAL TESTING PROGRAM is to assess student competency and evaluate
achievement of curricular outcomes, to evaluate the students ability to apply nursing concepts within
specific content areas and in the overall program, and to contribute data for the systematic program
evaluation. In addition, it increases students familiarity with computerized test methodology that is similar
to NCLEX testing style.
Procedures: Students will use the following guidelines to comply with Nursing Program requirements for
Total Testing.
Progression-to-Graduation Requirements:
1. Students will receive a booklet containing a user name, password, and instructions for enrollment in the
EVOLVE Learning System during orientation to the Health Assessment Course.
i. Specialty exams are administered after at least 80% of the theoretical content has been presented.
ii. All Evolve Specialty exams will account for 10% of the theory grade in the course where the exam is
administered.
a. Students are required to take 1 (one) version of each specialty exam when 80% of the content is
delivered. Students will be required to remediate according to the Total Testing Remediation Policy.
Students are responsible for correctly completing the prescribed remediation hours to facilitate on
line tracking of remediation time by faculty prior to sitting for the respective course final
examination. Students are responsible for correctly completing the prescribed remediation hours to facilitate
on line tracking of remediation time by faculty prior to sitting for the respective course final examination.

Failure to complete the remediation before the course final exam will result in a grade of 0
for the HESI Exam.
b. Evolve Specialty Exams are secure computerized assessments. Course faculty will provide
mandatory testing dates in the course syllabi.
c. Students should refer to the Total Testing Remediation Policy for remediation.
HESI score ranges from 0 to 1500.
Total Testing Remediation Policy
All students enrolled in the undergraduate nursing program at Seton Hall University will take the nationally
normed HESI specialty exams in each course and two versions of the Exit (E2) RN Exam in a course in the
final semester of the program. Students should aim to achieve a score of 900 or higher on each exam.
Research demonstrates that scores in this range on the HESI Exit (E2) RN Exam are highly predictive of
NCLEX success. To prepare for the comprehensive E2, students are required to remediate according to the
prescribed plan of study that accompanies the HESI feedback.
Students are responsible for correctly completing the prescribed remediation hours to facilitate on line
tracking of remediation time by faculty prior to sitting for the respective course final examination and the
second HESI Exit (E2) RN Exam. Failure to complete the remediation before the course final exam will 5
result in a grade of 0 for the HESI Exam.

Purpose: The purpose of remediation is to improve students critical thinking, reasoning skills and test
taking strategies to achieve NCLEX-RN success.
Procedure: Students, faculty and appropriate staff will use the following guidelines for Total Testing
remediation.
I. Specialty examinations
A. Specialty: Exams are administered in various clinical courses. Following test administration, students
receive a score and an online remediation plan for each question missed. Remediation for each question
has multiple content items and may include practice questions.
B. The following remediation is required in each specialty course. Study plans for remediation must be
printed out. Students are responsible for correctly completing the prescribed remediation hours to
facilitate on line tracking of remediation time by faculty prior to sitting for the respective course final
examination. Failure to complete the remediation before the course final exam will result in a grade
of 0 for the HESI Exam.
HESI score
800-899
700-799
600-699
500-599
400-499
300-399

Hours of remediation
2 hours
3 hours
4 hours
5 hours
6 hours
8 hours

Student HESI Remediation

Pathway
Students are responsible for completing
HESI Remediation correctly.
HESI Remediation MUST be done on a
computer.a laptop or desktop is ok!

Use of any other type of electronic

device may result in Hours of
Remediation NOT being recorded.

Remediation MUST be done on-line in

order for time to be calculated.

Click the X on each activity screen

before exiting that screen to assure
your time is recorded.
ANDlog out of the program before you
close the Internet browser, to assure
your time is recorded.

Remediation
must be done
on-line in order
to calculate
hours

The
n

Time
Tracked

On-Line

Can Print
Time
NOT
Tracked

In Study
Packet
Can
Highlight
8

Can Print

HESI REMEDIATION CLICK PATH

1.

Log into Evolve using your Username and

Password.

2.

Under Content List, select

HESI Assessment Student Access.

3.

Under My Exams >

Exam History >
Exam Results,
select the View
Results link to
access Detailed
Scoring Reports
and remediation
Review Materials.

REMEDIATION
4.

The selected exam

summary screen shows
the HESI Score, Class
Average, Conversion
Score, and Percentile,
provides a link to View
Your Detailed Scoring
Report,
and includes a
summary view of HESI
Scores,
Recommended
Scores, # of
Questions Correct,
and links to View
Materials by Specialty
Area.

5.

Click on the +
located to the left of the
Specialty Area to view
content areas.

6.

Select View
Materials under the
Review Materials
column. A new screen
will appear.

7.

The
Review
Material
s screen
includes
content
review
for items
missed on
the exam.

8.

Select a
link under
Content
to view
remediati
on
material.

Remember*
remediation

1) Use a computer only for

2) Do remediation on-line

3) DO NOT do remediation in study

packet
as hours will not be tracked.
4) Click the X on each activity before
exiting the screen to assure your time
is recorded.
5) AND . . .log out of the program
before you close the Internet browser,
to assure your time is recorded.

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:

In addition to meeting all course
competencies, students are expected to adhere to policies and procedures as outlined in the
student handbook (Re: Academic/ Clinical Integrity and Expectations).
Clinical/Laboratory Expectations:
Students are expected to attend all laboratories, conferences, and clinical experiences on time
and notifying the instructor when they have arrived in the clinical agency. Any student arriving
more than 5 minutes late in the clinical agency will be sent home. Students are expected to be at
the clinical site and ready to begin the clinical experience at the scheduled time. Students who
are not present and ready for clinical practice at the scheduled time are considered to be late for
the clinical experience. Students who are late on two occasions will be charged with one
unexcused clinical absence. Unexcused clinical absences are unacceptable. Two (2) unexcused
clinical absences will result in a clinical failure. Official written documentation (e.g., primary
care provider note, accident report, speeding ticket) is required for an absence to qualify as
excused. Students are required to contact faculty to make up an excused clinical absence.
Class Preparation , Attire, & Privacy: This is a reading intensive course. In order for the
student to better understand, discuss, and apply new content and skills as they are introduced, the
student MUST complete the required readings and view the online videos in advance. Bring the
Jarvis health assessment textbook, student lab manual, and required lab equipment to each class
and lab session. Required Lab attire includes blue or black pants or skirt with white top. No
jeans, shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, scarves, or coats may be worn in lab. Hair must be
off the neckline. No bracelets or large hoop earrings. Seton Hall IDs must be worn as name
pins or on a lanyard for students who do not yet have ID pins. Gowns/capes will also be
available as needed. Students are encouraged to perform physical assessment procedures on
their peers in order to maximize learning. However, it is vital that an individuals right to
privacy is respected at all times and that all health information is kept confidential per
HIPAA regulations. Alternate or simulated learning experiences will be provided if necessary
Papers: All written work must be submitted by the scheduled due date. Late papers will be
reduced by 5 points for each day late including weekends and holidays.
Policy on Academic Integrity:
All forms of dishonesty, whether by act or omission, including, but not limited to, cheating,
plagiarism and knowingly furnishing false information to the University, are prohibited.
Intentional disruption or obstruction of teaching, research or administrative proceedings is
prohibited. University sanctions may extend to suspension and dismissal. Work submitted in
courses must be the product of the efforts of the student presenting the work, and contributions of
others to the finished work must be appropriately acknowledged. The presentation of another's
work as one's own is a serious violation of the academic process, and it is penalized accordingly.
The decision on the appropriate penalty is in the first instance the professor's, and it may extend
to a failing grade for the course

Plagiarism: The CON adheres to standards and conventions of the American Psychological
Association (2010), which emphasizes that individuals must not present the work, thoughts,
ideas, or words of another in any way without correctly crediting the source. This principle
extends to journal and news articles, books, textbooks, assignments, papers, brochures, websites,
email, comments of others, and all other avenues for the exchange of ideas, all of which should
be cited and referenced. Verbatim wording must be acknowledged with quotation marks or
paragraph offsets, and appropriate citations including page number; very close paraphrasing
should also be acknowledged with citations and page number. In students work, ideas and
conclusions without citations should represent the students original thinking. Even when
individuals do not intend to use others work without credit, such actions still technically
constitute plagiarism and can result in consequences on the part of the faculty and
administration. In addition, when the major proportion of an assignment is paraphrased or
quoted, the work is not primarily the students and does not reflect the students original
thinking.
Other forms of plagiarism include but are not limited to:
1. Copying classmates or other individuals work in any way
2. Using facts, statistics or other information that are not common knowledge without
acknowledging the source
3. Submitting an assignment that was fully or partially created by another person
4. Completing an assignment as a group member and submitting it as an individual assignment.
A reference list is not a citation.
Acts of academic or clinical dishonesty or misconduct are documented on the Academic Integrity
Documentation form, and communicated to the Department Chair. The form will be forwarded
to the Academic Integrity officer, as designated by the Deans Office, and maintained in a
confidential file. Reports of minor or unintentional acts, such as citation or referencing errors or
omissions, will be eliminated from the file after 2 years, as long as there are no further actions by
the student.
Students are not permitted to withdraw from or drop courses in which they have committed acts
of academic misconduct.
Portable Electronic Devices:
As a courtesy to both faculty and students, please remember that all portable electronic devices
(cell phones, iPods, iPhones, etc.) must be turned OFF or placed on Silent mode before entering
any classroom in the College of Nursing. During class laptop computers must be used for
classroom work ONLY, violators of this request will be asked to close their computers!
Note; It is the students responsibility to be knowledgeable of all College of nursing Graduate
Nursing Academic policies.

A Note for Students with Disabilities:

If you have a documented disability, or think you might have one, you may be eligible for
accommodations in academic classes, the residence halls, food service areas, etc., under the
Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Disabilities may
include those that are permanent to temporary and include, but are not limited to: learning
disabilities. ADHD, medical issues, psychological or psychiatric problems, limited mobility, low
vision or blindness, and hearing impairments. Students are not permitted to negotiate
accommodations directly with professors. To receive special accommodations or assistance
please self-identify at the Office for Disability Support Services (DSS), Duffy Hall, Room 67 at
the beginning of the semester. The DDS phone number is 973-313-6003. For further information,
please go to http://www.shu.edu/offices/disability-support-services/index.cfm
HIPAA Compliance Statement:
Seton Hall University, College of Nursing, is committed to the protection of health information
in accordance with the standards set by the Federal Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA). The University agrees to comply with the standards of
documentation and confidentiality mandated by state and federal regulatory agencies and
accrediting bodies, as well as those set forth by a particular facility. Students will act in
accordance with the responsibility to protect the confidentiality of others health information.

Stinson, 2015