NURS 6512 Assignment 2 Digital Clinical Experience Focused Exam Cough
NURS 6512 Assignment 2 Digital Clinical Experience Focused Exam Cough
Week 5: Assessment of Head, Neck, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat
Emily, age 15, is brought to your clinic complaining of chills, aches, and a sore throat. Without any testing, consider all of the possible diagnoses. It could be a cold, the flu, bronchitis, or even something more serious, such as meningitis or mononucleosis. Assessing the actual cause will involve much more than simple visual inspection. Some conditions are so subtle that they require the use of special instruments and tests in addition to a trained eye and ear.
This week, you will explore how to assess the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Whether dealing with a detached retina, sinusitis, meningitis, or even cough, advanced practice nurses need to know the proper assessment techniques in order to form accurate diagnoses.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Apply assessment skills to diagnose eye, ear, and throat conditions
- Apply concepts, theories, and principles relating to health assessment techniques and diagnoses for the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, and throat
Learning Resources
Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)
Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2019). Seidel’s guide to physical examination: An interprofessional approach (9th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
- Chapter 11, “Head and Neck”This chapter reviews the anatomy and physiology of the head and neck. The authors also describe the procedures for conducting a physical examination of the head and neck.
- Chapter 12, “Eyes”In this chapter, the authors describe the anatomy and function of the eyes. In addition, the authors explain the steps involved in conducting a physical examination of the eyes.
- Chapter 13, “Ears, Nose, and Throat”The authors of this chapter detail the proper procedures for conducting a physical exam of the ears, nose, and throat. The chapter also provides pictures and descriptions of common abnormalities in the ears, nose, and throat.
Dains, J. E., Baumann, L. C., & Scheibel, P. (2019). Advanced health assessment and clinical diagnosis in primary care (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Credit Line: Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Diagnosis in Primary Care, 6th Edition by Dains, J.E., Baumann, L. C., & Scheibel, P. Copyright 2019 by Mosby. Reprinted by permission of Mosby via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Chapter 25, “Nasal Symptoms and Sinus Congestion”
Note: Download the six documents (Student Checklists and Key Points) below, and use them as you practice conducting assessments of the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, and throat.
Sullivan, D. D. (2019). Guide to clinical documentation (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.
- Chapter 2, “The Comprehensive History and Physical Exam” (Previously read in Weeks 1, 3, 4, and 5)
Document: Episodic/Focused SOAP Note Exemplar (Word document)
Document: Episodic/Focused SOAP Note Template (Word document)
Document: Midterm Exam Review (Word document)
Shadow Health Support and Orientation Resources
Document: DCE (Shadow Health) Documentation Template for Focused Exam: Cough (Word document)
Use this template to complete your Assignment 2 for this week.
Optional Resource
Use the following resources to guide you through your Shadow Health orientation as well as other support resources:
LeBlond, R. F., Brown, D. D., & DeGowin, R. L. (2020). DeGowin’s diagnostic examination (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Medical.
- Chapter 7, “The Head and Neck”This chapter describes head and neck examinations that can be made with general clinical resources. Also, the authors detail syndromes of common head and neck conditions.
Required Media (click to expand/reduce)
Assessment of the Head, Neck, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat – Week 5 (29m)
Online media for Seidel’s Guide to Physical Examination
It is highly recommended that you access and view the resources included with the course text, Seidel’s Guide to Physical Examination. Focus on the videos and animations in Chapters 10, 11, and 12 that relate to the assessment of the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Refer to the Week 4 Learning Resources area for access instructions on https://evolve.elsevier.com/.
Note: Approximate length of this media program is 25 seconds.
Assignment 1: Case Study Assignment: Assessing the Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Blend Images
Most ear, nose, and throat conditions that arise in non-critical care settings are minor in nature. However, subtle symptoms can sometimes escalate into life-threatening conditions that require prompt assessment and treatment.
Nurses conducting assessments of the ears, nose, and throat must be able to identify the small differences between life-threatening conditions and benign ones. For instance, if a patient with a sore throat and a runny nose also has inflamed lymph nodes, the inflammation is probably due to the pathogen causing the sore throat rather than a case of throat cancer. With this knowledge and a sufficient patient health history, a nurse would not need to escalate the assessment to a biopsy or an MRI of the lymph nodes but would probably perform a simple strep test.
In this Case Study Assignment, you consider case studies of abnormal findings from patients in a clinical setting. You determine what history should be collected from the patients, what physical exams and diagnostic tests should be conducted, and formulate a differential diagnosis with several possible conditions.
To Prepare
- By Day 1 of this week, you will be assigned to a specific case study for this Case Study Assignment. Please see the “Course Announcements” section of the classroom for your assignment from your Instructor.
- Also, your Case Study Assignment should be in the Episodic/Focused SOAP Note format rather than the traditional narrative style format. Refer to Chapter 2 of the Sullivan text and the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template in the Week 5 Learning Resources for guidance. Remember that all Episodic/Focused SOAP Notes have specific data included in every patient case.
With regard to the case study you were assigned:
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide.
- Consider what history would be necessary to collect from the patient.
- Consider what physical exams and diagnostic tests would be appropriate to gather more information about the patient’s condition. How would the results be used to make a diagnosis?
- Identify at least five possible conditions that may be considered in a differential diagnosis for the patient.
The Assignment
Use the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template and create an episodic/focused note about the patient in the case study to which you were assigned using the episodic/focused note template provided in the Week 5 resources. Provide evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for each case. List five different possible conditions for the patient’s differential diagnosis and justify why you selected each.
By Day 6 of Week 5
Submit your Assignment.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:
- Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK5Assgn1+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
- Click the Week 5 Assignment 1 Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
- Click the Week 5 Assignment 1 link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
- Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK5Assgn1+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
- If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
- Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 5 Assignment 1 Rubric
Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity
To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 5 Assignment 1 draft and review the originality report.
Submit Your Assignment by Day 6 of Week 5
To participate in this Assignment:
Week 5 Assignment 1
Assignment 2: Digital Clinical Experience: Focused Exam: Cough
In this DCE Assignment, you will conduct a focused exam related to cough in your DCE using the simulation tool, Shadow Health. You will determine what history should be collected from the patient, what physical exams and diagnostic tests should be conducted, and formulate a differential diagnosis with several possible conditions.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
To Prepare
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide related to ears, nose, and throat.
- Review the Shadow Health Resources provided in this week’s Learning Resources specifically the tutorial to guide you through the documentation and interpretation within the Shadow Health platform. Review the examples also provided.
- Review the DCE (Shadow Health) Documentation Template for Focused Exam: Cough found in this week’s Learning Resources and use this template to complete your Documentation Notes for this DCE Assignment.
- Access and login to Shadow Health using the link in the left-hand navigation of the Blackboard classroom.
- Review the Week 5 Focused Exam: Cough Rubric provided in the Assignment submission area for details on completing the Assignment in Shadow Health.
- Consider what physical exams and diagnostic tests would be appropriate to gather more information about the patient’s condition. How would the results be used to make a diagnosis?
Focused Exam: Cough Assignment:
Complete the following in Shadow Health:
- Respiratory Concept Lab (Required)
- Episodic/Focused Note for Focused Exam: Cough
- HEENT (Recommended but not required)
Note: Each Shadow Health Assessment may be attempted and reopened as many times as necessary prior to the due date to achieve a total of 80% or better (this includes your DCE and your Documentation Notes), but you must take all attempts by the Week 5 Day 7 deadline.
Submission and Grading Information
By Day 7 of Week 5
- Complete your Focused Exam: Cough DCE Assignment in Shadow Health via the Shadow Health link in Blackboard.
- Once you complete your Assignment in Shadow Health, you will need to download your lab pass and upload it to the corresponding assignment in Blackboard for your faculty review.
- (Note: Please save your lab pass as “LastName_FirstName_AssignmentName”.) You can find instructions for downloading your lab pass here: https://link.shadowhealth.com/download-lab-pass
- Complete your documentation using the documentation template in your resources and submit it into your Assignment submission link below.
- From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database
- Complete the Code of Conduct Acknowledgement.
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 5 Assignment 2 DCE Rubric
Submit Your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 5
To submit your Lab Pass:
Week 5 Lab Pass
To participate in this Assignment:
Week 5 Documentation Notes for Assignment 2
To Submit your Student Acknowledgement:
Click here and follow the instructions to confirm you have complied with Walden University’s Code of Conduct including the expectations for academic integrity while completing the Shadow Health Assessment.
What’s Coming Up in Week 6?
Photo Credit: [BrianAJackson]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images
Next week, you will evaluate abnormal findings in the area of the abdomen and the gastrointestinal system. In addition, you will appraise health assessment techniques and diagnoses for the heart, lungs, and peripheral vascular system as you complete your Lab Assignment in assessing the abdomen in a SOAP note format. You will also take your Midterm Exam, which covers the topics in Weeks 1–6. Please review the previous weekly content and resources to help you prepare for your exam. Plan your time accordingly.
Week 6 Required Media
Photo Credit: [fergregory]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images
Next week, you will need to view several videos and animations in the Seidel’s Guide to Physical Examination as well as other media, as required, prior to completing your Lab Assignment. There are several videos of various lengths. Please plan ahead to ensure you have time to view these media programs to complete your Assignment on time.
Next Week
Rubric Detail
Select Grid View or List View to change the rubric’s layout.
Content
Name: NURS_6512_Week_5_DCE_Assignment_2_Rubric
Description: To complete the Shadow Health assignments, it is helpful to use the text and follow along with each chapter correlating to the area of assessment to assist in covering all the subjective questions and the physical assessment areas. Review the Advanced Health Assessment Nursing Documentation Tutorial located in the Weeks 1 and 4 Resources, the model documentation in Shadow Health, as well as sample documentation in the text to assist with narrative documentation of the assessments. Shadow Health exams may be added to or repeated as many times as necessary prior to the due date to assist in achieving the desired score.
Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | ||
Student DCE score
(DCE percentages will be calculated automatically by Shadow Health after the assignment is completed.) Note: DCE Score – Do not round up on the DCE score. |
Points Range: 56 (56%) – 60 (60%)
DCE score>93 |
Points Range: 51 (51%) – 55 (55%)
DCE Score 86-92 |
Points Range: 46 (46%) – 50 (50%)
DCE Score 80-85 |
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 45 (45%)
DCE Score <79 No DCE completed. |
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Subjective Documentation in Provider Notes
Subjective narrative documentation in Provider Notes is detailed and organized and includes: Chief Complaint (CC), HPI, Current Medications, Allergies, Past Medical History, Family History, Social History and Review of Systems (ROS) ROS: covers all body systems that may help you formulate a list of differential diagnoses. You should list each system as follows: You should list these in bullet format and document the systems in order from head to toe. |
Points Range: 16 (16%) – 20 (20%)
Documentation is detailed and organized with all pertinent information noted in professional language. Documentation includes all pertinent documentation to include Chief Complaint (CC), HPI, Current Medications, Allergies, Past Medical History, Family History, Social History and Review of Systems (ROS). |
Points Range: 11 (11%) – 15 (15%)
Documentation with sufficient details, some organization and some pertinent information noted in professional language. Documentation provides some of the Chief Complaint (CC), HPI, Current Medications, Allergies, Past Medical History, Family History, Social History and Review of Systems (ROS). |
Points Range: 6 (6%) – 10 (10%)
Documentation with inadequate details and/or organization; and inadequate pertinent information noted in professional language. Limited or/minimum documentation provided to analyze students critical thinking abilities for the Chief Complaint (CC), HPI, Current Medications, Allergies, Past Medical History, Family History, Social History and Review of Systems (ROS). |
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 5 (5%)
Documentation lacks any details and/or organization; and does not provide pertinent information noted in professional language. No information is provided for the Chief Complaint (CC), HPI, Current Medications, Allergies, Past Medical History, Family History, Social History and Review of Systems (ROS). or No documentation provided. |
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Objective Documentation in Provider Notes – this is to be completed in Shadow Health
Physical exam: Document in a systematic order starting from head-to-toe, include what you see, hear, and feel when doing your physical exam using medical terminology/jargon. Document all normal and abnormal exam findings. Do not use “WNL” or “normal”. You only need to examine the systems that are pertinent to the CC, HPI, and History. Diagnostic result – Include any pertinent labs, x-rays, or diagnostic test that would be appropriate to support the differential diagnoses mentioned Differential Diagnoses (list a minimum of 3 differential diagnoses). Your primary or presumptive diagnosis should be at the top of the list (#1). |
Points Range: 16 (16%) – 20 (20%)
Documentation detailed and organized with all abnormal and pertinent normal assessment information described in professional language. Each system assessed is clearly documented with measurable details of the exam. |
Points Range: 11 (11%) – 15 (15%)
Documentation with sufficient details and some organization; some abnormal and some normal assessment information described in mostly professional language. Each system assessed is somewhat clearly documented with measurable details of the exam. |
Points Range: 6 (6%) – 10 (10%)
Documentation with inadequate details and/or organization; inadequate identification of abnormal and pertinent normal assessment information described; inadequate use of professional language. Each system assessed is minimally or is not clearly documented with measurable details of the exam. |
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 5 (5%)
Documentation with no details and/or organization; no identification of abnormal and pertinent normal assessment information described; no use of professional language. None of the systems are assessed, no documentation of details of the exam. or No documentation provided. |
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Total Points: 100 | |||||
Name: NURS_6512_Week_5_DCE_Assignment_2_Rubric

Description: To complete the Shadow Health assignments, it is helpful to use the text and follow along with each chapter correlating to the area of assessment to assist in covering all the subjective questions and the physical assessment areas. Review the Advanced Health Assessment Nursing Documentation Tutorial located in the Weeks 1 and 4 Resources, the model documentation in Shadow Health, as well as sample documentation in the text to assist with narrative documentation of the assessments. Shadow Health exams may be added to or repeated as many times as necessary prior to the due date to assist in achieving the desired score.
Grading Rubric
Performance Category | 100% or highest level of performance
100% 16 points |
Very good or high level of performance
88% 14 points |
Acceptable level of performance
81% 13 points |
Inadequate demonstration of expectations
68% 11 points |
Deficient level of performance
56% 9 points
|
Failing level
of performance 55% or less 0 points |
Total Points Possible= 50 | 16 Points | 14 Points | 13 Points | 11 Points | 9 Points | 0 Points |
Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic topics. |
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three or more of the following elements
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16 Points | 14 Points | 13 Points | 11 Points | 9 Points | 0 Points | |
Application of Course Knowledge
Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge and information learned in the outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations |
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in the all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three of the following elements
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10 Points | 9 Points | 6 Points | 0 Points | |||
Interactive Dialogue
Initial post should be a minimum of 300 words (references do not count toward word count) The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each (references do not count toward word count) Responses are substantive and relate to the topic. |
Demonstrated all of the following:
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Demonstrated 3 of the following:
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Demonstrated 2 of the following:
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Demonstrated 1 or less of the following:
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8 Points | 7 Points | 6 Points | 5 Points | 4 Points | 0 Points | |
Grammar, Syntax, APA
Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition Error is defined to be a unique APA error. Same type of error is only counted as one error. |
The following was present:
AND
AND
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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0 Points Deducted | 5 Points Lost | |||||
Participation
Requirements |
Demonstrated the following:
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Failed to demonstrate the following:
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0 Points Lost | 5 Points Lost | |||||
Due Date Requirements | Demonstrated all of the following:
A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. |
Demonstrates one or less of the following.
A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. |
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