NR 305 Week 7 Debriefing the Week 6 Head to Toe Assessment Assignment
Student Name
Chamberlain University
NR-305: RN Health Assessment
Prof. Name
Date
Week 7: Debriefing the Week 6 Head-to-Toe Assessment Assignment
1. Please share how physical assessment is performed in your practice area. How do you determine what type of physical assessment is appropriate in caring for your patients? Do you perform complete head-to-toe assessments, or are they typically more focused exams?
In my current role as a nurse, my responsibilities do not include conducting full physical assessments. Instead, I focus primarily on evaluating the social, financial, and educational needs of our insurance members. This includes linking patients to community programs, arranging access to medication resources, and offering education on medical diagnoses and diagnostic tests.
Prior to my current position, I worked as the sole RN in a busy primary care practice with three medical assistants and one nurse. In that role, physical assessments were more focused examinations rather than complete head-to-toe evaluations. My responsibilities included:
NR 305 Week 7 Debriefing the Week 6 Head to Toe Assessment Assignment
| Task | Details |
|---|---|
| Initial Patient Intake | Assessed chief complaints, reviewed vital signs, addressed medication concerns. |
| Diabetes Care | Reviewed blood sugar logs, examined feet for skin or vascular changes, and performed monofilament testing to check sensation. |
| Skin Assessment | Identified wounds, rashes, or abnormal changes and communicated findings to the physician. |
| Patient Education | Provided training on glucometers, insulin pens, inhalers, nebulizers, and other medical devices. |
| Nursing Visits | Performed dressing changes, administered injections, and conducted targeted education sessions. |
I also coordinated referrals, most often to home care services, and maintained vigilant observation for discrepancies between a patient’s subjective reports and my objective findings. As Lockhart and Davis (2014) highlight, not all healthcare scenarios require a traditional approach, which is especially true in primary care settings where patient visits are often focused on wellness checks, medication refills, or acute issues.
2. Based on your observations, do you feel that patient assessments performed in practice are as thorough as they should be? Explain your answer.
From my experience, the level of thoroughness in patient assessments is generally appropriate for the primary care environment. Given the time constraints and the specific reasons for patient visits, the focus is usually on the most pressing clinical concerns. However, maintaining an alert and critical mindset is essential, as objective findings may sometimes contradict what patients report.
For instance, in diabetes care, routine foot checks are critical, yet research shows many individuals do not regularly inspect their own feet (Saraiva Lucoveis, Antar Gamba, Boccara de Paula, & da Silva Morita, 2018). In such cases, the nurse’s role in early detection becomes even more crucial.
3. Reflect on the assessment you performed for the video assignment. Perhaps you might compare your performance now to how it might have been different when you were a brand-new nurse? Or share something you learned (or were reminded of) by participating in this activity?
Completing the video assignment was an eye-opening experience. Although I have been a nurse since 2004 and have performed countless assessments, I found myself feeling anxious due to the pressure of grading and the challenge of recalling every required step. I had not conducted a complete head-to-toe physical assessment in over six years, so certain anatomical landmarks—such as Erb’s point and lymph node locations—required review.
Recording the assignment three times underscored the performance pressure I felt:
- First attempt: Too lengthy.
- Second attempt: Missed key components (oral, lymph node, percussion) despite lasting 19 minutes.
- Third attempt: Completed under 15 minutes but still experienced moments of hesitation.
When I was a nursing student, I was often nervous about harming patients and struggled to narrate my actions during assessments. Over the years, I gained confidence through experience and by mentoring new nurses. While my current role focuses more on social determinants of health than direct patient care, the assignment reminded me that compassion and attentiveness remain core nursing skills.
This exercise reinforced the value of periodic skill refreshers, especially for nurses who transition into non-clinical roles. It also highlighted that clear communication, empathy, and critical observation are just as important as technical proficiency.
References
Lockhart, L., & Davis, C. (2014). Caring for nontraditional families. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, 12(6), 14–19. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=99041601&site=eds-live&scope=site
NR 305 Week 7 Debriefing the Week 6 Head to Toe Assessment Assignment
Saraiva Lucoveis, M. do L., Antar Gamba, M., Boccara de Paula, M. A., & da Silva Morita, A. B. P. (2018). Degree of risk for foot ulcer due to diabetes: Nursing assessment. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 71(6), 3041–3047. https://doi-org.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2016-0586