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Cultural Diversities in Nursing

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NURS 3020: Health Assessment
Student Support and Calendar Information
So you have all key information available to you off-line, it is highly recommended that you print the following items for your reference: * This Syllabus, including the Course Schedule that is linked on this page as a PDF * Term Calendar * Student Support
Credit Hours
5 quarter hours
Walden University assigns credit hours based on the number and type of assignments that enable students to achieve the course learning objectives. In general, each semester credit equals about 42 hours of total student work and each quarter credit equals about 28 hours of total student work. This time requirement represents an approximate average for undergraduate work and the minimum expectations for graduate work. The number and kind of activities estimated to fulfill time requirements will vary by degree level and student learning style, and by student familiarity with the delivery method and course content.
Course Description
Students have the opportunity in this course to gain the knowledge and skills required to collect data related to the assessment of individual and population health status. They learn physical examination skills including palpation, percussion, and auscultation. Students gain practical experience in taking patient histories, using interviewing techniques and communication skills, and they discuss the psychological, social, and cultural aspects of clinical assessment. Additionally, students consider the integration of quality indicators to guide the nursing process and ensure compliance with ethical considerations. Through cutting edge digital clinical experiences, students apply knowledge and demonstrate understanding of conducting health assessments for patients with various ages.
Course Prerequisites
NURS 3100: Issues and Trends in Nursing
Course Outcomes * Elicit a comprehensive health history from a patient using appropriate interviewing and communication skills * Demonstrate data collection skills by accurately documenting a patient's health history in an electronic patient record * Demonstrate physical assessment skills on a simulated patient * Apply psychological, social, and cultural considerations when interviewing and conducting a physical assessment * Apply population health, cultural, and genomic risk factors while conducting a health history and physical assessment. * Articulate ethical issues related to obtaining a health history and physical exam.
To access the Alignment Chart for this course, please click on the following link: NURS 3020 Alignment Chart (PDF)
Course Materials
The process for receiving course texts and materials varies by program. Review the information below to make sure you have all course texts and materials before the term starts.
You are required to purchase materials for this course. Please visit the university bookstore via your Walden student portal to ensure you are obtaining the correct version of any course texts and materials noted below. When you receive your package, make sure that all required course texts and materials have been included.
For missing, incorrect, or damaged materials, please contact the Student Support Team. Contact information for the Student Support Team can be located in the Student Support area of the course navigation menu.
Course Text * Text: Jarvis, C. (2016). Physical examination and health assessment (7th ed.). St. Louis, MS: Elsevier. ISBN: 9781455728107 * eBook: Jarvis, C. (2016). Physical examination and health assessment (7th ed.). St. Louis, MS: Elsevier. ISBN: 9780323265324 * Shadow Health - Health Assessment DCE. ISBN: 9780989788816
Course Readings List
The Course Readings List contains all of the required Walden Library resources for this course. Please click on the following link to access the list: NURS 3020 Course Readings List
Media
Assigned course media elements may be found in one or more weeks of the course and are available via a streaming media player or a hyperlink to the individual item.
Course Schedule
For full assignment details and directions, refer to each week of the course.
All assignments are due by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time (MT) on the day assigned, which is 1:59 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) the next day. The time stamp in the classroom will reflect ET, regardless of your time zone. As long as your submission time stamp is no later than 1:59 a.m. ET, you have submitted on time.
Click on the following link to access the Course Schedule: NURS 3020 Course Schedule (PDF)
Course Calendar
A printable course calendar is located in the Term Calendar area of the course navigation menu.
Course Assignments
Discussion
Online Discussion is an important activity based on the underlying belief that students learn from one another.
All Discussion postings need to be made in each week’s Discussion area of the course. Please do not e-mail postings to the Instructor or other students.
Discussions will be graded according to the Discussion Posting Grading Rubric found in the Course Information area.
Assignments
Assignments are written and submitted to the Instructor for evaluation. Complete directions are in the Assignment area, including how and where to submit the assignment and the due date. Please note that you should keep a copy of your assignments on your computer in case of any technical difficulties.
Walden University expects you to act with integrity and honesty in your academic courses. Information on scholarly writing may be found at the Walden Writing Center.
See the Guidelines and Policies and Academic Integrity areas for more details.
Check the Course Information area for any rubrics relating to the assignments.
Grading
Grading Scale
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
90%–100% = A
80%–89% = B
70%–79% = C
<70% = F
Note: Points are weighted differently for the various assignments. Although the numeric points may not add up, all grades will be weighted to achieve the percentage value noted below.

Assignment | Total Points | Percentage | Discussions(4 at 50 points each) | 200 | 20% | Journals (2 at 35 points each) | 70 | 7% | Weekly Quizzes(4 at 25 points each) | 100 | 10% | Shadow Health Focus Exams (3 at 100 points each) | 300 | 30% | Shadow Health Weekly Assignments:Health History (Week 1)Skin, Hair, and Nails (Week 2)HEENT (Week 2)Respiratory (Week 3)Cardiovascular (Week 3)Abdominal (Week 4)Musculoskeletal (Week 5)Neurological (Week 5)(8 @ 10 points each) | 80 | 8% | Shadow Health Comprehensive Assessment(250 points) | 250 | 25% | Total | 1000 | 100% |
Feedback Schedule
The Instructor will log on to the course Discussion areas 4–5 days a week. Unless there is a specific question, your Instructor will not respond to every posting from each student. However, the expectation is that the Instructor will respond individually to at least two-thirds of the students each week. The Instructor will read every posting and expects all students to read every posting, including the Instructor’s postings and classmates’ postings. Frequently, the Instructor will choose to respond to a particular posting because that posting covers important issues.
The Instructor will respond to any specific course-related questions or concerns within 48 hours of receiving them in an e-mail or in the Contact the Instructor area.
Assignments will be returned by Day 5 of the following week, allowing you to incorporate feedback into the assignments for subsequent weeks.
If needed, you may e-mail the Instructor to set up a time for a telephone conference at any time during the course. You are responsible for routinely checking the Announcements for any changes to the aforementioned feedback schedule.
Course Procedures
You are expected to read the Syllabus and all Resources, Discussions, and Applications for each week. Complete all assignments by the specified due date. It is in your best interest to complete work for the current week, and not jump ahead to future weeks.
Preferred Methods for Delivering Assignments
Submitting Course Postings to the Weekly Discussion Areas
Be sure that you post to the correct Discussion area each week. Do not e-mail postings to the Instructor. For all initial Discussion postings, make sure that the first sentence of your posting reads Main Question Post. For your responses to other postings, make sure that the first sentence of your response reads Response. These actions will ensure easily identifiable subject lines for your postings and responses.
Submitting Assignments and Projects
Please save your Assignment using the following naming convention: WKXAssgn+last name+first initial. In addition, use this naming convention for the title of your submission.
To submit your Assignment, click the View/Complete link and follow the on-screen instructions to submit your file(s). After you have completed all necessary steps, you will receive a digital receipt indicating your file was submitted successfully. Do not submit PDFS or .odt documents.
E-mailing Your Instructor
All e-mail correspondence must be sent from a Walden e-mail and contain in the subject line your course number, section number, and your name followed by a brief description of the subject. For example, NURS 3020-XX-Your Name (XX is the section number). This subject line convention ensures that your e-mail will be easily identified and responded to in a timely manner.
Policies on Late Assignments
Timeliness and good time management are critical skills for success both in school and in life. Should you encounter an unanticipated and uncontrollable life event that may prevent you from meeting an assignment deadline, contact the Instructor immediately. Please see the Late Policy posted in the classroom for further information.
Examples of unanticipated and uncontrollable life events include a health crisis for you or an immediate family member for whom you are a caregiver; extended and extraordinarily severe weather events that disrupt communications; or being called to military duty. Poor time management, other work commitments, vacations, not reading or following the Course Syllabus, or failure to obtain the appropriate books or computer equipment are not events that warrant special consideration.
Students With Disabilities
Students in this course who have a disability that might prevent them from fully demonstrating their abilities should contact the director of disability services at disability@waldenu.edu or at 1-800-925-3368, ext. 1205 as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure full participation in the successful completion of course requirements.
Classroom Participation
In accordance with U.S. Department of Education guidance regarding class participation, Walden University requires that all students submit at least one of their required Week 1 assignments (which includes posting to the Discussion Board) within each course(s) during the first 7 calendar days of class. For courses with two-week units, posting to the Discussion Board by Day 7 meets this requirement. The first calendar day of class is the official start date of the course as posted on your myWalden academic page.
Assignments submitted prior to the official start date will not count toward your participation.
Financial Aid cannot be released without class participation as defined above.
Students who are taking their first class with Walden and do not submit at least one of their required Week 1 assignments (or at least one Discussion post) by the end of the 7th day will be administratively withdrawn from the university.
Students who have already taken and successfully completed at least one or more class(es) with Walden, and who do not participate within the first 7 days, will be dropped from that class.
If you have any questions about your assignments, or you are unable to complete your assignments, please contact your Faculty Member.

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