A full head-to-toe Assessment?

Nursing Students Student Assist

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So I'm brand new in nursing school, just 4 weeks in.

For our Health Assessment class, our final grade to pass is to do a thorough head-to-toe assessment in front of our instructor.

It seems simple, but there is SO MUCH they are expecting from us.

We have to test all 12 cranial nerves along with all of the physical parts of the assessment. We have to test the motor and sensory sides of every nerve. Also certain tests to instruct our patients to perform in order to assess things like gait, balance, meningeal irritation, coordination, etc etc. I'm sure this is no news to you nurses, or older nursing students. However, I'm slightly overwhelmed! Everything seems simple to perform, but to go off of pure memory when it comes to exam time is scary. There's two pages worth of information we have to know in order to pass our assessment.

Is there any kind of book, or study guide to help put all of these things together? Or better yet, what method did you use in order to pass your full health assessment? Any tips or strategies?

Thanks guys :)

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I would suggest putting it together in a way that makes sense to you so you don't miss anything, unless you have a specific order you have to go in. We didn't. As long as we didn't miss anything and weren't to all over the place we could do it in whatever order we wanted. Other than that, practice, practice practice. My husband and kids all got multiple head to toe exams. Also, if you have any open lab practice time try to get an instructor or a more advanced student to watch you run through it once to give you pointers. I know it seems like a huge amount of stuff to remember, but after a bit it will become much easier and you will able to do it in just a few minutes.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Surgical Intensive Care.

First and foremost get comfortable and confident with assessing; this is THE strongest tool you will have in your toolbox. The reason they want you to go over every aspect is so that you are competent on how to assess any patient you come in contact with. Not all patients will require you to assess the areas that alopecia is present or something as in depth, but as simple as, autonomic dysreflexia; although some will. So you need to be very familiar with the head to toe and how to assess for the changes in any patient status whether or not your assessment findings are focused on or reflective of the associated diagnoses for the time they are under treatment or therapy. Remember, patients will go bad the moment you get comfortable with them and "think" you know them. Do not always rely on your focused assessment or the assessment information you get in report.

go SLOW.... From head.... To toe. You can always go back. You are dealing with one patient and one patient alone. Take one body system and one clinical scenario at a time. You are not trying to figure out what is wrong at this point just know the areas to assess. The "what do I do with this information" will come later.

finally, practice! Don't just say I'm going to assess you mom, and go back and forth with conversations about the tv show that it is on. Have her go into a room and give her your check off sheet. Knock on the door and act exactly as if she is your patient. As you go through your assessment have her check off what you did. Don't try to adjust half way through, wait until the end. Then, do it again. Do it with another group of students and take your turn as the patient and you will start to pick up on where they forgot things that you have already incorporated into practice.

Again, practice this as much as possible with people who are going to take it seriously; these are the people you will want in a study group. Practice as a professional clinician. Do this until you can walk into "your" assessment and be thinking "I am going to give the best assessment these people have ever seen".

Practice practice practice those two pages!

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Specializes in ICU / Urgent Care.

Awesome post, will help me brush up a bit, been lazy over the summer :dead:

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Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

Yep we had to do the same thing and the time limit was 20 minutes I believe or fail!. Forget about what the instructors says to do, find your own way comfortable as long as you cover all of the steps you will be good to go. What I did was grab a video cam, made a homemade dummy on the sofa and Practice PRACTICE PRACTICE.

In addition I used this youtube videos series below, watch all 6 videos they really for an NP so ignore the breast and peri- exams they refer too. Your instructor should have a list of steps they require for you to pass.

Head to Toe Assessment pt1 of 6 - YouTube

I did not do the steps in the same way as on my list, for example I started with gait assessment first since the patient was already standing. Just practice it in a way you will remember.

I really hated the perverted mnemonics both nurses and doctors teach to remember cranial nerves.

The girl in this video below made a song and its what I used in nursing school to remember them.

its silly but it even helped me during written tests. Hope this helps.

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Totally agree with previous posters - find a systematic way that feels comfortable to you and practice, practice, practice. Use anyone and everyone that will hold still for you long enough to run through the assessment. I had luck pairing up with one of my classmates that also wanted to practice and even having someone practice their assessment on me helped to reinforce the content.

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Thanks for all the post guys!! I appreciate the advice very much. I'll look into the attachments and just practice like you all said :)

Thanks again!

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