HELP needed... Health Assessment

[NP Student 101]

To anyone who has useful tips/tricks to get through Health Assessment,

Hello,

I am a year into my online FNP program and am days away from starting advanced health assessment. I have been told there are no lectures (only notes) and 2 tests, 3-4 recorded assessments we must perform on another person and submit for grading, and multiple case studies and quizzes. I was wondering if anyone had any extra resources that they found helpful to learning and succeeding well in health assessment (books, phone aps, videos etc.). I truly want to learn my information as best as I can and not get behind before I even start. Please any help or recommendations are welcome!

Thanks in advance!

[LadyT618, MSN, APRN, NP]

Does your school have a required physical assessment textbook? I would start getting very acquainted with it, and just repetition is key. My program used Bates and had an available pocket guide (ad a separate purchase) that can fit into your lab coat or purse (if you're out and about running errands and wanna study). You can also search Youtube for physical assessment videos. 

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

Totally agree with LadyT618 books.  Practice is also key.  Find a friend and practice the assessments as much as possible.  If you have a cooperative pet, even that will do.  Memorize the steps for each assessment and reheorifice them in your mind.  It can be nerve-wracking, but the more you perform the exams, the more comfortable you will become.  Good luck!

[TuxnadoDO]

Is this about learning to perform a physical exam? If so, do they not teach you, just give you notes? 
 

I’d like to provide some advice, I’m just trying to understand because this is confusing to me.

[NP Student 101]

Thank you to everyone!! I am doing OK so far! Sorry I didn't check back sooner! I got bogged down early on in the semester! All that you guys have said has been very true! 

[djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP]

Recorded physical exam. Read out of this book and repeat on someone else.  The cornerstone of hands-on education. ?

[NP Student 101]

9 hours ago, djmatte said:

Recorded physical exam. Read out of this book and repeat on someone else.  The cornerstone of hands-on education. ?

I know. It is unfortunate. 

[cts2494]

For the Advanced Health Assessment at Univ South Alabama, do you have to complete a comprehensive head to toe video. If so, are you able to use any kind of notes during the full head to toe video or is it all memorization?

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

On 1/27/2021 at 8:22 PM, TuxnadoDO said:

Is this about learning to perform a physical exam? If so, do they not teach you, just give you notes? 
 

I’d like to provide some advice, I’m just trying to understand because this is confusing to me.

When I earned my MSN AGPCNP, I went to a bricks and mortar school with hybrid education.  Health assessment was an in-person course.  We met in the lab 2x a week to learn exam skills and to practice on each other and/or medical mannequins.  Periodically, we had to pass hands-on exam tests and at the end of the semester, demonstrate how to do a head-to-toe exam.

Due to COVID, I'm not sure how things are working now.  I also don't know how online programs work.

[LadyT618, MSN, APRN, NP]

11 hours ago, cts2494 said:

For the Advanced Health Assessment at Univ South Alabama, do you have to complete a comprehensive head to toe video. If so, are you able to use any kind of notes during the full head to toe video or is it all memorization?

I went to USA and when I took it, they split it into 2 separate videos so you didn't have to do a full head-to-toe in 1 video. No notes were allowed. You needed to remember everything by memory and it had to be done in an allotted amount of time. You had to say what you were doing out loud as you performed each step of the physical exam.

Hope this helps.

[PollywogNP, ADN, BSN, MSN, LPN, NP]

I taught physical assessments for 10 semesters in a row! Seidels & Bates are the textbooks I preferred. Just checked & the Bates videos are on you tube!