Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Health Assessment for the RN to BSN (Online)

NURS 3121-A30

Course: NURS 3121-A30
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: NURS
CRN: 32844

Course Description

This course enhances health assessment across the lifespan through development of interviewing and physical assessment skills for the RN. Learning objectives focus on developing skills to conduct a comprehensive health assessment. This course is designed for the student enrolled in the RN to BSN program. Must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better. This course is a prerequisite to another course. (Fall - 1st Session, Spring - 1st Session, Summer - 1st Session) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): NURS 3101 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C Prerequisite Can Be Concurrent? Yes Registration Restriction(s): Acceptance into RN to BSN major

Required Texts

Required:
Thompson, J. (2022). Essential health assessment (2 edition). F.A. Davis.
Shadow Health. (2018). Digital Clinical Experience (Version 2018_08) [Software]. (ISBN: 978-0-9897888-0-9)
Available from (http://www.shadowhealth.com) http://www.shadowhealth.com (http://www.shadowhealth.com)
(The Shadow Health digital clinical experience costs $119.00 and students will pay when they register online. Registration
and purchase information is found in the Shadow Health Student Self-Enrollment Instructions listed in Canvas under the
“Start Here” module. The Shadow Health Self-Enrollment Instructions also contain information on accessing the Shadow
Health student orientation, supported browsers, technical specifications and how to contact customer service.)
Recommended:
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association 2020: The
official guide to APA style. American Psychological Association.

Learning Outcomes

1. Apply principles of comprehensive history taking in the assessment process of diverse individuals.
2. Execute necessary components of the physical assessment, including techniques and principles, as they apply to individuals across the lifespan.
3. Efficiently and systematically perform a head-to-toe examination.
4. Determine the health status and health needs of individuals based on interpretation of health assessment data to develop appropriate nursing interventions.
5. Analyze cultural, developmental, spiritual, and psychosocial variations in the health state of individuals based upon health assessment data.
6. Examine the concepts of health, health promotion, risk reduction, and disease prevention by integrating health assessment skills with diverse populations.
7. Succinctly and professionaly communicate health assessment findings.

Course Requirements

Pre-requisite to NURS 4471

Course Outline

I n t r o d u c t i o n s  a n d  D i s c u s s i o n s - 2 0 %
Introductions are a way for students to become acquainted with their colleagues and create a shared learning community.
These relationships will be highly beneficial to the academic environment.
There are seven content discussions required in this course. Each discussion is worth 15 points. To qualify for full credit
for each week’s discussion, students make one substantive "original" posting of at least 200 words and fully answer the
discussion prompt listed in Canvas. Students will also post a minimum of two substantive replies to classmates of at least
80 words each. Replies can be replies to a reply. Posts should demonstrate that the student has thoughtfully considered the week's content and discussion prompt. Each original posting should have at least one embedded citation (APA-
formatted) from the respective week's assigned content, or another reputable source, and an accompanying reference at the bottom of the post.

Q u i z z e s - 1 5 %
Most modules will include one to three quizzes. These quizzes cover assigned readings, as well as content from the
PowerPoint presentations, and the Shadow Health assignments. Quizzes are closed book and include a variety of formats
including multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer. Each quiz carries the same weight when
calculating the collective quiz score. All quizzes will be online in CANVAS and will be available during the allotted times in
CANVAS. Students will have 1 minute per question and the quizzes will only be available for as long as there are
questions on the quiz (e.g., 6 questions = 6 minutes). It is the student's responsibility to be ready to complete each quiz
when it is started.

S h a d o w  H e a l t h  D i g i t a l  C l i n i c a l  E x p e r i e n c e s - 2 0 %
5/21/25, 2:15 PM Syllabus for NURS-3121-A30

https://suu.instructure.com/courses/1151386/assignments/syllabus 5/16
The Shadow HealthTM Digital Clinical ExperienceTM (DCE) provides a dynamic, immersive experience designed to
improve skills and clinical reasoning through the examination of digital standardized patients. Although these patients are
digital, each one breathes, speaks, and has a complex medical and psychosocial history. The DCE is free of many of the
constraints and interruptions nurses face in a hospital or clinical setting. This unique simulation experience allows
students to conduct in-depth patient exams and interviews at their own pace.
Shadow Health includes Health History, Single System, and Discharge Assignments with a virtual patient, Tina Jones.
Students will practice taking a detailed health history and performing physical assessments. After each assignment,
students will complete online post-exam activities. To help prepare for the Health History assignment with Tina Jones,
students will complete a Conversation Concept Lab with Rachel Adler where they will practice asking open and closed
ended questions. The abdominal, respiratory, and cardiovascular concept labs allow students to review the anatomy of
each system and practice identifying normal and abnormal sounds.
Because the exams are in-depth, these assignments will often take over an hour to complete. Therefore, it is important to
plan enough time to complete the assignments each week. Students can make corrections or additions to all assignments
by reopening and making multiple attempts in order to implement the immediate feedback that Shadow Health provides.
Shadow Health assignments will be graded using the DCE Score.

S h a d o w  H e a l t h  F o c u s e d  E x a m s - 1 5 %
The Focused Exams allow students to demonstrate critical thinking as they rule out causes of a patient’s chief complaint.

S h a d o w  H e a l t h  C o m p r e h e n s i v e  A s s e s s m e n t - 1 5 %
The Comprehensive Assessment provides a fresh start with Tina Jones in a clinic setting, where students will perform a
complete head-to-toe examination in one assignment.

F i n a l  E x a m - 1 5 %
This course requires a final, comprehensive exam. All students will take the final exam found in Canvas. The exam is
time-limited and must be taken in one sitting once the exam has been opened. This exam will be worth 15% of your final
grade. This exam is closed book. Students are not to copy, transcribe, print, or otherwise save exam questions, even if
only for personal use. Students are not to discuss the exam questions with students who have not taken the exam,
including students who will take the exam in subsequent courses.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

All assignments, quizzes, exams etc. are due at the time designated in Canvas. There is a 10% deduction per day on any
late submission. The course moves quickly, and students must stay current to keep up. The instructor maintains final
determination in extenuating situations related to late work. Students must reach out to the instructor BEFORE a deadline
if they have an extenuating circumstance. The extenuating circumstance will be evaluated by the instructor. The instructor
will determine if full points will be given or if the 10% deduction per day remains in place. Submissions will not be

Attendance Policy

Attendance is recognized through weekly participation in Canvas discussion boards and the Shadow Health course. This
is an online course with required weekly activity in the coursework. There is not a clinical associated with this course.

Course Fees

This course enhances health assessment across the lifespan through the development of interviewing and physical
assessment skills for the RN. Course outcomes focus on developing skills to conduct a comprehensive health
assessment. This course is designed for the student enrolled in the RN to BSN program. It must be completed with a
grade of “C” (74%) or better. This course is a prerequisite to another course. $90 fee.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.