Advanced Pathophysiology NURS 6512 Week 6 Assignment
Here are the exact assignment instructions for Week 6 of NURS 6512: Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning at Walden University.
Note: NURS 6512 is Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (not Advanced Pathophysiology, which is NURS 6501). Week 6 focuses on Assessment of the Abdomen and Gastrointestinal System.
Week 6 Assignment: Lab Assignment: Assessing the Abdomen
Official Walden Instructions (standard wording used across recent terms):
Lab Assignment: Assessing the Abdomen
A woman went to the emergency room for severe abdominal cramping. She was diagnosed with diverticulitis; however, as a precaution, the doctor ordered a CT scan. The CT scan revealed a growth on the pancreas, which turned out to be pancreatic cancer—the real cause of the cramping.
Because so many diseases can present with abdominal symptoms, it is important for APRNs to be able to identify the underlying causes of abdominal pain and differentiate between benign and serious conditions.
To Prepare
Review the Episodic note case study provided by your Instructor for this week’s Assignment (posted in the Announcements or assignment area by Day 1 of Week 6).
Review this week’s Learning Resources on abdominal assessment and the gastrointestinal system.
Consider what history would be necessary to collect from the patient in the case study.
Consider what physical exams and diagnostic tests would be appropriate to gather more information about the patient’s condition.
Consider how you would document the history and physical exam findings in an episodic/focused SOAP note.
The Assignment (Episodic/Focused SOAP Note)
Analyze the episodic note case study that describes abnormal findings in patients seen in a clinical setting. Write an episodic/focused SOAP note about the patient in the case study. Address the following:
Subjective: What details did the patient provide regarding his or her personal and medical history? Analyze the subjective portion of the note. List additional information that should be included in the documentation.
Objective: What physical findings did you note during the physical examination? Analyze the objective portion of the note. List additional information that should be included in the documentation.
Assessment: What were your differential diagnoses? Provide a minimum of three possible diagnoses. List them from highest priority to lowest priority. Include the reasoning for your choices.
Plan: What was your plan for diagnostics and primary diagnosis? What was your plan for treatment and management, including alternative therapies? Include pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments, patient education, health promotion and disease prevention, and follow-up parameters.
By Day 7 of Week 6
Submit your Lab Assignment (the completed episodic/focused SOAP note analysis).
Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Assignment must follow APA format (7th edition). Use scholarly writing and a minimum of 3–5 current scholarly references (including peer-reviewed articles from the Walden Library).
Submission and Grading
Due by Day 7 of Week 6 (11:59 p.m. MT).
Points: 100.
Refer to the Week 6 Lab Assignment Rubric in your classroom for detailed grading criteria (emphasis on analysis of subjective/objective portions, completeness of missing elements, quality and prioritization of differential diagnoses with rationale, evidence-based plan, and APA/scholarly writing).
Common Week 6 Case Study Example
A frequent assigned episodic note involves a patient (often a 47-year-old male) with chief complaint of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and symptoms that do not improve. Your analysis must identify missing subjective details (e.g., onset, duration, aggravating/alleviating factors, associated symptoms) and objective findings (e.g., abdominal exam techniques like inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation, and relevant vital signs or bowel sounds).
Additional Week 6 Activities
Shadow Health / Digital Clinical Experience (DCE): Abdominal Concept Lab and/or Focused Exam: Abdominal Pain (practice or required depending on term).
Midterm Exam: Many terms schedule the Midterm Exam in Week 6 (comprehensive, covering Weeks 1–6 content on history taking, physical assessment, and diagnostic reasoning across systems).
Required readings and media cover abdominal assessment techniques (e.g., order of exam: inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation), common GI conditions (diverticulitis, appendicitis, pancreatitis, IBS, etc.), red flags, and documentation.
Tips for Success (Based on Rubric):
Critically analyze the provided episodic note — do not just rewrite it. Identify what is missing and why it matters for diagnosis.
Use proper abdominal exam sequence and terminology (e.g., bowel sounds: normal, hyperactive, hypoactive, absent; rebound tenderness, guarding, etc.).
Build a prioritized differential diagnosis (e.g., gastroenteritis, diverticulitis, appendicitis, pancreatic issue, etc.) with clear rationale.
Ensure the Plan is comprehensive, evidence-based, and includes patient education and follow-up.
These instructions reflect the standard NURS 6512 Week 6 Lab Assignment used across recent terms. Slight variations in the exact episodic note case study or integration with Shadow Health/i-Human can occur depending on your instructor or term.
Always verify the exact instructions, your assigned episodic note case study, due dates, rubric, and any midterm details in your specific course classroom (Canvas) under Week 6 → Assignments and Announcements on Day 1.
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