Running head: ESSENTIAL IX

Essential IX Daniel DeLauter Frostburg State University

ESSENTIAL IX Essential IX The AACN essential for Health Assessment is Essential IX: Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice. This essential outlines the issues that concern professional nursing. These issues have to do with all aspects of professional nursing practice. This Essential includes practice focused outcomes that integrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes delineated in Essentials I-VIII into the nursing care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and

populations in a variety of settings (AACN 29). Professional nurses are the connection between patients and the sciences of healthcare. Baccalaureate prepared nurses must also acquire knowledge related to wellness, health promotion, illness, disease management and care of the dying is core to nursing practice (AACN 30). Practice occurs across the lifespan and in the continuum of healthcare environments (AACN 29) .This includes performing physical assessments, health histories throughout the lifespan and knowing cultural differences. Professional nurses must also be able to use evidenced-based care in order to provide the most appropriate care to people. Assignment This a comprehensive health assessment was completed. The assignment was designed to give a background in performing a history and physical that spanned over a lifetime. The health assessment aspect of the assignment included a physical exam, nutritional, spiritual, social and cultural evaluations. This assignment allows the student to look at the larger picture of a patients care. From knowing the patients history, the student better able to understand the patient as a person and her health status. This assignment has given perspective to the totality needed in order to give professional nursing care.

ESSENTIAL IX Reflection This assignment fulfills this essential by being able to conduct comprehensive and focused physical, behavioral, psychological, spiritual, socioeconomic, and environmental assessments of health and illness parameters in patients, using developmentally and culturally appropriate approaches (AACN 31). By doing so, the student is able to take a more compassionate approach, by answering the patients questions. From knowing peoples past, a nurse understands how to educate and care for a person. For example, an Asian child presents to the hospital with caregiver. In some Asian cultures it is disrespectful to maintain eye contact, so the patient does not make eye contact. If a nurse did not know of cultural differences they may

suspect depression or abuse. In the case of my assessment, my patient had gotten polio as a child. Now she must wear leg braces and is mostly wheelchair dependent. Taking that knowledge and producing a plan of care that is specific to one aspect of professional nursing.

ESSENTIAL IX Reference

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008). Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice. In The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice. (2933).