NR 511 Differential Diagnosis and Primary Care Practicum

Welcome to NR511

Dear students,

Greetings and welcome to NR511, Differential Diagnosis and Primary Care Practicum. This course is designed to enrich your understanding of commonly encountered diseases within the primary care setting and provide you with the fundamental knowledge needed to formulate a differential diagnosis. An emphasis will be placed on processing client information logically and progressively, while you continue to develop and fine-tune your history-taking and physical examination skills. The course also explores the diagnostic reasoning process and provides you with the tools necessary to develop these skills for application in your clinical practice.

Many students struggle to keep up with the balance of work, the demands of school, and family commitments as they begin their practicum experiences. You may need to make some adjustments to succeed. It is STRONGLY recommended that you either reduce your work hours or stop working during your clinical courses. Give yourself plenty of time to interact with lesson content, complete the weekly readings, engage with the assigned iHuman virtual patient encounters and collaborative discussions, and study for exams.

Look for my weekly welcome announcements, which will contain information to assist you with assigned weekly activities. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or problems. Please text or email me should you have any questions or concerns. You may also post questions in the Q&A so that all students may benefit from the response.

Course Description

This course will provide students with the fundamental knowledge needed to formulate a differential diagnosis of individuals within the primary care setting, along with an introduction to critical diagnostic skills to cultivate evidence-based behaviors. An emphasis will be placed on processing client information in a logical, progressive manner and formulating differential diagnoses for individuals across the lifespan. The course will include 125 hours of supervised clinical practicum in primary care.

Course Outcomes

Chamberlain College of Nursing courses are built to align course content with specific Course Outcomes (COs). The COs define the learning objectives that the student will be required to comprehend and demonstrate by course completion. The COs that will be covered in detail each week can be found in the Overview page in that particular week. Whenever possible, a reference will be made from a particular assignment or discussion back to the CO that it emphasizes.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to do the following.

CO: 1

Develop comprehensive differential diagnoses through analysis of histories, physical findings, and diagnostic studies (PO 5)

Week(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

CO: 2

Make appropriate use of diagnostic tools with consideration of costs, risks, and benefits to individuals (PO 5) 

Week(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

CO: 3

Analyze clinical practice guidelines for application in practice (PO 5) 

Week(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

CO: 4

Formulate an evidence-based management plan for acute and common health problems based on needs of the patient and family (PO 5) 

Week(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

CO: 5

Perform and accurately document an appropriate system-focused and comprehensive history and physical exam (PO 5) 

Week(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

CO: 6

Demonstrate novice level proficiency in prioritizing patient needs (PO 5) 

Week(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Assignment Summary