Develop a nursing assessment curriculum and strategy that works best with the student body, faculty and school resources. Nursing assessment is traditionally taught in the sophomore year of nursing school through a combination of large lectures and labs. The lectures provide the general content and concepts involved in the health assessment process. The labs provide a more individualized learning forum where nursing students gain practical knowledge and experience. Universities and colleges are also beginning to use virtual clinics with web-based software.
Teach nursing students the techniques, tools and medical skills necessary for the objective part of health assessment. One aspect of health assessment requires nurses to objectively gather information and data about the patient's health. This requires the ability to read a patient's medical charts and read vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and respiratory rate.
Educate nursing students in the various techniques and procedures involved in the subjective part of the assessment procedure. In addition to the objective and physical part of the assessment, nurses also gather non-physiological information and data in order to form a fuller understanding of the patient's health. The techniques involved include interviewing skills and observational skills. Interviewing and observing patients provides information and details about psychological, sociocultural, economic and other aspects of the patient that may affect his or her health. Labs and virtual clinics provide nursing students an opportunity to develop and refine interviewing skills.