Running head: ESSENTIAL IX 1

e-Folio--Essential IX

Anne Waskiewicz

Frostburg State University

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Generalist Nursing Practice

The American Academy of Colleges of Nursing(AACN) Essential IX is the final and

culmination of a series of essential elements within a nursing program. The essential helps the

baccalaureate prepared nurse to organize and integrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes

learned from the nursing program. The nurse applies the information of Essential IX to a best

evidence practice, as well as to focus on outcomes for various populations, individuals, families,

groups and communities. The nurse is the integral connection between the patient and a complex,

ever-changing healthcare system. Essential IX equips the professional nurse to care for patients

in a compassionate, proficient manner across a patients lifespan from birth to old age.

Exemplar

I chose the Comprehensive Health Assessment because it challenged, motivated and

expanded my knowledge on how to properly and fully perform a comprehensive health

assessment. Nursing 401 has laid a solid foundation on how to perform the comprehensive

health assessment in an organized approach which includes the patients personal beliefs,

cultural values, educational level, nutrition and stress management.

Reflection

Essential IX and the Comprehensive Health Assessment prepared me to conduct a

thorough assessment involving: focused physical, behavioral, psychological, spiritual,

socioeconomic and environmental assessments of health and illness parameters in my patient

(American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN] 2008). Essential IX is the link between

theory and practice, where the nurse takes the knowledge gained and applies it to her nursing
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practice. The Health Assessment that I had the opportunity to perform on a patient required that

I apply Essential IX, by taking the knowledge base gained through my nursing program and

apply it to a mock clinical assessment. The Health Assessment course has given me a solid

foundation to be a better professional nurse by sharpening my assessment and examination skills

through study and practice to provide the best patient care.

One important factor is to establish a trusting relationship between the patient and the

nurse. A relationship takes time to develop. I will discuss number 21, which states engage in

caring and healing techniques that promote a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship. (AACN,

2008) The relationship and examination of the patient began when the patient entered the room.

The textbook made several suggestions on how to make one comfortable. The assessment began

with eye contact, a smile and handshake (Estes, 2014). The first impression cannot be made on a

second visit. I discovered if I am relaxed and inviting it tends to put my patient a little more at

ease. The next step was a dialogue between each of us regarding the steps I would take to

perform the comprehensive health assessment. We would stop and answer questions, if they

arose, before proceeding. The patient understood she was free to stop the examination at any

time.

In todays electronic world it takes skill to slow down and listen to a patient. In number

8, managing and promoting health while caring for the individual is difficult when our healthcare

system, medical reimbursement organization, and care management teams are pressuring the

healthcare practitioners to hurry up, get them out. The ability to perform a complete and

thorough assessment in a short timeframe takes a lot of practice. It is imperative for the

baccalaureate prepared nurse to perform this assessment thoroughly to ensure their client is

going to have the best possible outcome. The benefits of technology are far-reaching, with
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quicker lab results, better infectious disease management, easier patient access to records.

However, with the elderly population rising lets not forget the far-reaching benefits of sitting

down at eye-level creating a warm, safe, healing environment.

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Reference
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate

education for professional nursing practice (2nd ed.). Washington, DC

Estes, M. E. (2014). Health Assessment and Physical Examination (5th ed.). Clifton, NY:

Delmar.