NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development

Week 1

Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development

When we work with parents in a spirit of true partnership, mothers, fathers, and other caregivers are more likely to invite and welcome providers’ support in evaluating needs, developing goals, and identifying effective ways to strengthen the family and provide care for children. —Child Welfare Information Gateway

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Primary care of pediatrics begins in infancy and progresses through adolescence. During these stages of growth and development, children depend upon their families and health care providers to meet their individual health needs. As an advanced practice nurse, you must assess the family unit as a whole in order to determine the needs of the patient and the family. It is essential to work closely with parents and caregivers to provide care to pediatric patients and maintain patients’ health and well-being.

This week you explore the impact of sociocultural influences on assessments of children and families. You also examine strategies for assisting families in making health-related decisions for children at different stages of growth and development.

Note: Throughout this course, the term parent will be used to represent a pediatric patient’s caregiver, which may include a parent, stepparent, foster parent, guardian, and so on.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, students will:

Analyze the impact of sociocultural influences on assessments of children and families
Analyze strategies to assist families in making health-related decisions for children at different stages of growth and development
Understand and apply key terms, principles, and concepts related to growth and development
Analyze personal strengths and weaknesses in working with children
Analyze theories in pediatric nursing practice
Apply theories in pediatric nursing practice

Required Readings

Burns, C. E., Dunn, A. M., Brady, M. A., Starr, N. B., Blosser, C. G., & Garzon, D. L. (Eds.). (2017). Pediatric primary care (6th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.
- Chapter 2, “Child and Family Health Assessment” (pp. 10–32)
  - This chapter explores components of the child and family health assessment and provides guidelines for obtaining adequate information during family health assessments.

Chapter 3, “Cultural Perspectives for Pediatric Primary Care” (pp. 33-44)
- This chapter outlines characteristics of culture and presents guidelines for providing culturally competent care to pediatric patients. It also examines components of specific cultural groups, including immigrant and refugee populations.
Chapter 4, “Developmental Management in Pediatric Primary Care” (pp. 46-60)
- This chapter covers developmental principles, theories, and assessments of pediatric patients. It also identifies strategies for managing child development through both child-centered and family-centered care.
Chapter 9, “Introduction to Functional Health Patterns and Health Promotion” (pp. 141-157)
- This chapter examines factors that impact children’s health. It focuses on health perception, health management, and strategies for providing family-centered care.
Chapter 14, “Sleep and Rest” (pp. 273-284)
- This chapter describes normal sleep patterns and identifies indicators of sleep problems in children and adolescents. It also presents strategies for treating pediatric patients with sleep problems.
Chapter 17, “Role Relationships” (pp. 311-338)
- This chapter explores the dynamics and challenges of family relationships. It also describes circumstances that can cause disequilibrium in family units.

Hagan, J. F., Jr., Shaw, J. S., Duncan, P. M. (Eds.). (2017). Bright futures: Guidelines for health supervision of infants, children, and adolescents (4th ed.). Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.
- “Promoting Family Support” (pp. 41-64)
  - This chapter explores the composition of the family and family roles, focusing on the family’s growth and development in addition to the child’s growth and development. It also examines aspects of family and child assessments, including forming an effective partnership with families and promoting family support from infancy through adolescence.
- “Promoting Healthy Weight” (pp. 151-166)
  - This chapter describes the prevalence and trends of overweight and obesity in the United States. It also presents strategies for screening, assessing, treating, and preventing obesity in pediatric patients from infancy through adolescence.
- “Promoting Healthy Nutrition” (pp. 167-192)
  - This chapter examines the impact of environment and culture on patient behaviors related to food and nutrition. It also explores essential components of nutrition for children from preconception through adolescence.
- “Promoting Physical Activity” (pp. 193-203)
  - This chapter describes physical activity as a growing problem. It also identifies strategies for promoting physical activity, including age-appropriate activities for infants, children, and adolescents.
- “Promoting Safety and Injury Prevention” (pp. 235-256)
  - This chapter explores two categories of issues relating to safety and injury prevention and examines strategies for promoting safety among infants, children, and adolescents.
- National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. (2008). NAPNAP position statement on age parameters for pediatric nurse practitioner practice. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 22(3), e1–e2.
  - This article identifies age parameters for the pediatric patient population and outlines roles of health care providers caring for this patient population.
- S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). Healthy people 2020 topics and objectives. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/default.aspx
  - This website provides evidence-based resources for a range of health topics including adolescent health, early and middle childhood, family planning, nutrition and weight status, and physical activity.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013b). Course welcome. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.
In this video program, Dr. Dawn Garzon discusses the importance of primary care for adolescents and children.

Clinical Resources

Document: Practicum Journal Template (Word document)
Document: Nurse Practitioner (NP) Student Clinical Orientation (PowerPoint file)
Document: Practicum Manual (PDF)

Optional Resources

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2012). Guidelines and recommendations. Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/clinicians-providers/guidelines-recommendations/index.html

Discussion: Child and Family Assessments

When caring for pediatric patients, you do not just assess and treat the patient but rather the entire family unit. This often poses challenges for advanced practice nurses because of the dynamics of the various types of family units (i.e., two traditional parents, a single parent, same-sex parents, divorced parents, stepparents, adoptive families, foster families, military families, grandparents as the primary caregiver, etc.). Care strategies that might work for a two-parent family, for instance, might not work for a single-parent family or a foster family. Additionally, family units also present with differences in backgrounds, cultures, and religions. All of these factors have the potential to impact the care of patients and their families, making it essential for you to tailor your assessments and care plans to meet the individual needs of families.

Note:Throughout this course, the term parent will be used to represent a pediatric patient’s caregiver, which may include a parent, stepparent, foster parent, guardian, and so on.

To prepare:

Review this week’s media presentation, as well as
“Child and Family Health Assessment,”
“Cultural Perspectives for Pediatric Primary Care,” and
“Developmental Management in Pediatric Primary Care” in the Burns et al. text.
Consider how a provider’s personal definition of family and family roles might impact the assessment of a child and the child’s family. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development
Reflect on how the culture of the provider and/or the patient may further influence the assessment.
Think about three strategies that a provider can use to assist families with making health-related decisions for children at different stages of growth and development.
Consider how these strategies might change when assessing patients at different stages of growth and development and with different family backgrounds.

By Day 3

Post an explanation of how a provider’s personal definition of family and family roles might impact the assessment of a child and his or her family.
Then, explain how culture (both the culture of the provider and that of the child and his or her family) may further influence the assessment. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development
Finally, explain at least three strategies that the provider can use to assist families with making health-related decisions for children at different stages of growth and development.
Also, explain how these strategies might change when assessing patients at different stages of growth and development and with different family backgrounds.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who suggested different strategies than you did.
Based on your personal and/or professional experiences, expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or different perspectives. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development
Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings.
Begin by clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post.
Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit! NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development

Quiz: Week 1

This Quiz covers the content you have explored throughout the week. The Quiz may include the following topics:

Growth and development
Wellness recommendations for nutrition, sleep, injury prevention, and immunizations
By Day 7
You have 30 minutes to complete the Quiz. You may only attempt this Quiz once.
This quiz is a test of your knowledge in preparation for your certification exam.
No outside resources including books, notes, websites, or any other type of resource are to be used to complete this quiz.
You are expected to comply with Walden University’s Code of Conduct.

Assignment: Practicum – Journal Entry

As a future advanced practice nurse, it is important that you are able to connect your didactic experience to your Practicum experience. By applying the concepts, you study in the classroom to clinical settings, you better prepare yourself for your future professional career. Each week, you complete an assignment that prompts you to reflect on your Practicum experiences and relate them to the material presented in the classroom. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development

To prepare for this course’s Practicum experience, address the following in your Practicum journal:

Explain what most excites and/or concerns you about pediatric clinical experiences.
Include a description of your strengths and weaknesses in terms of working with children and how these strengths and weaknesses might impact your Practicum experience.
Select and explain a nursing theory to guide your practice with pediatric patients.
Based on your strengths, weaknesses, and theory of nursing practice, develop goals and objectives for the Practicum experience in this course.
Be sure to consider the NAPNAP Position Statement on Age Parameters for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Practice from this week’s Learning Resources. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development
Create a timeline of Practicum activities based on your Practicum requirements.

By day 7 of Week 4

This Assignment is due.
You will submit this Week 1 Journal Entry along with the Week 2 and Week 4 Journal Entries, and the Week 3 SOAP Note.

Time Logs

You are required to keep a log of the time you spend related to your practicum experience and enter every patient you see each day.
You can access your time log from the Welcome Page in your Meditrek account.
You will track time individually for each patient you work with.
Please make sure to continuously input your hours throughout the term.
Logs are reviewed by your instructors in weeks 3, 7 and 11. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development

Week in Review

This week you examined the multiple challenges associated with pediatric care assessments and the various care strategies that should be tailored to meet the needs of diverse family units.
Next week you will examine growth development in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, identify developmental red flags and specific assessment and management tools used for this age group.

Looking Ahead Week 1

So that you have key information available to you off-line, it is highly recommended that you print this Looking Ahead for your reference. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development

Week 3

In Week 3, you connect your classroom experience to your Practicum experience as you complete your first SOAP Note.
Review the Week 3 Learning Resources for guidance on writing SOAP Notes and contact the Instructor with any questions.
You submit the Week 3 SOAP Note and your Practicum Time Log in Week 4.

Week 4

In Week 4, you develop a protocol for the diagnosis, management, and follow-up care for a growth and development or psychosocial issue.
Prior to beginning this Assignment, the course Instructor must approve the issue you select. E-mail the course Instructor with your selection by Day 7 of Week 2.
Review the Week 4 Assignment section for additional guidance.
Contact the course Instructor with any questions.

Week 7

In Week 7, you complete your second SOAP Note.
Be sure to review the Instructor’s feedback on your first SOAP Note submission to improve the quality of your second submission.
Also, you develop a protocol for the diagnosis, management, and follow-up care for a disorder that is common among pediatric patients. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development
Prior to beginning this Assignment, the course Instructor must approve the disorder you select.
E-mail the course Instructor with your selection by Day 7 of Week 5. Review the Week 7 Assignment 1 section for additional guidance.
Contact the course Instructor with any questions.

Week 10

In Week 10, you complete your final SOAP Note.
Be sure to review the Instructor’s feedback on your first two SOAP Note submissions to improve the quality of your final submission.
You submit the Week 10 SOAP Note and your Practicum Time Log in Week 10.

Note: Throughout this course, the term parent will be used to represent a pediatric patient’s caregiver, which may include a parent, stepparent, foster parent, guardian, and so on. NURS 6541 Week 1: Overview of Growth and Development