PEDIATRIC WELLNESS
CLINICAL SIMULATION STUDY GUIDE
Assessment • Development • Growth Norms • Immunizations • Documentation
General Reference Edition — 2026
Prepared for nursing and health-sciences learners preparing for pediatric wellness simulations
, How to Use This Guide
This guide covers the core clinical knowledge tested in pediatric wellness simulations: systematic assessment,
developmental milestones by age, growth and vital sign norms, immunization schedules, and standard documentation
frameworks. It is written as general reference material — it does not reproduce or reference the content, data, or answer
key of any specific vendor simulation or case scenario.
Use it to build the underlying clinical reasoning that any pediatric wellness case will test, rather than to look up answers
for one. Work through each section, then practice applying it to a scenario of your own choosing (real or hypothetical)
before your simulation attempt.
Academic integrity note: this guide is a study resource. It is not a substitute for completing your own assessment,
documentation, or clinical reasoning during a graded simulation.
1. Systematic Pediatric Wellness Assessment
A pediatric wellness visit follows a predictable structure. Missing a step — not lack of medical knowledge — is the
most common reason points are lost in simulation scoring.
1.1 Pre-Encounter Preparation
• Confirm identity using two identifiers (name + date of birth).
• Review prior growth data, immunization history, and any flagged concerns before entering the room.
• Introduce yourself to both the child and the caregiver; explain the purpose of the visit in age-appropriate language.
1.2 History-Taking
• Chief concern, in the caregiver's (and, when age-appropriate, the child's) own words.
• Birth history: gestational age, birth weight, delivery complications, NICU stay.
• Feeding/nutrition history: breast/formula/solids, appetite, any feeding difficulty.
• Developmental history: milestones achieved, caregiver concerns about development.
• Past medical history: illnesses, hospitalizations, surgeries, allergies.
• Family history: relevant hereditary conditions.
• Social history: household composition, caregivers, school/daycare, safety (car seat, smoke exposure, firearms,
water safety).
• Review of systems appropriate to age and chief concern.
1.3 Physical Examination Sequence
For infants and young children, sequence matters — perform the least invasive, least distressing steps first to keep the
child calm for auscultation.
• Observation: general appearance, activity level, interaction with caregiver, color, respiratory effort.
• Auscultation: heart, lungs, bowel sounds (done early, while the child is quiet).
• Palpation: abdomen, lymph nodes, fontanelles (in infants).
• Head-to-toe exam: HEENT, skin, musculoskeletal, neurological, genitourinary as indicated.
• Vital signs and anthropometrics: temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure (as age-appropriate),
height/length, weight, head circumference (under 3 years).
CLINICAL SIMULATION STUDY GUIDE
Assessment • Development • Growth Norms • Immunizations • Documentation
General Reference Edition — 2026
Prepared for nursing and health-sciences learners preparing for pediatric wellness simulations
, How to Use This Guide
This guide covers the core clinical knowledge tested in pediatric wellness simulations: systematic assessment,
developmental milestones by age, growth and vital sign norms, immunization schedules, and standard documentation
frameworks. It is written as general reference material — it does not reproduce or reference the content, data, or answer
key of any specific vendor simulation or case scenario.
Use it to build the underlying clinical reasoning that any pediatric wellness case will test, rather than to look up answers
for one. Work through each section, then practice applying it to a scenario of your own choosing (real or hypothetical)
before your simulation attempt.
Academic integrity note: this guide is a study resource. It is not a substitute for completing your own assessment,
documentation, or clinical reasoning during a graded simulation.
1. Systematic Pediatric Wellness Assessment
A pediatric wellness visit follows a predictable structure. Missing a step — not lack of medical knowledge — is the
most common reason points are lost in simulation scoring.
1.1 Pre-Encounter Preparation
• Confirm identity using two identifiers (name + date of birth).
• Review prior growth data, immunization history, and any flagged concerns before entering the room.
• Introduce yourself to both the child and the caregiver; explain the purpose of the visit in age-appropriate language.
1.2 History-Taking
• Chief concern, in the caregiver's (and, when age-appropriate, the child's) own words.
• Birth history: gestational age, birth weight, delivery complications, NICU stay.
• Feeding/nutrition history: breast/formula/solids, appetite, any feeding difficulty.
• Developmental history: milestones achieved, caregiver concerns about development.
• Past medical history: illnesses, hospitalizations, surgeries, allergies.
• Family history: relevant hereditary conditions.
• Social history: household composition, caregivers, school/daycare, safety (car seat, smoke exposure, firearms,
water safety).
• Review of systems appropriate to age and chief concern.
1.3 Physical Examination Sequence
For infants and young children, sequence matters — perform the least invasive, least distressing steps first to keep the
child calm for auscultation.
• Observation: general appearance, activity level, interaction with caregiver, color, respiratory effort.
• Auscultation: heart, lungs, bowel sounds (done early, while the child is quiet).
• Palpation: abdomen, lymph nodes, fontanelles (in infants).
• Head-to-toe exam: HEENT, skin, musculoskeletal, neurological, genitourinary as indicated.
• Vital signs and anthropometrics: temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure (as age-appropriate),
height/length, weight, head circumference (under 3 years).
