N6541 Peds Discussion Board Assignments
Week 1 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.
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.
Post on or before Day 3 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. 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.
Week 2 Discussion
Developmental Red Flags
Wellness visits are an important part of pediatric primary care. During these visits, patient
growth and development are assessed. As an advanced practice nurse who performs these
assessments, you must be able to distinguish between normal and abnormal growth and
development to recognize red flags. While some patients may not meet milestones due to
differences in rates of development, abnormal development might also be a red flag of an
underlying problem. In this Discussion, you examine the following case studies and
consider potential developmental red flags:
Case Study 1:
A mother brings in her 16-month-old, Brittany, for treatment of an acute illness. During the
history, the mother reports that her mother-in-law is concerned about the toddler’s
development. Further questioning reveals the following:
Brittany was a term infant born vaginally with no intrapartum complications. Birth
weight was 8 pounds 1 ounce and current weight is 26 pounds 9 ounces.
She was breastfed until 12 months of age and now drinks 24 ounces of whole milk and
eats table foods daily.
Physical milestones are as follows: Rolled front to back at 6 months, developed pincer
grasp at 11 months, crawled at 8 months, and began cruising at 10 months. She does not
walk independently.
Social development includes mimicking adult behavior, four-word vocabulary (mama,
dada, baba, and no), follows one-step commands, and quiets easily when comforted.
, Case Study 2:
You see a 30-month-old named Brian for a well-child visit. His mother reports the
following development:
Physical: Walks independently, runs, able to climb stairs alternating feet, makes a tower
of nine cubes, and is able to button his pants.
Social: Follows one-step commands, uses one-word sentences, and has a vocabulary of
approximately six words. He is resistant to nighttime and feeding routines, he has
marked temper tantrums, and Mom states he does not calm when she tries to comfort
him.
Case Study 3:
Jose is a 36-month-old who presents for a preschool evaluation. His father reports the
following development:
Physical: Walks, runs, and jumps independently, walks up stairs alternating feet, pedals a
three-wheeler, scribbles, copies circles and squares, and is able to balance on one foot
for 2 to 3 seconds.
Social: Recognizes three colors; speech is 75% understandable; uses three- to four-word
sentences; talks about friends, favorite activities, and family; frequently engages in
imitative play; has an imaginary friend; does stutter on occasion when excited or when
intent on getting something said. Will typically repeat the first word in a sentence three
to four times, but does not repeat syllables or consonants. This happens three to four
times a week.
To prepare:
Review this week’s media presentations, as well as “Developmental Management of
Infants” and “Developmental Management of Toddlers and Preschoolers” in the Burns
et al. text.
Think about how physical, social, and cognitive development vary during infancy,
toddlerhood, and the preschool years. Reflect on normal versus abnormal growth and
development and consider the decision-making process of identifying and managing
red flags of abnormal development.
Select one of the three case studies provided. Reflect on the patient information included
in the case study and consider any developmental red flags.
Reflect on standardized screening tools, clinical guidelines, and management strategies
that would be used to assess and manage the patient in your selected case study.
Week 1 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.
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.
Post on or before Day 3 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. 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.
Week 2 Discussion
Developmental Red Flags
Wellness visits are an important part of pediatric primary care. During these visits, patient
growth and development are assessed. As an advanced practice nurse who performs these
assessments, you must be able to distinguish between normal and abnormal growth and
development to recognize red flags. While some patients may not meet milestones due to
differences in rates of development, abnormal development might also be a red flag of an
underlying problem. In this Discussion, you examine the following case studies and
consider potential developmental red flags:
Case Study 1:
A mother brings in her 16-month-old, Brittany, for treatment of an acute illness. During the
history, the mother reports that her mother-in-law is concerned about the toddler’s
development. Further questioning reveals the following:
Brittany was a term infant born vaginally with no intrapartum complications. Birth
weight was 8 pounds 1 ounce and current weight is 26 pounds 9 ounces.
She was breastfed until 12 months of age and now drinks 24 ounces of whole milk and
eats table foods daily.
Physical milestones are as follows: Rolled front to back at 6 months, developed pincer
grasp at 11 months, crawled at 8 months, and began cruising at 10 months. She does not
walk independently.
Social development includes mimicking adult behavior, four-word vocabulary (mama,
dada, baba, and no), follows one-step commands, and quiets easily when comforted.
, Case Study 2:
You see a 30-month-old named Brian for a well-child visit. His mother reports the
following development:
Physical: Walks independently, runs, able to climb stairs alternating feet, makes a tower
of nine cubes, and is able to button his pants.
Social: Follows one-step commands, uses one-word sentences, and has a vocabulary of
approximately six words. He is resistant to nighttime and feeding routines, he has
marked temper tantrums, and Mom states he does not calm when she tries to comfort
him.
Case Study 3:
Jose is a 36-month-old who presents for a preschool evaluation. His father reports the
following development:
Physical: Walks, runs, and jumps independently, walks up stairs alternating feet, pedals a
three-wheeler, scribbles, copies circles and squares, and is able to balance on one foot
for 2 to 3 seconds.
Social: Recognizes three colors; speech is 75% understandable; uses three- to four-word
sentences; talks about friends, favorite activities, and family; frequently engages in
imitative play; has an imaginary friend; does stutter on occasion when excited or when
intent on getting something said. Will typically repeat the first word in a sentence three
to four times, but does not repeat syllables or consonants. This happens three to four
times a week.
To prepare:
Review this week’s media presentations, as well as “Developmental Management of
Infants” and “Developmental Management of Toddlers and Preschoolers” in the Burns
et al. text.
Think about how physical, social, and cognitive development vary during infancy,
toddlerhood, and the preschool years. Reflect on normal versus abnormal growth and
development and consider the decision-making process of identifying and managing
red flags of abnormal development.
Select one of the three case studies provided. Reflect on the patient information included
in the case study and consider any developmental red flags.
Reflect on standardized screening tools, clinical guidelines, and management strategies
that would be used to assess and manage the patient in your selected case study.
