Assignment Details
The purpose of this assignment is to practice the skills you have learned and demonstrate your ability to assess the abdomen and neurological system. For this assignment you will need to videotape yourself examining the abdomen on a volunteer of your choosing. This should take you between 30-45 minutes. When you are done you will document your findings. You will need to submit both your video and your documentation. Below are the required pieces in your assessment.
Abdomen:
- Inspect the skin and contour of the abdomen
- Observe for peristalsis and pulsations
- Auscultate the abdomen
- Auscultate for bruits over the aorta, renal arteries, iliac arteries and femoral arteries
- Percuss the abdomen
- Palpate the abdomen (light then deep)
- Assess for peritoneal inflammation
- Rebound tenderness
- Murphy’s sign
- Rovsing’s sign
- Psoas sign
- Obturator sign
- Cutaneous hyperesthesia
- Percuss liver
- Palpate liver
- Percuss spleen
- Palpate spleen
- Palpate bilateral kidneys
- Assess for CVA tenderness
- Palpate width of the aorta
Nervous system
- Assess mental status
- Cranial nerves 1-12
- Motor system: muscle bulk, tone strength, coordination, gait and stance
- Sensory system: pain/temp, vibration, light touch, discrimination
- Deep tendon reflexes
Next, you will need to document your findings.
To view the Grading Rubric for this Assignment, please visit the Grading Rubrics section of the Course Resources.
Assignment Requirements
Before finalizing your work, you should:
- be sure to read the Assignment description carefully (as displayed above)
- consult the Grading Rubric to make sure you have included everything necessary; and
- utilize spelling and grammar check to minimize errors.
Your writing Assignment should:
- follow the conventions of Standard English (correct grammar, punctuation, etc.);
- be well ordered, logical, and unified, as well as original and insightful;
- display superior content, organization, style, and mechanics; and
