The History Taking and Physical Examination for Advancing Practice unit helps you to develop a wide repertoire of skills and knowledge that are required to undertake a thorough physical assessment of an adult. It will help you to distinguish normal findings from pathological ones by significantly enhancing your assessment skills and ability to accurately describe your observations and findings using appropriate terminology.

On completion of the unit you will be able to demonstrate an advanced knowledge of applied anatomy and physiology of the human body and competence in your ability to perform a complete physical assessment. You will be able to synthesise and interpret assessment information based on clinical judgement and evidence–based practice.

It is expected, prior to undertaking this unit, that the student will have a breadth and depth of underpinning knowledge of anatomy and physiology, in particular, knowledge of the cardiovascular, respiratory, lymphatic, abdominal, musculo-skeletal and nervous systems.

The understanding, skills and knowledge acquired in this unit are critical for the development of clinical assessment skills, to a more advanced level. In this unit, the student will be supported by lectures and practical teaching sessions in which students acquire history taking and physical examination skills, through practising on each other, in a controlled and facilitated setting, supervised and guided by members of the teaching team. The student will be expected to have reviewed relevant anatomy and physiology in preparation for each session and to have engaged with the on-line learning materials. Learning opportunities within the clinical skills sessions will enable the student to apply theoretical principles and evidence-based practice to the clinical skills being learnt.

Further practice will be gained within the student’s own clinical setting under the supervision of a clinical mentor or other appropriate, clinically-based colleagues.  It is, therefore, important that the student Is working, on a regular basis, in an environment where the skills and knowledge are used.  This is required to enable immediate development, application and consolidation of new learning within the practice setting and to ensure ongoing application of the skills within the student’s practice.

Learning outcomes

Having completed this unit, the student is expected to:

1. Critically articulate and apply advanced knowledge and understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, to clinical assessment;

2. Demonstrate and critically appraise their ability to obtain an in-depth, structured patient history;

3. Demonstrate competence in their ability to perform a comprehensive, physical examination of body systems, critically appraising normal from abnormal findings. 

Assessment

The student undertakes a mOSCE and viva voce assessment that includes history taking, physical examination of body systems and applied anatomy and physiology, with determination of normal from abnormal findings, in a simulated clinical environment.
(3,000 words equivalent)