| Course | NS420 Nutritional Counseling |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Paper type | Client case note |
| Length | About 680 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Nutrition Science |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NS420 Unit 7
Written for the Colleague Who Was Not There: A Unit 7 DAP Client Case Note for a Hotel Housekeeping Supervisor
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NS420: Nutritional Counseling
Unit 7 Client Case Note
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The client, the session and every value are composite; the nutrition care process update, the motivational interviewing text and the self-efficacy article cited are real.
Identifying Information
Client: L. M., 55, housekeeping supervisor at a downtown hotel, working the early shift that ends mid-afternoon. Referred by her primary care provider for nutrition counseling related to type 2 diabetes diagnosed four months ago. Session 3 of 6. Date of session: October 9. Length: 45 minutes, in person.
Data
Subjective. L. M. reported that she met her goal from session 2 on four of five workdays: eating the packed lunch she prepares on Sunday instead of buying pastries from the hotel's breakfast leftovers. She said, "The pastries are still there every morning, but I walk past the staff room now." She described one hard day when a large group checked out and she skipped lunch, then ate two pastries at 2:00 p.m. She reported feeling dizzy on two afternoons this week, both after standing for long periods, and said her provider started a new blood pressure medicine eight days ago. She rated her confidence in keeping the packed lunch at 8 of 10, up from 5 at session 2.
Objective. Home glucose log brought to session, seven days of fasting readings ranging from 128 to 152 mg/dL, with a mean of 139 mg/dL. Previous week's mean, from session 2, was 151 mg/dL. Weight not measured today at the client's request. Most recent A1C, from the referral four months ago, 7.8 percent.
Assessment
L. M. is in the action stage for her packed lunch goal and has kept it on most workdays for two weeks. The drop in her mean fasting glucose from 151 to 139 mg/dL is consistent with her report, though other factors, including her medicines, may contribute. Her higher confidence rating fits her success; mastery experience is the strongest source of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977). The one lapse followed a schedule disruption, which suggests she needs a plan for busy days rather than more motivation.
The dizziness she described after starting a new blood pressure medicine falls outside nutrition counseling and was referred back to her prescriber the same day.
Nutrition diagnosis, in the format of the nutrition care process (Swan et al., 2017): inconsistent carbohydrate intake related to irregular meal timing on high-workload days, as evidenced by skipped lunch and pastry intake on one of five workdays and the client's report.
Plan
1. Continue the Sunday packed lunch goal. Client set this goal herself; no changes.
2. Busy-day plan, chosen by the client: keep two shelf-stable options, a peanut butter packet with whole-grain crackers and a small bag of nuts, in her locker for days she cannot stop for lunch.
3. Scope referral: the counselor advised her to contact her primary care provider about the dizziness today. Client agreed and called from the clinic lobby before leaving; she reported an appointment for October 11. Counselor did not give advice on the medicine.
4. Next session, October 16: review the glucose log, the busy-day plan and the outcome of her provider visit. Explore whether she wants to set a goal about evening meals, which she mentioned briefly but did not want to discuss today.
Counselor Approach
The counselor used open questions and reflections and asked permission before discussing the lapse. L. M. was not pushed toward the evening meal topic, consistent with motivational interviewing's emphasis on following the client's lead about what to change (Miller & Rollnick, 2023).
Notes for Covering Colleague
L. M. prefers to be called by her first name. She responds well to having her progress named but dislikes being weighed. Do not suggest she stop the leftover pastries entirely; she chose to walk past the staff room and wants to keep that her own decision. Confirm at the next visit that she saw her provider about the dizziness.
References
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2023). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change and grow (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
Swan, W. I., Vivanti, A., Hakel-Smith, N. A., Hotson, B., Orrevall, Y., Trostler, N., Beck Howarter, K., & Papoutsakis, C. (2017). Nutrition care process and model update: Toward realizing people-centered care and outcomes management. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(12), 2003-2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.07.015
What the NS420 Unit 7 assignment asks for
The seventh NS420 unit asks students to write a client case note for a counseling session in a named format, often DAP, SOAP or ADIME. Prompts usually stress objectivity, brevity and usefulness to another professional. Begin with identifying information: client initials, setting, session number, date and length. In the Data section, separate what the client reported from what was measured or observed. Use the client's words where they matter. In the Assessment section, interpret the data without overstating it, and include a nutrition diagnosis if the course requires one. In the Plan section, list agreed actions, referrals and the next session's focus. Record anything outside your scope and how you handled it. Keep the note to what a covering colleague needs. One to two pages is common.
How the NS 420 Unit 7 example is put together
The sample's identifying block gives initials, job, shift, referral reason and session details. Subjective data report her goal progress in her own words, the one lapse and the dizziness she described. Objective data list seven days of fasting readings with the mean and the prior week's mean, note that weight was not taken at her request and give her last A1C. The assessment places her in the action stage, links her rising confidence to mastery experience and frames the lapse as a schedule problem. The highlighted sentence records the scope referral. A nutrition diagnosis follows the problem, cause and evidence format. The plan lists four numbered actions. A brief section on counselor approach and a set of handoff notes for the covering colleague finish the record.
NS420 Unit 7 rubric: what earns full points
Case notes in nutrition counseling are generally graded on format accuracy, objectivity, clinical judgment and how usable the note is for another professional. A large share of the marks attaches to clean separation of subjective and objective data and to an assessment that interprets rather than repeats. Instructors look for appropriate scope: anything medical should be documented and referred, not managed. A nutrition diagnosis written in the expected structure earns credit where the course uses one. The plan should be specific, with dates and the client's own choices. Brevity counts; long narrative notes lose points even when accurate. Professional language without judgment is expected. Citations are fewer in notes than in papers, but sources for the diagnosis format and counseling approach still help.
NS420 Unit 7 help from the desk
A common case note problem is mixing what the client said with what was measured, so the reader cannot tell fact from report. Another is an assessment section that only restates the data. Writers sometimes give advice about medicines or symptoms that belong to a prescriber. Notes run long with conversational detail a colleague does not need. Plans are vague, such as continue counseling. The nutrition diagnosis is missing or written as a general statement. Judgmental words, like noncompliant, creep in. Handoff information, such as client preferences, is left out. If your session went well but your note reads like a story, our team can help you put it into the format your course requires.
Get an NS420 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
The Unit 7 prompt may supply a session summary, a transcript, or a scenario; any of them works, along with the note format your section requires and the rubric. The note separates data from interpretation, records scope issues without overstepping, and ends on a plan with owners and dates. It comes back within 24-48h, free the first time. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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NS420 Unit 7 questions, answered
Which note format should a counseling case note use?
The one the course or setting names. DAP, SOAP and ADIME all appear in nutrition and counseling work, and each divides observation from interpretation in its own way. If the prompt leaves it open, choose one, label its sections clearly, and keep each section to its own kind of content. Consistency with the format matters more than which format it is.
How should a note handle something the client said about a medical condition?
Record it as reported, in the client's words, without interpreting it. Note whether the client has a clinician following the issue and whether a referral was offered or accepted. A nutrition counselor's note is not the place for a diagnosis or a treatment suggestion. Leaving the statement out entirely can be a problem too, since a later reader may need to know.
How long should a case note be?
Shorter than most first drafts. A single session usually fits in half a page to a page, depending on the format. The test is whether each line helps the next reader act. Narrative about small talk, restated goals the header already shows, and opinions about personality can go. If the prompt asks for a commentary, keep that separate from the note.
Where can I find a free NS420 Unit 7 sample paper?
A complete Unit 7 DAP case note is on this page, documenting a third session with a housekeeping supervisor with type 2 diabetes, including a nutrition diagnosis, a same-day scope referral and handoff notes.
Why does the NS420 Unit 7 note refer the client's dizziness elsewhere?
Dizziness after starting a new blood pressure medicine is a medical question outside nutrition counseling. The note records what she reported, documents that she was advised to call her provider, and confirms she made the call before leaving.