| Course | NU142 Medical-Surgical Nursing I |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Concept map |
| Length | About 850 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BSN (prelicensure) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU142 Unit 9
Fever With No White Cells to Fight It: A Concept Map Centered on a Composite 55-Year-Old Woman Admitted Ten Days After Chemotherapy for Lymphoma, Drawing the Lines Between Neutropenia, Mouth Sores, Poor Intake and Infection Risk
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU142: Medical-Surgical Nursing I
Unit 9 Concept Map
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The patient is composite; the map is given as nodes and labeled links because the original is a diagram, and values are bracketed where illustrative.
The Patient at the Center
[Mrs. K.], a composite 55-year-old office manager, received her second cycle of chemotherapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma ten days ago. She called the oncology line with a temperature of [38.4] C, as she had been taught at her first cycle, and was admitted directly to the oncology unit. Her absolute neutrophil count is [300] cells per microliter. Her mouth is covered with painful ulcers, she has eaten little for three days, her heart rate is [106] and her blood pressure [108/66].
Nodes
1. Chemotherapy.
2. Bone marrow suppression, nadir around days [7] to [14].
3. Severe neutropenia, neutrophil count below [500].
4. Mucositis: inflamed, ulcerated lining of the mouth.
5. Fever: febrile neutropenia.
6. Pain on eating and swallowing.
7. Poor food and fluid intake.
8. Dehydration: fast heart rate, lower blood pressure.
9. Weight loss and protein deficit.
10. Infection risk and possible bloodstream infection.
11. Sepsis.
12. Anxiety about treatment delay.
Labeled Links
1 to 2: "kills rapidly dividing cells in." 1 to 4: "damages the rapidly dividing cells of." Chemotherapy targets fast-dividing cancer cells, and the marrow and the mouth lining also divide rapidly. 2 to 3: "reduces production of," with the count lowest at the nadir. 3 to 5: "removes the main defense against bacteria, so fever may be the only sign of." With few neutrophils, the usual signs of infection, pus and redness, may be absent. 4 to 10: "breaks the mucosal barrier, letting mouth bacteria enter the blood." 4 to 6: "causes." 6 to 7: "leads to." 7 to 8: "produces." 7 to 9: "produces." 8 to 11: "lowers blood pressure, adding to the circulatory strain of." 3 to 10: "multiplies." 10 to 11: "can progress rapidly to." 9 to 4: "slows healing of," a feedback loop. 5 and 11 to 12: "raise fears of delay in," with treatment possibly postponed until counts recover.
Mouth sores sit at a crossroads on the map: they open a door for infection and close the door on eating, so treating them helps two chains at once.
Where One Action Breaks Several Chains
Early antibiotics: febrile neutropenia is treated as an emergency, with broad-spectrum IV antibiotics started promptly, ideally within an hour of arrival, because infection can progress quickly with few neutrophils (Freifeld et al., 2011). This acts on nodes 5, 10 and 11.
Mouth care and pain control: gentle rinses, a soft brush and topical or systemic pain relief act on node 4 and node 6, which in turn improves node 7 and reduces entry of bacteria at node 10.
IV fluids: act on node 8 and support circulation against node 11.
Nutrition support: soft, cool, nonacidic foods and supplements act on node 9 and, through the feedback loop, on healing at node 4.
Nursing Priorities Read From the Map
First, antibiotics and sepsis surveillance, because the path from node 3 to node 11 is the fastest route to harm. Second, fluid replacement and blood pressure. Third, mouth care and pain control, which break two chains at once. Fourth, nutrition. Throughout, infection prevention: strict hand hygiene as taught in fundamentals (Potter et al., 2023), no rectal temperatures or suppositories, and avoiding visitors who are ill (Harding et al., 2023).
Checking the Map Against Her Course
Within an hour of arrival she received broad-spectrum antibiotics and a fluid bolus. Over two days her fever settled, her heart rate fell to [84], and with scheduled mouth rinses and a topical anesthetic before meals she began drinking supplements and soft foods. Her neutrophil count began to recover on day four. Each improvement followed the links the map predicted: treating the mouth sores improved intake, and intake and fluids improved circulation.
Teaching Before She Goes Home
Because her next cycles will bring the same nadir, she is taught to check her temperature twice a day during days seven to fourteen after each treatment and to call the oncology line immediately for a temperature of [38] C or higher, without taking a fever reducer first, since that can mask the fever that signals infection. She is shown gentle mouth care with a soft brush and a salt and baking soda rinse, and given a list of soft, cool foods that are easier to eat with mouth sores.
Reading the Map
The treatment cause sits on the left, the two direct effects, marrow and mouth, branch from it, and the chains converge on sepsis at the right. Feedback loops are drawn with dashed lines. Anxiety sits beneath the main map, linked to the clinical nodes, because it affects how she copes with every intervention.
References
Freifeld, A. G., Bow, E. J., Sepkowitz, K. A., Boeckh, M. J., Ito, J. I., Mullen, C. A., Raad, I. I., Rolston, K. V., Young, J. H., & Wingard, J. R. (2011). Clinical practice guideline for the use of antimicrobial agents in neutropenic patients with cancer: 2010 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 52(4), e56-e93. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cir073
Harding, M. M., Kwong, J., Hagler, D., & Reinisch, C. (2023). Lewis's medical-surgical nursing: Assessment and management of clinical problems (12th ed.). Elsevier.
Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. M. (2023). Fundamentals of nursing (11th ed.). Elsevier.
Reading the NU 142 Unit 9 instructions
Unit 9 often builds a concept map around one patient carrying several problems at once, graded on the lines drawn between them. Prompts commonly want nodes for each problem, labeled links showing how one drives another, nursing actions attached to the nodes they affect, priorities derived from the map and a brief reading guide. Instructors look for links that explain cause, feedback loops where a later problem worsens an earlier one, and recognition of actions that address several problems at once. For a patient with febrile neutropenia, they also look for urgency: prompt antibiotics are expected. Checking the map against what happened to the patient shows that it predicted something real.
Inside the NU142 Unit 9 example
The map opens with the patient's diagnosis, chemotherapy cycle, fever and neutrophil count. Twelve nodes are listed, followed by labeled links such as kills rapidly dividing cells in, removes the main defense against bacteria, and breaks the mucosal barrier, with a feedback loop from poor nutrition to slow healing. The highlighted line places the mouth sores at a crossroads. A section names four actions that break several chains, citing an infectious disease guideline for prompt antibiotics, with a margin note. Priorities are read from the map, her course over two days is checked against its predictions, teaching for her next nadir follows, and a reading note explains the layout.
Where the points sit in the NU142 Unit 9 rubric
Concept maps for complex patients in NU 142 are scored on the quality of links, recognition of interactions, accuracy and priority setting. Link quality earns the most credit: every arrow should name how one problem causes or worsens another. Interaction points go to feedback loops and to nodes where several chains meet. Accuracy covers the physiology of neutropenia, mucositis and sepsis, supported by sources in APA 7. Priority setting rewards deriving the order from the map, with the fastest path to harm addressed first, and identifying actions that act on several nodes at once. Checking predictions against the patient's course is a mark of a map used for reasoning rather than decoration.
NU142 Unit 9 help from the desk
Concept maps for patients with several problems often become lists of diagnoses in boxes, with lines drawn but not labeled. Another frequent gap is missing the urgency of fever in neutropenia, where infection can progress quickly and signs such as pus may be absent. Some maps leave out mucositis as a route for infection and treat it only as a comfort problem. Many stop at the map without deriving priorities. Label every link with a process, draw feedback loops, mark the nodes where chains meet, attach actions to what they change, rank priorities from the fastest path to harm, and compare the map with what actually happened. Read the map aloud along its fastest path to harm.
Get an NU142 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Any single patient your section assigns for Unit 9 can be mapped the same way, oncology or otherwise. Upload the case with its template and rubric; boxes, arrows and priority numbers follow that data, and the narrative matches any length set. A first custom sample carries no charge and typically lands in 24-48h. 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.
More NU142 papers and BSN samples
- NU142 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
- NU142 Unit 2: Case Study Analysis
- NU142 Unit 3: Concept Map
- NU142 Unit 4: Care Plan
- NU142 Unit 5: Case Study Analysis
- NU142 Unit 6: Handoff Report
- NU142 Unit 7: Patient Education Handout
- NU142 Unit 8: Seminar Reflection
- NU142 Unit 10: Final Case Study
- NU141CL Unit 9: Post-Conference Post
- NU141 Unit 9: Drug Class Comparison
- NU140CL Unit 9: Case Presentation
- NU140 Unit 9: Reflection
NU142 Unit 9 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NU142 Unit 9 sample paper?
The complete NU142 Unit 9 concept map for febrile neutropenia is on this page, with twelve nodes, labeled links, actions that break several chains, priorities, her course and teaching, citing three sources. We can build a map around the patient in your own assignment.
What is febrile neutropenia?
Fever in a patient with a very low neutrophil count, often after chemotherapy. With few neutrophils, infection can progress quickly and usual signs such as pus may be absent, so it is treated as an emergency.
Why are mouth sores important in NU142 Unit 9?
Mucositis breaks the barrier that keeps mouth bacteria out of the blood and makes eating and drinking painful, so it feeds both infection risk and dehydration.
How fast should antibiotics be given in febrile neutropenia?
Promptly, ideally within an hour of arrival. Broad-spectrum IV antibiotics are started early because infection can become life-threatening rapidly with few neutrophils.
What should she do during her next chemotherapy cycle?
Check her temperature twice daily during days seven to fourteen, call the oncology line for 38 C or higher without taking a fever reducer first, and follow gentle mouth care.