NU225CL Unit 2 Toddler Assessment Journal Example

Reviewed by Elspeth Marlowe, MSN, RN Pediatric Nursing Clinical Purdue University Global Free custom sample in 24 to 48h

This NU225CL Unit 2 clinical journal entry works a composite student's failed first assessment of a two-year-old through Gibbs' six stages. It belongs to Purdue Global NU 225CL, Pediatric Nursing Clinical, a BSN clinical course. The writer pressed a stethoscope to a toddler's chest before saying a word, and the screaming that followed left the breathing uncountable and the heart sounds inaudible. The analysis links the failure to a reversed sequence, intrusive steps first, and to what the course text says about toddlers. The action plan is a six-step card, from counting breathing at the doorway to taking temperature last, and the next morning's use of it is reported, along with what the child's father taught the writer.

CourseNU225CL Pediatric Nursing Clinical
UnitUnit 2
Paper typeClinical journal entry
LengthAbout 820 words, 5 pages double-spaced
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolPurdue University Global
ProgramBSN (prelicensure)
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for NU225CL Unit 2

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Stethoscope First, and Nothing Countable: A Clinical Journal Entry Using Gibbs' Six Stages on a Failed First Assessment of a Composite Two-Year-Old, and the Sequence That Worked the Next Morning

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

NU225CL: Pediatric Nursing Clinical

Unit 2 Clinical Journal Entry

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The child, parent and shift are composite; values are bracketed where illustrative, and the student worked under the assigned nurse and instructor.

What this part is doingThe entry follows one assessment through Gibbs' stages, which keeps the reflection focused on a change that can be repeated.
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Description

Gibbs' cycle structures this entry, from description through action plan (Gibbs, 1988). [Ava], composite, 2, was admitted for intravenous antibiotics for cellulitis of the lower leg. At [0800] she was sitting on her father's lap, watching a cartoon. I walked in, said nothing, and pressed my stethoscope to her chest. She screamed and twisted away. I tried to count her breathing and could not; I could not hear her heart over the crying. I then tried an ear thermometer, and she pushed my hand away and hid her face in her father's shirt. For the next ten minutes she screamed whenever I moved toward her. My assigned nurse finished the assessment later, when Ava was asleep.

Feelings

I was embarrassed, especially in front of her father, who watched me fail with his child. I also felt a little hurt, which surprised me; my own children never reacted to me like that. Underneath both was worry that I would not be able to assess young children at all.

Evaluation

What helped: her father staying with her and holding her, which kept her from being even more frightened. What did not help: the order. I did the most intrusive things first, touching her chest and putting something in her ear, before she had any reason to trust me, and I lost the chance to count her breathing while she was calm.

Analysis

A two-year-old is wary of strangers, wants to stay close to her parent and has little understanding of why a stranger is touching her (Perry et al., 2022). Toddlers also tend to protest procedures that intrude on their bodies, especially the ears and mouth. The course text recommends approaching toddlers gradually, letting them stay on the parent's lap, observing before touching, using play and doing the most invasive parts last. My order was the reverse of that guidance.

I had counted adult breathing from the bedside a hundred times, and it had not occurred to me that with a toddler the count has to happen before I walk in.

Breathing is most accurately counted when a child is calm, and a crying child's rate tells me only that she is crying. An approach that keeps the child calm is not only kinder; it produces better data. Reducing a child's fear and distress is part of good pediatric care in its own right, not a courtesy added afterward (Fein et al., 2012).

What this part is doingThe analysis links the failed order to the course text's guidance, showing the problem was a missing sequence, not a missing skill.
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Conclusion

I could have counted her breathing from the doorway while she watched television, greeted her father before her, shown her the stethoscope and let her touch it, listened to her chest with her on his lap, and left the ear thermometer for the end, or asked whether an underarm temperature was acceptable. Any of those would have given me a respiratory rate and heart sounds before she was upset.

Action Plan

The next morning I used a card in my pocket with this order:

1. From the doorway: count breathing for a full minute, watch color and effort.

2. Greet the parent first, then the child, at her eye level.

3. Let her hold the stethoscope; listen to a stuffed animal first.

4. Heart and lungs on the parent's lap.

5. Skin, the leg wound and capillary refill.

6. Temperature last, by the route the unit allows that she tolerates best.

It worked. I counted her breathing at [28] from the doorway while she ate breakfast. She let me listen to her bear and then to her chest, and she cried only at the thermometer, after I had everything else. Her father said, "That was better," and I agreed.

What this part is doingThe action plan is a numbered sequence the writer actually used and reports the result, which closes Gibbs' cycle with evidence.
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What the Parent Taught Me

On the second morning I noticed what her father did without being asked. He narrated for her: "She's going to listen to your bear now, then you." He held her hand toward the stethoscope so she could touch it first. He had done this at every doctor's visit since she was born, and I had walked past that expertise on the first day. Asking a parent how their child usually handles examinations, and what helps, takes a minute and would have given me the sequence before I needed to learn it by failing.

Learning I Will Carry Forward

For young children, the order of the assessment is part of the assessment. I will keep the card until the sequence is automatic, and I will use the parent as part of the examination rather than as an observer of it.

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References

Fein, J. A., Zempsky, W. T., Cravero, J. P., & the Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Section on Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. (2012). Relief of pain and anxiety in pediatric patients in emergency medical systems. Pediatrics, 130(5), e1391-e1405. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-2536

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.

Perry, S. E., Hockenberry, M. J., Cashion, K., Alden, K. R., Olshansky, E., & Lowdermilk, D. L. (2022). Maternal child nursing care (7th ed.). Elsevier.

What the NU225CL Unit 2 assignment asks for

Unit 2 often asks for a clinical journal entry using a structured reflective model, commonly Gibbs, on an experience from the first pediatric shifts. Prompts usually expect the model's stages to appear in sequence, from a plain account of events through to a plan for the next shift. Instructors look for one specific event rather than a summary of the day, analysis that draws on developmental knowledge and the course text, and an action plan concrete enough to try on the next shift. Reporting whether the plan worked strengthens the entry. Journals are written in the first person and usually run about 800 words, with the reflective model and a pediatric source cited in APA 7.

How this NU225CL Unit 2 example is built

First comes the morning itself: the toddler, her father and the silent stethoscope approach. Feelings take one paragraph and admit embarrassment. Evaluation separates what helped, the father holding her, from what did not, the order. Analysis is the longest stage, using the course text on toddler development and a pediatric pain and anxiety statement, with a highlighted line about counting before walking in and a margin note. The conclusion lists earlier choices. The action plan is a numbered card used the next morning, with the result recorded and a margin note. A section on what the parent taught and a closing note on learning complete the entry.

Reading the NU225CL Unit 2 grading rubric

Clinical journal rubrics in NU 225CL commonly give points for each stage of the reflective model, depth of analysis, use of evidence, quality of the action plan and writing. Stage points depend on covering all six of Gibbs' stages in their proper order. Analysis points reward linking the event to toddler development rather than to the child's personality. Evidence points go to accurate use of the course text and a pediatric source. Action plan points are earned by steps specific enough to be tried and checked. Writing marks reward a plain first-person voice and correct APA style. Entries that report the outcome of the action plan, closing the cycle with evidence, tend to earn the strongest marks.

Common NU225CL Unit 2 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Clinical journals often lose points by narrating the whole shift and giving each Gibbs stage a single sentence. Another frequent weakness is blaming the child, as in "she was uncooperative," instead of examining the approach. Some students skip the analysis stage or fill it with feelings. Others end with a vague plan to "build rapport." Choose one moment, describe it plainly, admit what you felt, separate what helped from what did not, explain it with developmental knowledge, list what you could have done and write a numbered plan you will use. Report whether it worked. Ask the parent what usually helps; that answer often contains the sequence you need.

Get an NU225CL Unit 2 example written to your instructions

Which reflective model does your NU225CL syllabus name, if any? Gibbs, Rolfe, Johns and an open prompt each produce a different entry. Name it, attach the journal rubric, and sketch in one sentence the sort of moment the entry will examine, minus identifiers. The model entry then stages a different scene carrying the same lesson. The first custom sample costs nothing and returns 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.

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NU225CL Unit 2 questions, answered

Where can I find a free NU225CL Unit 2 sample paper?

This page holds the complete NU225CL Unit 2 clinical journal entry, working a failed toddler assessment through Gibbs' six stages to a tested assessment sequence, with three sources. Bring us your own clinical moment and we can help structure the reflection.

What order should a toddler assessment follow?

Observe and count breathing first, greet the parent, then the child, let the child handle equipment, listen to heart and lungs on the parent's lap, and do intrusive parts like temperature last.

What are Gibbs' six stages?

The cycle moves from what happened, to how it felt, to what was good and bad, to why, to what else could have been done, and finally to a plan for next time.

Why count breathing from the doorway in NU225CL Unit 2?

A calm child's rate is accurate, while a crying child's rate reflects only the crying. Counting before approaching gives a usable number.

How can a parent help with a toddler's assessment?

By holding the child on their lap, narrating what will happen and sharing what usually helps at the doctor's office.