Inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation of one composite chest, every finding placed by landmark and no cause named: an NU333 Unit 5 respiratory assessment note. Searches like "nu 333 unit 5 assignment example", "nu333 unit 5 sample" and "nu333 unit 5 example" land here.
What a finished NU333 Unit 5 respiratory assessment note looks like
Two or three pages, ordered by the four techniques. Inspection: respirations [24], regular, with slight use of accessory muscles; anteroposterior to lateral diameter about 1 to 2; productive cough with [small amounts of rust-colored] sputum. Palpation: symmetric expansion anteriorly, reduced on the right posteriorly; tactile fremitus increased over the right lower posterior chest. Percussion: resonant throughout except dull from the [eighth] to [tenth] intercostal spaces below the right scapula. Auscultation: vesicular sounds over the left and the right upper fields, bronchial breath sounds and fine late inspiratory crackles over the right lower posterior field, with egophony and whispered pectoriloquy present there. Oxygen saturation reads [91] percent on room air and [94] percent on [2] liters by nasal cannula. What was reported appears last, in SBAR form.
How a NU333 Unit 5 example is structured
The note is organized by technique rather than by region, so each finding can be traced to the method that produced it. Every abnormal finding carries a landmark: side, anterior or posterior, the vertical line such as scapular or midaxillary, and the intercostal space. That precision is the unit's main teaching point, since a finding without a location cannot be rechecked. Terms follow current usage, fine and coarse crackles rather than rales, and the note defines its adventitious sound terms once in a footnote because textbooks still differ over rhonchi. Normal areas are documented too, for contrast. The findings form a pattern of consolidation, and the note says so in one careful sentence while leaving cause to the provider. An SBAR paragraph closes it, showing how the same findings would be handed off by phone.
Four techniques, in order
Inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation each get a paragraph. Organizing by technique shows how every finding was obtained and makes gaps in the examination obvious.
Every finding has an address
Right, posterior, scapular line, eighth to tenth intercostal spaces: each abnormal finding is placed on the chest wall precisely enough for the next nurse to listen in the same spot.
Voice sounds, explained once
Egophony and whispered pectoriloquy are recorded with a one-line note on what each means. The note uses them to confirm what fremitus and percussion already suggested.
A pattern, not a diagnosis
Increased fremitus, dullness, bronchial sounds and positive voice sounds together are called a pattern consistent with consolidation. Identifying the cause is left to the provider and the chest film.
The same findings by phone
An SBAR paragraph compresses the note into what a provider would need on a call: situation, background, assessment and the recommendation to evaluate.
Where marks go in NU333 Unit 5
Crackles heard somewhere in the lungs, with no side, surface or intercostal space, is the phrase that most often sends a respiratory note back in this unit. Outdated or mixed terms, rales in one line and crackles in the next, suggest copying rather than describing. Findings reported without the technique that produced them, dullness heard, confuse percussion with auscultation. Skipping normal areas leaves the abnormal region without contrast. Writing pneumonia in the right lower lobe into the note oversteps what an RN assessment documents. Oxygen saturation given without the delivery method and flow rate cannot be interpreted. Voice sounds claimed without the matching fremitus or percussion change look inconsistent to a careful grader, and missing escalation language, with saturation below the expected range, raises a safety concern.
Get a NU333 Unit 5 example written to your instructions
Narrative, template or SBAR: respiratory notes take whichever shape the course sets, and the sample follows it. Along with the Unit 5 prompt and rubric, mention the required format; the note is organized by technique, with every abnormal finding placed by landmark. What a student hears on a real chest belongs in their own note. First sample free, 24-48h.
NU333 Unit 5 questions, answered
What is egophony, and how is it documented?
A change in voice transmission heard with the stethoscope while the patient says ee. Over normal lung it sounds like ee; over consolidated lung it sounds like ay. Document where it was tested and whether it was present, using landmarks. It is usually recorded alongside whispered pectoriloquy and tactile fremitus, since the three together are more convincing than one alone.
Should I write rales or crackles?
Crackles is the current preferred term, described as fine or coarse and by timing in the breath. Rales is older usage, and some instructors mark it down. Rhonchi is still common but definitions vary, so some courses prefer low-pitched wheezes. Whatever your course uses, apply the terms consistently and describe location and timing every time.
How do I describe the location of a lung finding?
Name the side, the surface, anterior, lateral or posterior, the nearest vertical reference line, such as midclavicular, midaxillary or scapular, and the intercostal space or rib level. For posterior findings, the scapula and vertebral landmarks help. A location written this way lets another clinician return to the same spot and compare what they hear.