Each system from general survey to extremities, documented in order on one composite adult admitted dehydrated and closed with a priority summary for handoff, as NU333 Unit 9 commonly asks. Searches like "nu 333 unit 9 assignment example", "nu333 unit 9 sample" and "nu333 unit 9 example" land here.
Head-to-Toe Assessment on the First Hospital Morning After Three Days of Vomiting and Diarrhea
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU333: Health Assessment for the Nursing Professional
Unit 9 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Composite patient written as a model document. Findings are composite; abnormal findings are marked "(A)" and gathered in the closing summary.
Admission Context
A composite 57-year-old warehouse supervisor was admitted overnight after three days of vomiting and watery diarrhea, with little to drink for the last two. Several coworkers had a similar illness the week before. He takes lisinopril for blood pressure and kept taking it during the illness. This assessment was done at 07:00 on his first hospital morning, before breakfast and before his morning medicines.
General Survey
Lethargic but oriented; lying still in bed with eyes closed between questions; lips dry (A). Speaks in short answers but follows commands.
Vital Signs
Temperature 37.9 °C oral (A). Pulse 108, regular (A). Respirations 20. Blood pressure lying 104/66. Standing attempt, with two staff assisting: 88/58 and pulse 126 at one minute, with dizziness (A); he was returned to bed at once, and no further standing readings were taken. The drop meets the consensus definition of orthostatic hypotension (Freeman et al., 2011). Oxygen saturation 97 percent on room air.
Skin
Warm and dry; turgor over the sternum slow to recede, about 3 seconds (A). Skin intact without breakdown over the sacrum or heels.
Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat
Eyes slightly sunken; mucous membranes dry (A); tongue furrowed (A). Ears and nose unremarkable.
Respiratory
Respirations even and unlabored. Breath sounds clear in all fields. No cough.
Cardiovascular
Tachycardic, regular rhythm, no murmurs (A). Capillary refill 3 seconds in the fingers (A). Peripheral pulses 2+ and equal.
Abdomen
Soft; hyperactive bowel sounds in all quadrants (A); diffuse mild tenderness without guarding or rebound. No blood reported in the stool.
Genitourinary
Last void 10 hours before this assessment, 150 mL, dark amber (A).
Neurological
Oriented to person, place and time; no confusion. Moves all extremities; strength equal. Pupils equal and reactive.
Musculoskeletal
Weakness reported with standing; full range of motion in all joints. Fall risk flagged because of the orthostatic drop and dizziness (A).
IV Site
20-gauge catheter in the left forearm, placed in the emergency department; site clean, dry and without redness or swelling; normal saline running at the ordered rate.
Priority Summary for the Next Nurse
Tachycardia, the orthostatic drop with dizziness, dry mucous membranes, slow skin recoil and low, concentrated urine output together form a volume picture. These findings are gathered here rather than interpreted in each system. Clinical signs of volume loss are most informative in combination, and the orthostatic pulse change is among the more useful single findings (McGee et al., 1999). Pertinent negatives: no guarding, no blood in the stool, no confusion.
Reported to the provider at 07:40 with the orthostatic readings and urine output. He is on fall precautions with the bed alarm on and a urinal at the bedside. Intake and output are being recorded (Bickley et al., 2021).
References
Bickley, L. S., Szilagyi, P. G., Hoffman, R. M., & Soriano, R. P. (2021). Bates' guide to physical examination and history taking (13th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Freeman, R., Wieling, W., Axelrod, F. B., Benditt, D. G., Benarroch, E., Biaggioni, I., Cheshire, W. P., Chelimsky, T., Cortelli, P., Gibbons, C. H., Goldstein, D. S., Hainsworth, R., Hilz, M. J., Jacob, G., Kaufmann, H., Jordan, J., Lipsitz, L. A., Levine, B. D., Low, P. A., ... van Dijk, J. G. (2011). Consensus statement on the definition of orthostatic hypotension, neurally mediated syncope and the postural tachycardia syndrome. Clinical Autonomic Research, 21(2), 69-72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-011-0119-5
McGee, S., Abernethy, W. B., & Simel, D. L. (1999). Is this patient hypovolemic? JAMA, 281(11), 1022-1029. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.281.11.1022
How this NU333 Unit 9 example is structured
The assessment follows the course's head-to-toe order without skipping systems that appear normal, because the unit is testing completeness as much as accuracy. Each system opens with the techniques used and ends with its findings; abnormal ones are marked with an asterisk and repeated later. The orthostatic attempt shows judgment on the page: standing readings were taken with assistance and stopped when he became dizzy, and the note records that decision rather than a full set of values. Pertinent negatives are chosen with the admitting problem in mind: no guarding, no blood in the stool, no confusion. Findings are connected only in the closing summary, which lists tachycardia, the orthostatic drop, dry membranes and low urine output together as a volume picture for the next nurse, reported to the provider. Diagnostic labels stay out.
Get an NU333 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Templates for the Unit 9 head-to-toe differ more than for any other NU333 assignment, so the template itself matters no less than the instructions and rubric when sending. The sample follows its order system by system and adds a priority summary built for handoff to the next shift. First sample free, 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.
NU333 Unit 9 questions, answered
How long should a head-to-toe assessment write-up be?
Long enough to document every system your template lists, which often means several pages. Length comes from completeness, not from extra explanation. Keep each system's entry to its findings, mark abnormal ones, and save interpretation for a short closing summary. If your instructions set a page limit, trim wording before you trim systems.
What should the closing summary of a head-to-toe assessment include?
The findings that most affect the patient's care right now, grouped so the next nurse sees the pattern, and a note of what was reported and to whom. It is not a diagnosis. For a patient losing fluid, that might mean heart rate, blood pressure change on standing, mucous membranes and urine output together.
Is it acceptable to stop part of an assessment for safety?
Yes, and documenting that decision shows sound judgment. If a patient becomes dizzy during orthostatic readings or cannot tolerate a position, stop, make them safe, record what was obtained and why the rest was not, and report it. A partial result with a clear reason is more useful than a complete set taken at the patient's expense.