Four FICA domains, one composite stroke survivor who calls himself not religious, and the rehab goals his answers reshaped: that sequence carries NU434's spiritual assessment write-up for Unit 5. Searches like "nu 434 unit 5 assignment example", "nu434 unit 5 sample" and "nu434 unit 5 example" land here.
"Are You Religious?" "No." A Spiritual Assessment Repeated With FICA Finds a Woodshop, a Grandson and a Weak Left Hand
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU434: Holistic Nursing
Unit 5 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Composite patient written as a model document. The patient's words are set apart from interpretation.
Background
The admission screen recorded "no religious preference" and moved on. A second nurse asked the same question on day three and got the same answer. Because he seemed withdrawn in therapy, the assessment was repeated with a broader tool.
The Tool
FICA asks about faith and meaning, importance, community, and how the person wants these addressed in care (Puchalski & Romer, 2000). It was chosen over the HOPE questions (Anandarajah & Hight, 2001) because its first domain opens with meaning rather than religion, which suited a man who had already said he was not religious.
Findings, in His Words, and Interpretation
Faith and meaning. His words: "I'm not a church guy. What I've got is my shop. I build furniture. My grandson's crib, the kitchen table." Interpretation: meaning comes from making things for his family.
Importance. His words: "If this hand doesn't come back, I don't know what I am." Interpretation: the stroke threatens the source of his meaning directly.
Community. His words: "Saturday mornings, four of us at Earl's garage. Sawdust and coffee." Interpretation: a small, steady community built around the same work.
Address in care. His words: "Tell the therapists. They think I'm just stubborn." Interpretation: he wants the team to understand what the hand means to him.
Nursing Diagnosis
Risk for spiritual distress (Herdman et al., 2021), evidenced by his statement that he does not know who he is without the use of his hand, and by withdrawal in therapy. Strengths: a clear source of meaning, family and a steady community.
Referral and Choice
He declined a chaplain visit: "No offense, but I'd rather see Earl." That is recorded as his choice, not as a gap in care, and the offer stays open if he changes his mind.
Changes to Care
Occupational therapy grip work built around holding a chisel and sanding blocks, agreed with the therapist.
A photo of his current project, a rocking chair, at the bedside.
The Saturday group invited to visit, with his permission.
None of this required him to be religious; it required asking a question that did not assume he was.
Reflection
The first screen's single question closed off everything this tool opened. The difference was not time; FICA took about ten minutes. It was the first word of the question.
References
Anandarajah, G., & Hight, E. (2001). Spirituality and medical practice: Using the HOPE questions as a practical tool for spiritual assessment. American Family Physician, 63(1), 81-89.
Herdman, T. H., Kamitsuru, S., & Lopes, C. T. (Eds.). (2021). NANDA International nursing diagnoses: Definitions and classification 2021-2023 (12th ed.). Thieme.
Puchalski, C., & Romer, A. L. (2000). Taking a spiritual history allows clinicians to understand patients more fully. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 3(1), 129-137. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2000.3.129
How this NU434 Unit 5 example is structured
Findings and interpretation are separated on the page, which is the organizing decision of the whole write-up. Each FICA domain receives a short block of the patient's own phrasing, followed by a sentence or two of what the writer infers and why. The interpretation section then asks what the findings mean for nursing: whether distress is present or at risk, what strengths he brings, and where referral fits. He declines a chaplain visit, and the write-up records that as his choice rather than a gap. Care changes are specific and belong to the team: occupational therapy grip work built around holding a chisel and sanding, a photo of his current project at the bedside, and the Saturday group invited to visit. A closing reflection notes how the first screen's single question closed off everything the tool opened.
Get an NU434 Unit 5 example written to your instructions
Tell us whether the Unit 5 prompt names FICA, HOPE, SPIRIT or leaves the instrument open, and whether it wants a real interview or a case. Include the rubric. The write-up comes back with findings kept apart from interpretation and care changes tied to both, in 24-48h, free as a first request built on your instructions. 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.
NU434 Unit 5 questions, answered
Can I interview a friend or family member for this assignment?
Many sections allow it, and some require a real conversation. If so, the interview, the consent you obtain and the answers belong to you and the person you speak with; the sample uses a composite patient to show how the write-up is organized. Change identifying details, ask permission to quote, and keep the person's words in their own phrasing.
What if the person says spirituality has no place in their life?
Record that faithfully. FICA and similar tools ask about meaning, hope and connection, and many people who reject the word spiritual answer those questions readily. If they still decline, the write-up reports a respected boundary rather than a failed assessment. The sample's patient calls himself not religious, which is exactly why the tool's broader questions matter.
Should the write-up include a nursing diagnosis?
Include one if the prompt asks for it or your program uses NANDA-I routinely. Spiritual distress, risk for spiritual distress, and readiness for enhanced spiritual well-being are the usual candidates, and each needs defining characteristics or risk factors drawn from the findings. A diagnosis with no evidence behind it reads as a label; one tied to quoted answers reads as clinical judgment.