| Course | NU673 PMHNP Diagnosis and Management Across the Lifespan I |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 8 |
| Paper type | Informed consent note |
| Length | About 690 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | MSN |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU673 Unit 8
"Will This Stop Me Having a Baby?": An Informed Consent Note for an Antipsychotic in a 27-Year-Old in Her First Episode of Psychosis
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU673: PMHNP Diagnosis and Management Across the Lifespan I
Unit 8 Informed Consent Note
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The patient is composite; names, doses and times are bracketed.
Setting and Participants
Date and time: [day 3] of admission, [10:15 to 10:55], interview room, inpatient psychiatric unit. Present: the patient, Ms. [Y.]; the attending psychiatrist; the author, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner student. Her mother joined for the last [ten] minutes at her request.
Clinical Context
Ms. [Y.] was admitted [three] days ago with [six] weeks of believing that her coworkers were reading her thoughts and hearing a voice commenting on her actions. Medical workup, including thyroid function, drug screen and brain imaging, was unremarkable. She has not taken antipsychotic medication before. She and her partner hope to have a child within the next [two] years.
Capacity
Her capacity for this decision was checked against Appelbaum's four abilities, each recorded below with what she said or did (Appelbaum, 2007).
1. Choice: she stated a clear and consistent choice by the end of the conversation.
2. Understanding: she explained back in her own words what the medicine is for, its main side effects and the alternatives.
3. Appreciation: she accepted that she has been unwell and that the voice might be part of an illness, though she still thinks her coworkers "may be involved." Her appreciation was judged sufficient for this decision.
4. Reasoning: she weighed fertility against getting better quickly and compared the options.
Conclusion: she has capacity to make this decision.
Her First Question and the Answer
Her words: "Will this stop me having a baby?"
The answer given: risperidone raises the level of a hormone called prolactin in many people who take it. High prolactin can make periods irregular or stop them, which can make it harder to become pregnant while taking it. These effects usually reverse if the dose is lowered or the medicine is changed. It does not cause permanent infertility as far as we know. Among the newer antipsychotics, risperidone and its related drug paliperidone raise prolactin the most, while some others, such as aripiprazole, have much less effect (Peuskens et al., 2014).
She asked how common this is. She was told that raised prolactin is common with prolactin-raising antipsychotics, and that in studies of women taking older antipsychotics, missed or irregular periods occurred in about [45] percent (Haddad & Wieck, 2004). Her question was about fertility, but the honest answer also had to include the chance that she would not notice the hormone change until her periods stopped.
Other Risks Discussed
1. Movement side effects, including stiffness and restlessness, which are dose-related.
2. A tendency to gain weight and to raise glucose and lipid levels, which will be measured at the start and followed.
3. Sedation in the first weeks.
4. Sexual side effects, which can also follow from raised prolactin.
5. A rare but serious reaction with fever and stiffness, which would need urgent care.
Alternatives Discussed
1. Aripiprazole, which is less likely to raise prolactin, with more restlessness in some people.
2. Other antipsychotics with different side effect profiles.
3. No medication, with continued observation and psychological support, and the likely risk that her symptoms would continue or worsen.
Her Decision
After discussion she said: "I'd rather try the one that won't mess with my periods, if it works just as well." She chose aripiprazole. The attending confirmed that it is a reasonable first choice for her first episode. She agreed to a prolactin level if her periods change, to menstrual tracking on her phone, and to a pregnancy test before any future change in medication.
Plan
1. Aripiprazole [5] mg daily, starting today, with review in [three] days.
2. Baseline weight, waist circumference, glucose and lipids today.
3. Menstrual tracking; prolactin level if periods become irregular.
4. Before discharge, a planning conversation about pregnancy, including preconception care and the importance of continuing treatment during pregnancy if needed.
5. Her mother was updated with her consent.
References
Appelbaum, P. S. (2007). Assessment of patients' competence to consent to treatment. New England Journal of Medicine, 357(18), 1834-1840. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp074045
Haddad, P. M., & Wieck, A. (2004). Antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinaemia: Mechanisms, clinical features and management. Drugs, 64(20), 2291-2314. https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200464200-00003
Peuskens, J., Pani, L., Detraux, J., & De Hert, M. (2014). The effects of novel and newly approved antipsychotics on serum prolactin levels: A comprehensive review. CNS Drugs, 28(5), 421-453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-014-0157-3
The Purdue Global NU673 Unit 8 instructions
The Unit 8 assignment asks you to document an informed consent discussion for a psychotropic medication. Prompts usually ask for the setting and participants, the clinical context, an assessment of decision-making capacity, the risks, benefits and alternatives explained, the patient's questions and the answers given, and her decision and plan. The note usually runs two or three pages in chart format. Graders reward notes written so that a reader could reconstruct what the patient was told, capacity documented with evidence for each ability, and the patient's own words where they shaped the decision. Risks specific to the patient's situation, such as fertility in a woman planning pregnancy, should be addressed directly.
How the NU 673 Unit 8 example is put together
It begins by recording when and where the conversation happened and who took part, her mother included at her request. The clinical context gives her symptoms, the medical workup and her pregnancy plans. Capacity is recorded against four abilities, each with what she said or did. Her question about fertility is quoted, and the answer is written as it was given, with the prolactin evidence and a highlighted sentence on why the answer had to cover unnoticed hormone change. Five other risks and three alternatives follow. Her decision is quoted, the attending's agreement is noted, and a five-step plan records aripiprazole, baseline tests, tracking and a pregnancy planning conversation.
Reading the NU673 Unit 8 grading rubric
Consent notes are typically graded on capacity assessment, completeness of risks and alternatives, clarity of language, patient-centeredness and documentation of the decision. Capacity earns full points when each ability is supported by what the patient said or did. Completeness rewards common and serious risks, and those specific to her, with alternatives including no medication. Clarity is judged on whether the explanations are recorded in plain words. Patient-centeredness points go to notes that let the patient's question shape the conversation and the choice. The decision row looks for her stated choice, the prescriber's agreement and a plan that reflects what she agreed to monitor.
NU673 Unit 8 help from the desk
The most common weakness is a note that says risks, benefits and alternatives were discussed without saying what they were. Another is assessing capacity with a single phrase such as alert and oriented. Students often answer a fertility question vaguely or leave it out. Some notes list only the proposed drug and never the alternatives, including declining treatment. Others record the prescriber's choice as if it were the patient's. And a note that omits the family member's role, or whether the patient agreed to their presence, leaves an important gap in the record of how the decision was made and who took part in it. Write the note soon after the conversation, while her exact words are fresh.
Get an NU673 Unit 8 example written to your instructions
Consent assignments differ in the option consented and the format, so pass along your NU673 Unit 8 case, any template your section uses and the rubric. The free first note, back within 24-48h, documents capacity with evidence, groups risks by weight, records the patient's questions in her own words and leaves every signature line blank. 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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NU673 Unit 8 questions, answered
How much detail about risks belongs in a consent note?
Enough that a reader could reconstruct what the patient was told. Name the common effects, the serious ones even if rare, and any risk specific to this person, such as prolactin effects for someone thinking about pregnancy. Grouping risks by likelihood and severity keeps the note readable while showing the discussion was complete.
Should the note assess capacity even when the patient seems well?
Yes, briefly. Capacity is presumed in adults, but documenting how it was confirmed protects the patient and the record, especially in psychosis or mania where it can fluctuate. A sentence per ability, drawn from the patient's own explanations, is usually enough when there is no concern, and more detail is needed when there is.
Can a family member take part in the consent discussion?
With the patient's permission, and the note should say so. Family can help a patient remember information and ask questions, but the decision belongs to the patient if she has capacity. Record who attended, that she agreed to their presence, and whose questions were whose, so the note shows her consent rather than theirs.
Where can I find a free NU673 Unit 8 sample paper?
This page holds the complete NU673 Unit 8 informed consent note, with the setting, capacity assessment, her fertility question and the answer, other risks, alternatives, her decision and the plan, plus three references. A consent note built around your own patient's questions can be drafted.
Can antipsychotics affect fertility in NU673 Unit 8?
Risperidone often raises prolactin, which can make periods irregular or stop them and make pregnancy harder while it is taken; the effect usually reverses when the dose is lowered or the drug changed. Aripiprazole has much less effect on prolactin, which is why she chose it.