May 2013
Dear Accelerated Nursing Students:
Welcome to PENN Nursing! This letter contains important information about N160 that requires your immediate
attention.
N160 Physical Assessment will have a didactic portion, an assessment and skills lab and a medication administration
modules lab. Its focus is on physical assessment, health history, review of systems, interviewing techniques and
procedural skills that correlate with physiological system assessments. In addition, medication administration labs will
prepare you to successfully and safely administer medications. On behalf of the entire course faculty we hope that you
will find N160 to be a challenging and stimulating introduction to your clinical nursing practice. Below you will find
some important information as you prepare for the course.
Email: All students will need a Penn Nursing email account. This is your primary means of communication at Penn
Nursing and should be checked daily. Questions regarding the didactic portion of the course should be emailed to the
associate course director (cc the course director). Questions regarding the lab should be emailed to the lab supervisor,
associate course director and your clinical faculty. Contact information can be found at the end of this letter. A link to
obtain your PennKey and Penn Nursing email account can be found at
http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/students/student_life/Pages/Orientation-Accelerated.aspx.
Website: The blackboard site for this course can be found at http://www.courseweb.upenn.edu or via the SON homepage.
You will need your Penn Key and Password to access this site. All course materials will be available on this site in the
near future. Blackboard announcements should be checked daily once the course begin.
The summer course has been designed for the second-degree student in an accelerated program. When learning at a fast
pace, communication and preparation are key and being settled in your new environs prior to classes is critical. The first
N160 class day is Monday, June 17, 2013 in Room 118 Claire Fagin Hall from 6-9PM. Please note that you have
orientation and other classes scheduled that day, ahead of N160.
N160 didactic classes are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1-5PM (with the exception of the first class).
N160 lab sessions are scheduled for every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. No classes or labs will be held over the 4th
of July weekend of July 4-7th. Medication administration labs will begin on July 17th and will be held every Wednesday
with additional dates for practice and validations. Labs are held in the Helene Fuld Pavilion, 1st floor of Fagin Hall. You
will register for either a morning or an afternoon session.
Attendance at all lab hours is mandatory to pass this course as required by the PA State Board of Nursing. Lab
hours cannot be switched or rescheduled. Failure to attend a lab session is considered an unexcused absence. If you
miss a lab, you should expect to pay the lab instructor for personal make-up time. Please consult the course syllabus
on Blackboard for more details.
During assessment lab sessions you will learn, practice and demonstrate physical examinations on class partners with
clinical faculty supervision. You will be on an exam table surrounded by curtains; please wear gym shorts and to facilitate
these examinations. Female students may prefer to wear a sports bra on these days. Students who are performing the
exams will be required to wear the Penn Nursing lab coat. Examination of the male and female genitalia is not performed
in this class.
Equipment required for the first lab includes a stethoscope with a bell and diaphragm or a tunable diaphragm, a wrist
watch able to monitor seconds, the Perry and Potter 7th edition text and the Bates Nursing Guide to Physical Assessment
book. Please do not buy the Perry and Potter 8th edition. The 7th edition book will be utilized throughout all your clinical
courses.
Submitted Written Assignments Are Due Prior to Your Arrival: You are required to complete assessment lab
modules and drop each module individually into the TURN-IT-IN feature on the N160 Blackboard site by Monday June
3th at 12 noon. The modules will be posted in the Assessment Lab Folder on your N160 Blackboard site. All necessary
information regarding the module assignment, as well as the email address of your lab instructor for your clinical section,
will be posted there. If you have difficulty posting the assignment on Turn-It-In, please email your lab instructor by the
due date. You will be using the Perry and Potter Book to complete this assignment. Please obtain your book as soon as
you receive this welcome letter and begin this assignment as soon as possible. This assignment is one that the
traditional students complete throughout the academic year. Previous students have asked us to tell you that these
assignments will take a significant amount of time to complete.
You will be taking a dosage and calculation exam on June 29, 2013 at 12 noon. Information regarding the dosage and
calculation exam and the preparations needed will be sent to you shortly under separate cover, and will be posted to
Blackboard.
Your receipt of this letter indicates that you have read the University of Pennsylvania's Code of Academic Integrity in
BSN Student Handbook or in the N160 Syllabus and agree to abide by this on all work including work submitted prior to
attendance.
If you require any accommodations for documented learning issues, please contact Student Disabilities Services at 215573-9235.
Required Books
Perry & Potter (2010) Clinical Nursing Skills and Techniques (7th Edition) Mosby (ISBN # 978-0-323-05289-4)
Hogan-Quigley, Palm and Bickley (2012) Bates’ Nursing Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking (ISBN13:978-0-7817-8069-8. ISBN -10:0-7817-8069-1)
Nursing 2014 Drug Handbook ISBN/ISSN: 9781451186352 or the previous one is Nursing 2013 Drug Handbook
ISBN13:978-1-4511-5023-0. (The 2014 book is expected to be out by the end of May.)
Gray- Morris, D. (2010). 5th Ed. Calculate with Confidence Philadelphia: Mosby ISBN 978 0323 056298
These books are available at Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19114
upenn@bkstore.com or via online sources.
We look forward to working with you. Do not hesitate to contact us with your concerns.
Sincerely,
Maureen George Ph.D RN AE-C FAAN
Course Director
Rm. 416 Claire M. Fagin Hall
418 Curie Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
mgeorge@nursing.upenn.edu
Aleaha Peoples MSN RN
Medication Administration Lab Supervisor
bentzale@nursing.upenn.edu
Lynn Dickinson RN MSN ANP-BC GNP-BC
Associate Course Director
333F Claire M. Fagin Hall
lynndi@nursing.upenn.edu
Anne Shoemaker MSN CRNP
Assessment Lab Supervisor
anneshoe@nursing.upenn.edu