| Course | NUR-3280 Health Assessment and Health Promotion |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Body system assessment write-up |
| Length | About 1,081 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Accelerated B.S.N. Program |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 3280 Module 3
Twenty-Six Seasons on the Water: A Complete Integumentary Assessment and Its Documentation
Student Name
Accelerated B.S.N. Program, Thomas Edison State University
NUR-3280: Health Assessment and Health Promotion
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Twenty-Six Seasons on the Water: A Complete Integumentary Assessment and Its Documentation
The third module asks for one body system assessed and documented in full. For a client who has dredged oysters for most of their adult life, the skin was the obvious choice. The client's own question at the first visit was whether the rough patches on the face were cancer, and the health history recorded twenty-six years of outdoor work on Delaware Bay with almost no sun protection, frequent hand cuts and one past wound infection. This paper describes how the integumentary assessment was performed, documents the findings in the descriptive language the course expects, applies a recognized framework for evaluating pigmented lesions, and explains what the findings mean for referral and teaching. I do not diagnose; I describe, compare with expected findings and decide what needs a provider's evaluation.
How the Assessment Was Done
The examination took place in a private room with good natural light supplemented by a lamp, because skin color and subtle texture changes are easy to miss in poor light. The client changed into a gown, and I examined the skin region by region from scalp to feet, exposing one area at a time to protect privacy and warmth. Jarvis and Eckhardt (2024) describe the integumentary examination as inspection and palpation of skin, hair and nails, with attention to color, temperature, moisture, texture, thickness, edema, mobility, turgor, vascularity and any lesions, and they recommend describing lesions by size, shape, color, texture, elevation, exudate, configuration, location and distribution. I used a small ruler for measurement and a magnifying lens for close inspection, and I asked the client to point out anything new or changing.
General Skin, Hair and Nails
Skin color is even over covered areas, with marked tanning and weathering on the face, ears, back of the neck, forearms and backs of the hands, sharply demarcated at the collar and sleeve lines. Skin is warm and dry to touch, with smooth texture on covered areas and coarser, thickened texture on exposed areas. Turgor shows brisk recoil. No edema is present. Hair is brown with gray at the temples, evenly distributed, with thinning at the crown; the scalp is visible through the hair at the vertex and shows two small rough patches similar to those described below. Fingernails are short, with smooth curvature, pink nail beds and capillary refill under two seconds; there is no clubbing. Several nails show small transverse ridges, and the cuticles are rough and cracked.
The palms and fingers show thick calluses at the bases of the fingers and on the palmar surfaces, consistent with manual work. There are seven well-healed linear scars between one and three centimeters on the fingers and palms of both hands and one healing two-centimeter laceration on the left index finger with clean, approximated edges, no redness beyond the wound margin, no warmth and no drainage.
Lesions on Sun-Exposed Skin
On the forehead, the bridge of the nose, the tops of both ears and the backs of both hands are fourteen rough, scaly macules and thin papules between three and eight millimeters, pink to light brown, with an adherent dry scale that feels like fine sandpaper when palpated. They are discrete, with irregular but not notched borders, and are confined to sun-exposed skin. None is tender, ulcerated or bleeding, and none is indurated on palpation. The client reports that some come and go. These findings differ from expected skin and match the textbook description of lesions associated with chronic sun damage; their nature should be determined by a provider.
The concern is not trivial. Criscione et al. (2009) followed veterans with many such lesions on the face and ears and found that, although more than half had resolved a year later, any one lesion carried roughly a six-in-a-thousand chance of becoming squamous cell carcinoma within a year and about a one-in-forty chance within four, and that about two-thirds of the squamous cell carcinomas diagnosed in the cohort arose in lesions previously identified clinically as sun-damage lesions. For a client with fourteen lesions and ongoing exposure, a dermatology evaluation is warranted.
Pigmented Lesions and the ABCDE Framework
The client has twenty-three nevi, most on the back and chest. I evaluated each using the ABCDE criteria, which Abbasi et al. (2004) reviewed and supported adding the E, for evolving, to the original asymmetry, border, color and diameter criteria, because change over time is one of the most sensitive signs of melanoma. Twenty-two nevi are round or oval, symmetric, with smooth regular borders, uniform tan or brown color and diameters under six millimeters, and the client reports no change. One nevus on the left upper back, seven millimeters across, is slightly asymmetric with two shades of brown, but its border is regular and the client cannot say whether it has changed, because it is out of sight.
That single lesion meets two criteria, diameter and color variation, and its evolution is unknown. It does not mean melanoma, but it is the kind of lesion that should be examined by a clinician with dermoscopy and photographed for comparison. The federal task force rated the evidence on routine clinician skin checks for adults without symptoms as too thin to judge whether benefit outweighs harm (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2023); that recommendation concerns population screening, not the evaluation of a specific lesion found during an examination, which should be referred.
Documentation Summary and Plan
In summary, the integumentary examination shows chronic sun-related changes on exposed skin, fourteen rough scaly lesions on the face, ears, scalp and hands, one atypical-appearing nevus on the left upper back, calluses and healed lacerations on both hands, and one healing laceration without signs of infection. Expected findings include skin temperature, moisture, turgor, nail beds and capillary refill. The plan is to share the findings with the client in plain language, answer the original question honestly, that the patches are a sign of sun damage and some such patches can become skin cancer, which is why a skin specialist should look at them, and help the client arrange a dermatology referral through their primary care provider.
Teaching will cover sun protection that works on a boat, including a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved sun shirts and water-resistant sunscreen reapplied at breaks, and wound care for hand cuts, with the warning that cuts exposed to warm bay water need prompt attention if they become red, swollen or painful. Both topics will come back when the course turns to health promotion.
References
Abbasi, N. R., Shaw, H. M., Rigel, D. S., Friedman, R. J., McCarthy, W. H., Osman, I., Kopf, A. W., & Polsky, D. (2004). Early diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma: Revisiting the ABCD criteria. JAMA, 292(22), 2771-2776. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.292.22.2771
Criscione, V. D., Weinstock, M. A., Naylor, M. F., Luque, C., Eide, M. J., & Bingham, S. F. (2009). Actinic keratoses: Natural history and risk of malignant transformation in the Veterans Affairs Topical Tretinoin Chemoprevention Trial. Cancer, 115(11), 2523-2530. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.24284
Jarvis, C., & Eckhardt, A. (2024). Physical examination and health assessment (9th ed.). Elsevier.
US Preventive Services Task Force. (2023). Screening for skin cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA, 329(15), 1290-1295. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.4342
Reading the NUR 3280 Module 3 assignment instructions
The third module of NUR-3280 typically asks you to perform and document a complete assessment of one body system on a volunteer or case client. Typical directions want the technique explained, findings recorded in the right terms whether normal or not, compare findings with expected findings for age, and identify any findings needing referral or teaching. Some sections assign the system and others let you choose based on the client's history. Check the TESU classroom for whether a documentation template is required, whether you must include a focused history for the system, and how many sources are expected. Use descriptive language, not diagnoses, and change details that could identify the client.
Inside the NUR 3280 Module 3 example
The example explains why the skin was chosen from the client's history, then describes the examination environment, sequence and tools with the textbook's criteria for describing lesions. A section on general findings covers color, temperature, moisture, texture, turgor, hair and nails, followed by the hands. The lesion section documents fourteen scaly lesions in full descriptive terms and supports referral with cohort data on progression. The pigmented lesion section applies the ABCDE criteria to every nevus and singles out one atypical lesion. A summary and plan separate expected from unexpected findings, answer the client's original question honestly and outline teaching. Throughout, the language stays descriptive, and the one place the paper leans on research is the referral decision.
Where the marks sit in the NUR 3280 Module 3 rubric
System assessment write-ups are commonly graded on correct technique, complete and accurate documentation in professional terminology, distinction between expected and unexpected findings, appropriate referral or follow-up, use of evidence, and writing. Mentors give heavy weight to documentation: lesions should be described by measurable features, and findings should be objective. Students who name diagnoses for findings they cannot confirm often lose marks for scope. The referral and teaching row rewards plans that follow logically from the findings. Evidence earns credit when it supports a decision, such as why a lesion should be evaluated. Professional, concise documentation language is expected throughout. Mentors also notice when every area of skin, including the scalp and back, is accounted for.
NUR 3280 Module 3 help from the desk
The most common error in a system assessment is documenting conclusions instead of findings, such as writing sun damage or benign mole without describing what was seen. Describe size, shape, color, texture and distribution, then state whether the finding is expected. Another frequent problem is leaving out normal findings, which makes it impossible to know what was examined. Students also forget to measure lesions or to examine areas the client cannot see. Avoid diagnosing; refer what needs evaluation. Keep the client's identity private. Rough examination notes can be turned into a finished, properly worded write-up by the desk; send them along with the prompt.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More NUR 3280 and Accelerated B.S.N. Program sample papers
- NUR 3280 Module 1: Assessment Technique Paper
- NUR 3280 Module 2: Health History and Interview
- NUR 3280 Module 4: Multi-System Assessment
- NUR 3280 Module 5: Health Promotion and Screening
- NUR 3280 Module 6: Health Promotion Plan
- NUR 4420 Module 1: Community as Client Paper
- NUR 4500 Module 6: Plan Defense Presentation
NUR 3280 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 3280 Module 3 sample paper?
The skin write-up is above in full, title page to references, with a note on each sheet. It documents a sun-exposed volunteer client; use the same documentation approach for whichever body system your directions assign.
How do I describe a skin lesion correctly?
State its size in millimeters or centimeters, shape, color, texture, elevation, any drainage, configuration and location, and whether it is single or multiple. Describe the lesion in the same words at every assessment so the next nurse can find it and tell whether it changed.
What are the ABCDE criteria?
Asymmetry, border irregularity, color variation, diameter larger than about six millimeters, and evolving, meaning change over time. They help decide which pigmented lesions need further evaluation. Meeting a criterion does not mean cancer; it means a clinician should look closely.
Can I say a lesion is benign in my write-up?
As a student, describe rather than diagnose. You can say a lesion has features consistent with expected findings or that it meets criteria for referral, but leave diagnosis to a qualified clinician.
Which body system should I choose for NUR-3280 Module 3?
If you can choose, pick the system the client's history points to, such as the skin for heavy sun exposure or the lungs for a long smoking history. Explaining the choice from the history shows that subjective data guided your examination.