| Course | NUR-3380 Applying the Nursing Process to Alteration in Health |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Nursing process paper: postoperative recovery and mobility |
| Length | About 1,009 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | B.S.N., Accelerated Second Degree |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 3380 Module 5
Out of Bed on Day One: Early Mobility After Colectomy for an Older Woman in Flemington
Student Name
B.S.N., Accelerated Second Degree, Thomas Edison State University
NUR-3380: Applying the Nursing Process to Alteration in Health
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Out of Bed on Day One: Early Mobility After Colectomy for an Older Woman in Flemington
The Patient
This case is fictional, including the Flemington hospital. Mrs. Lindqvist, 74, had a laparoscopic colectomy yesterday for colon cancer. She lives with her husband in a ranch house, walks with a cane outside and was independent before surgery. Today she has an incision pain of 5 out of 10, a urinary catheter, an intravenous line and compression devices on her legs. She says she was told to rest after surgery and that she feels safer in bed. Her husband agrees and asks that she not be pushed.
Assessment
The student assessed pain, vital signs, bowel sounds, lung sounds and mobility. Mrs. Lindqvist could sit up with help but had not stood since surgery. Her breathing was shallow because coughing hurt. She was worried about her incision opening and about falling. The student also asked about her goals; she wanted to be able to garden again by summer.
Enhanced Recovery
Ljungqvist et al. (2017) described enhanced recovery after surgery as a bundle of proven practices, applied before, during and after an operation, that lessen surgical stress and shorten recovery. Elements include counseling before surgery, avoiding long fasting, minimally invasive surgery, avoiding unnecessary tubes and drains, pain control that limits opioids, early eating and early mobilization. Programs that apply these elements together have been associated with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays. The review emphasized that the elements work together and that nursing care, especially mobilization, is central.
The Cost of Staying in Bed
Brown et al. (2004) followed older adults hospitalized for medical illness and measured how much they moved. Many spent most of their stay in bed or moving only between bed and chair. Low mobility was associated with decline in the ability to perform daily activities, placement in a nursing home and death, even after accounting for how sick patients were. The authors argued that bed rest is often unnecessary and harmful for older adults.
What Mobilization Achieves
Kalisch et al. (2014) reviewed studies of mobilizing hospitalized patients. Mobilization was associated with better physical function, shorter stays and better psychological outcomes, and the evidence suggested few harms. They noted that nurses often miss mobility care when units are busy and that mobility should be planned and tracked like other nursing care.
| Source | Key point | Plan element |
|---|---|---|
| Ljungqvist et al. (2017) | Early mobilization is part of enhanced recovery | Out of bed day one; walking day one or two |
| Brown et al. (2004) | Low mobility in older adults linked to decline | Explain risks of bed rest to patient and husband |
| Kalisch et al. (2014) | Mobilization improves function; often missed | Schedule mobility and record it |
Nursing Diagnoses
Pain and fear limited her mobility; shallow breathing from incision pain threatened her lungs; and new surgery, tubing and age raised her risk for falls.
Planning
On postoperative day one, Mrs. Lindqvist will sit in a chair for two periods of at least thirty minutes and walk to the doorway with assistance. By day two, she will walk in the hallway three times. By discharge, she will walk independently with her cane and use deep breathing and splinting when coughing.
Implementation
The student gave her scheduled non-opioid pain medicine and an as-needed dose before mobilizing, as ordered, so that pain would not stop her. She explained why moving helps: it lowers the risk of pneumonia and clots, helps the bowel recover and keeps her strong enough to garden. She taught her to press a pillow to her abdomen when coughing and taught her to use the incentive spirometer every hour while awake.
For the first walk, the student and a technician secured the catheter bag and intravenous pole, had her sit at the edge of the bed until dizziness passed and walked beside her to the doorway and back. She sat in a chair for lunch. In the afternoon, she walked again, a bit farther.
Involving Her Husband
Her husband worried that moving would harm her. The student explained what the evidence showed about bed rest in older adults and invited him to walk with her in the afternoon. He became her strongest encourager and reminded her to use the spirometer.
Preventing Complications
Early mobility works alongside other measures. The student kept the compression devices on while Mrs. Lindqvist was in bed, encouraged fluids as ordered and checked her calves for pain or swelling each shift. She listened to her lungs before and after walks and noted saturation readings in the mid to high 90s. She also watched for the return of bowel function, since walking helps the bowel wake up after surgery, and recorded when Mrs. Lindqvist passed gas, which the surgeon used to advance her diet. When she felt light-headed on the first stand, the student had her sit, rechecked her blood pressure and tried again after a few minutes.
Planning for Home
Before discharge, the student and Mrs. Lindqvist planned her first week at home: short walks inside the house several times a day, building to a walk to the mailbox, no lifting heavier than a gallon of milk and when to call the surgeon.
Evaluation
By day two, Mrs. Lindqvist walked the hallway three times with the technician and her husband, her catheter was removed and she was eating a soft diet. Her breathing was deeper and lung sounds clear. She was discharged on day three walking with her cane.
Limits
Enhanced recovery evidence comes from programs that apply many elements, so the effect of mobility alone is hard to separate. Brown's study involved medical patients, not surgical ones. A single recovery cannot show that early mobility caused it.
Conclusion
Mrs. Lindqvist believed that rest would help her heal. Evidence from enhanced recovery, from studies of low mobility in older adults and from a review of mobilization showed that moving early helps recovery and that bed rest can harm. Pain control, explanation, a planned schedule and her husband's support got her out of bed on day one and home on day three.
References
Brown, C. J., Friedkin, R. J., & Inouye, S. K. (2004). Prevalence and outcomes of low mobility in hospitalized older patients. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(8), 1263-1270. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52354.x
Kalisch, B. J., Lee, S., & Dabney, B. W. (2014). Outcomes of inpatient mobilization: A literature review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 23(11-12), 1486-1501. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.12315
Ljungqvist, O., Scott, M., & Fearon, K. C. (2017). Enhanced recovery after surgery: A review. JAMA Surgery, 152(3), 292-298. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2016.4952
What the NUR 3380 Module 5 instructions ask for
Restoration of health is one of the four aims in TESU's catalog description of NUR-3380, and since TESU keeps the course syllabus private, module five is planned as a postoperative recovery paper. A strong paper assesses the patient's recovery, beliefs and goals, uses evidence on enhanced recovery and on mobility, writes daily goals the patient can meet, describes pain control and teaching that make movement possible, involves family and evaluates progress toward discharge. Some sections focus on a different postoperative problem, such as preventing pneumonia or managing pain. Check whether the brief asks you to name enhanced recovery elements by phase and whether a mobility scale should be used. Write a goal for each day, and describe how pain was controlled before each walk.
How this NUR 3380 Module 5 example is built
The paper opens beside the bed of an invented 74-year-old, one day after her colectomy in Flemington, who would prefer not to get up. The enhanced recovery review, a study linking low mobility in older adults to decline and a review of mobilization outcomes are explained and tied to the plan. Day-by-day goals, pain medicine before walking, splinting, spirometry and a first walk to the doorway follow. Her husband moves from worry to encouragement. She walks the hallway on day two and goes home on day three. Annotations note evidence that changes the plan and teaching that includes family. Sections on preventing complications and on planning for home show mobility fitted into the whole recovery. The student also writes out the first week at home with her.
Where the marks sit in the NUR 3380 Module 5 rubric
Postoperative papers do well when the assessment includes the patient's beliefs and goals, accurate use of evidence on enhanced recovery and mobility, daily goals, pain control timed to activity, safe mobilization and evaluation toward discharge. Explaining the harm of bed rest through the patient's own goals, gardening in this case, is the kind of teaching reviewers reward. Involving a worried spouse shows family-centered care. Recording mobility like other care shows attention to missed nursing care. Reviews should be cited with full journal details. Watching for dizziness, clots and bowel function during mobility shows safe practice. A written plan for the first week at home carries the gains beyond discharge.
NUR 3380 Module 5 help from the desk
Postoperative papers often state that the patient will ambulate as tolerated; set specific daily goals. Another common gap is mobilizing without planning pain control. Give pain medicine before activity. Explain why moving helps in the patient's terms. Secure equipment and watch for dizziness. Involve family. Record each walk. Write out the first week at home in steps the patient can follow, from walks inside the house to the call list. A free first draft about your own surgical patient follows when you send the brief. Check calves and lungs during each walk.
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.
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NUR 3380 Module 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 3380 Module 5 sample paper?
The postoperative mobility paper about an invented 74-year-old after colectomy in Flemington, from day one to discharge, is on this page.
What is enhanced recovery after surgery?
A coordinated pathway of proven steps before, during and after surgery, early eating and walking among them, that lowers complications and shortens stays.
Is bed rest harmful for older hospitalized adults?
Yes. Older patients who barely moved were more likely to lose function, move to a nursing home or die, in Brown's study.
What are the benefits of mobilizing hospitalized patients?
Kalisch and colleagues found better physical function, shorter stays and better psychological outcomes, with few harms.
How can nurses help a patient walk after surgery?
Give pain medicine before activity, secure lines and catheters, check for dizziness, walk beside the patient and record progress.