| Course | NSG 121 Health Assessment |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Expected versus unexpected findings chart |
| Length | About 330 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NSG 121 Unit 3
Expected Beside Observed, System by System: A Findings Chart for a 29-Year-Old Nail Technician, With Every Normal Written Out in Words
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NSG 121: Health Assessment
Instructor Name
January 29, 2026
Expected Beside Observed, System by System: A Findings Chart for a 29-Year-Old Nail Technician, With Every Normal Written Out in Words
How the Chart Is Built
The person is the composite nail technician from Units 1 and 2, examined in the clinic after her interview. Rows follow the order in which the examination was actually performed, seated first, then lying, not the order in the textbook's chapters. Each row holds the area examined, what would ordinarily be found there according to the course text (Jarvis, 2020), and what this patient showed. Matching findings are written out in full. Unexpected findings are described by site, size, and character, with no diagnosis named.
The Chart
Expected findings are paraphrased from the course text; observed findings are as recorded at the visit.
| Area, in performed order | Expected (Jarvis, 2020) | This patient |
|---|---|---|
| General survey | Alert, oriented, appears stated age, no distress, appropriate dress and grooming, clear speech | Awake and attentive; gives her name, the clinic's name, today's date, and her reason for coming without hesitation. Appears her stated age. Sitting upright, relaxed. Dressed in clean salon uniform. Speech clear and fluent. Keeps hands in her lap and turns palms down when talking. |
| Skin, hands (examined first because of the concern) | Even color, intact, smooth, warm, dry, no lesions | Unexpected. Both hands: patches of redness on the palmar surface of the right thumb, index, and middle fingertips, extending about 1.5 cm toward the first joint; similar but smaller patches on the left index fingertip. Skin over the patches thickened and scaling, with three linear cracks, each about 3 to 5 mm long, on the right index pad. No blisters, no pus, no streaking up the hand or arm. Dorsal hands and wrists clear. |
| Nails and nail folds | Nail plates smooth, pink, convex; folds intact, no swelling | No artificial nails. Nail plates intact and pink, no pitting or lifting. Mild redness of the skin fold around the right index nail, without swelling or tenderness. |
| Skin, face and elsewhere | Even color, intact, no lesions | Both upper eyelids slightly puffy with fine scaling on the skin of the lids; no redness of the conjunctiva. Skin of face, neck, arms, and trunk even in color, warm, dry, without lesions. |
| Head, eyes, ears | Normocephalic; pupils equal, round, reactive; external ear intact; canals clear, drums pearly gray | Head symmetric without lesions. Pupils 3 mm, equal, round, briskly reactive to light and to near. Ear canals clear; each drum pearly gray and translucent, light reflex present. |
| Nose, mouth, throat | Mucosa pink and moist; teeth intact; uvula midline | Nasal mucosa pink, no discharge. Lips, gums, and mouth lining pink and moist. Teeth intact. Uvula midline and rises with "ah." |
| Neck and lymph nodes | Trachea midline; thyroid not enlarged; no palpable nodes | Trachea midline. Thyroid not felt to be enlarged; no nodules. No palpable nodes in the neck. No palpable nodes above the elbow on either arm. |
| Chest and lungs | Symmetric expansion; clear, vesicular breath sounds | Chest expands symmetrically. Breath sounds clear and vesicular throughout, no wheezes or crackles. |
| Heart | Rhythm regular, rate within range; first and second heart sounds only | Rate 72, regular. S1 and S2 heard clearly at all five listening sites, no murmurs or extra sounds. |
| Abdomen (lying) | Flat or rounded; bowel sounds present; soft, nontender | Flat contour. Bowel sounds heard in every quadrant, about 8 per minute. Soft, nontender, no masses felt. |
| Extremities and sensation of the hands | Full range of motion; intact light touch; capillary refill under 2 seconds | Full range of motion in fingers and wrists. Light touch felt at all fingertips, including the affected pads. Capillary refill under 2 seconds in all fingers. |
Rows to Examine Again, and Why
Skin of the hands, at every visit: the size and extent of the red patches and the number and length of the cracks will show whether the rash is spreading, stable, or settling, especially if she changes her work practice. The measurements above give a baseline.
Eyelids: the puffiness and scaling were mild today, and the interview suggests they come and go. They are worth recording again because a change there would support the pattern she described.
Nail fold of the right index finger: the redness is mild, but cracked skin next to a nail fold can let infection in. Swelling, warmth, tenderness, or pus at a later visit would be a new finding to report.
The remaining rows are recorded as a baseline and would not need to be repeated for this concern.
Source
The expected column comes from the course text (Jarvis, 2020), with vocabulary for skin findings checked against Bickley et al. (2021). A description of a rash, however exact, is not a diagnosis; the cause of her rash is for the clinician to determine, and the history suggesting a workplace allergy has been passed on for that purpose (Gonçalo et al., 2018).
References
Bickley, L. S., Szilagyi, P. G., Hoffman, R. M., & Soriano, R. P. (2021). Bates' guide to physical examination and history taking (13th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Gonçalo, M., Pinho, A., Agner, T., Andersen, K. E., Bruze, M., Diepgen, T., Foti, C., Giménez-Arnau, A., Goossens, A., Johansen, J. D., Paulsen, E., Svedman, C., Wilkinson, M., & Aalto-Korte, K. (2018). Allergic contact dermatitis caused by nail acrylates in Europe: An EECDRG study. Contact Dermatitis, 78(4), 254-260. https://doi.org/10.1111/cod.12942
Jarvis, C. (2020). Physical examination & health assessment (8th ed.). Elsevier.
NSG 121 Unit 3 instructions, in plain terms
Unit 3 asks you to chart expected and observed findings side by side for each body system. Expect to explain how the chart is built, write expected findings from the course text, record observed findings precisely, identify unexpected findings and say which rows need reexamination. Many versions ask how many unexpected findings the chart should contain and whether within normal limits is acceptable. Check whether your section names the systems. Writing every normal out shows what was actually examined. Unexpected findings should be described in the text's terms, with location and size. Rows to reexamine connect the chart to follow-up care. Cite the source of expected findings. Use precise vocabulary, such as macule or vesicle, rather than general words like spots.
Inside the NSG 121 Unit 3 example
The chart opens with how it was built and where the expected column comes from. The table runs system by system, with expected and observed findings in parallel columns. Normal findings are written out, such as lungs clear to auscultation in all fields, rather than abbreviated. The unexpected findings are described precisely, with location from landmarks and size in millimeters. The reexamination section names rows to recheck and why, such as hands at every visit to track the effect of avoiding work products. The sources section names the texts used for expected findings and vocabulary. The chart reads as evidence of a complete examination, which is what writing normals out is meant to show.
NSG 121 Unit 3 rubric: what full points look like
Herzing's rubric for a findings chart typically covers completeness of systems, accuracy of expected findings, precision of observed findings, identification of unexpected findings, follow-up and sources. Observed findings are read for location, size and character in the text's own vocabulary, which is where most marks are decided. Completeness points reward every system examined. Expected finding criteria look for accuracy against the course text. Unexpected finding points go to clear identification without diagnosis. Follow-up earns credit for rows to reexamine with reasons. Within normal limits usually costs points because it hides what was checked. A two-column layout helps the comparison. Bates' Guide by Bickley and colleagues is the natural source for skin vocabulary in this chart.
NSG 121 Unit 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Findings charts in Unit 3 often slip by writing within normal limits instead of describing normal findings. Another frequent problem is vague unexpected findings, such as rash on hands, without location, size and character. Students often skip systems they assume are normal. Expected findings are copied without checking the source. Follow-up rows are missing. Vocabulary is imprecise, such as red spots instead of erythematous macules. Measurements are estimated without units. Findings are interpreted, such as eczema, when the chart should describe. The hands, which carry the unexpected findings, need measurement at every visit. Finally, write every normal out, because graders read the chart as proof of what was examined, and an abbreviated row suggests the system was skipped.
Get a NSG 121 Unit 3 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 3 instructions and the rubric from your NSG 121 classroom, along with the systems the chart has to cover. We write a custom example that follows the examination order, fills the expected column from a named source, records normals in full words and describes unexpected findings without naming them. First custom sample free, back in 24 to 48 hours.
More NSG 121 papers and BSN samples
- NSG 121 Unit 1: Assessment technique sequence
- NSG 121 Unit 2: Equipment use record
- NSG 121 Unit 4: Landmark and positioning guide
- NSG 121 Unit 5: Head to toe rehearsal log
- NSG 121 Unit 6: Documentation practice set
- NSG 121 Unit 7: Developmental variation notes
- NSG 121 Unit 8: Assessment competency file
- NSG 120 Unit 3: Complication watch list
- NSG 122 Unit 3: Measurable goal and outcome sheet
- NSG 123 Unit 3: Nursing intervention rationale
- NSG 124 Unit 3: Administration rights walkthrough
NSG 121 Unit 3 questions, answered
How many unexpected findings should the chart contain?
A small number, unless your instructions specify. One or two give you something to describe carefully while leaving most rows to show that you can record a normal properly, which is where the marks in this unit concentrate. A chart full of abnormalities tends to read as invented, and it crowds out the descriptions that would have earned credit.
Is within normal limits acceptable in the chart?
Rarely, and it is worth checking what your section allows. The phrase records that somebody made a judgment without showing what they found, and this unit is examining the description itself. Write what was actually seen, heard or felt in the words your text uses, and keep the shorthand for settings where a full record already exists elsewhere.
Where do the expected findings come from?
Your assessment text and any reference your course supplies, cited in the chart. Descriptions of ordinary findings differ between sources, particularly in wording, and an unattributed expected column leaves your instructor unable to check the standard you compared against. Where your text and your lab materials differ, name both and say which one the chart followed.
Where can I find a free NSG 121 Unit 3 sample paper?
This page shows the whole NSG 121 Unit 3 findings chart for free, every system with expected and observed findings and rows to reexamine. Your own examination can anchor a custom chart.
Is within normal limits acceptable in a nursing assessment?
Many instructors discourage it because it does not show what was examined. Writing the finding, such as lungs clear in all fields, is clearer. This sample writes every normal finding out beside the expected one.