| Course | NSG 122 Nursing Fundamental Concepts |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Goal and outcome sheet |
| Length | About 490 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NSG 122 Unit 3
Four Problems, Eight Goals, Every Measure Countable: A Goal and Outcome Sheet for an 84-Year-Old Man Recovering From Fluid Loss
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NSG 122: Nursing Fundamental Concepts
Instructor Name
January 28, 2026
Four Problems, Eight Goals, Every Measure Countable: A Goal and Outcome Sheet for an 84-Year-Old Man Recovering From Fluid Loss
How the Sheet Is Laid Out
Each row starts with a problem statement from the Unit 2 worksheet on this composite patient, then gives the goal written about the patient, the measurable element on its own, and two timeframes kept separate: a near date within the first two hospital days and a later date at or before discharge, expected on day four. Goals are phrased as what the patient will do or show, never as what the nurse will do.
The Sheet
Rows follow the order of the problem statements.
| Problem | Goal (about the patient) | Measurable element | Near timeframe | Later timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deficient fluid volume | Patient will produce adequate urine | Measured output of 240 mL or more per 8-hour shift (30 mL an hour on average) | End of day 2 | Maintained each shift until discharge |
| Deficient fluid volume | Patient will stand without a drop in blood pressure | Standing systolic within 10 mm Hg of lying systolic, measured after 1 and 3 minutes standing; no dizziness reported | End of day 2 | On two consecutive checks before discharge |
| Deficient fluid volume | Patient will drink enough without prompting | At least 1,500 mL of drinks recorded per 24 hours, no more than one staff prompt per shift | Day 3 | Two consecutive days before discharge |
| Deficient fluid volume | Patient will regain lost weight | Morning weight of 66.0 kg or more on the same scale (his clinic record shows 67.0 kg) | Not set for day 2 (too soon to expect) | At discharge |
| Diarrhea | Patient's stools will become formed | Two or fewer stools in 24 hours, described as soft or formed on the stool chart | Day 2 | No watery stool for 24 hours before discharge |
| Risk for falls | Patient will call for help before standing | Patient uses the call light before every attempt to stand, counted from the shift log; no unassisted standing observed | Each shift from day 1 | Until discharge |
| Risk for falls | Patient will walk safely with his walker | Walks 30 m to the hallway window and back with the walker and one person standing by, without stopping or dizziness | Day 3 | Walks the same distance with supervision only by discharge |
| Risk for impaired skin integrity | Patient's perianal skin will remain intact | No broken skin on daily inspection; redness no larger than at admission; stinging reported as 2 of 10 or less | Daily from day 1 | Redness resolved by discharge |
Where the Harder Measures Came From
The drinking target of 1,500 mL a day was chosen as a floor for a frail man recovering from fluid loss, not as the full daily amount an older man is generally advised to drink. A European geriatric nutrition guideline recommends that older men drink at least 2.0 L a day unless a clinical condition requires otherwise (Volkert et al., 2019). The lower figure was set with the team because he had drunk almost nothing for three days and was receiving intravenous fluids, and a goal he could not reach by day 3 would teach him nothing. It rises toward the guideline figure in his discharge teaching.
The call-light goal measures a behavior, not a feeling. He said he did not want to be a bother. A goal such as "patient will feel comfortable asking for help" could not be counted. Counting whether he calls before each attempt to stand can.
The weight goal was deliberately left without a near date. Weight changes reflect fluid slowly, and a goal set for day 2 would have been either trivially met or unfairly missed. Outcome classification systems describe outcomes as states or behaviors measured over time, and a measure should be read at a point where change is possible (Moorhead et al., 2018).
Goals Considered and Not Used
Three goals were drafted and dropped. "Patient will verbalize understanding of fluid needs" was dropped because saying something is not the same as doing it; the drinking goal already measures the behavior that matters. "Patient will have no falls during admission" was dropped as the only falls goal because it can be met by luck, for example if he stays in bed, and it tells nobody whether he is safer; it is tracked as an incident count instead, alongside the two behavior goals. "Patient's sodium will return to normal" was dropped from the nursing sheet because the laboratory value reflects the provider's fluid orders more than nursing actions; it is monitored and reported, not set as a nursing goal.
Note
The patient is a composite. Goal format follows the course fundamentals text (Potter et al., 2023). The fluid figures were checked against the guideline cited above and are set for this constructed case only.
References
Moorhead, S., Swanson, E., Johnson, M., & Maas, M. L. (Eds.). (2018). Nursing outcomes classification (NOC): Measurement of health outcomes (6th ed.). Elsevier.
Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. M. (2023). Fundamentals of nursing (11th ed.). Elsevier.
Volkert, D., Beck, A. M., Cederholm, T., Cruz-Jentoft, A., Goisser, S., Hooper, L., Kiesswetter, E., Maggio, M., Raynaud-Simon, A., Sieber, C. C., Sobotka, L., van Asselt, D., Wirth, R., & Bischoff, S. C. (2019). ESPEN guideline on clinical nutrition and hydration in geriatrics. Clinical Nutrition, 38(1), 10-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2018.05.024
What the NSG 122 Unit 3 instructions ask for
Unit 3 asks you to write measurable goals and expected outcomes for patient problems. Expect to lay out goals by problem, include a subject, action verb, measure, condition and time frame, explain where measures came from and show goals you rejected. Many versions ask how many goals per problem and how to make goals measurable. Check whether your section uses SMART goals or a set format. Every goal needs a number or observable behavior and a date. Measures should come from evidence or clinical standards, not guesswork. Goals such as verbalize understanding are hard to check; prefer demonstration or teach-back. Rejected goals show judgment.
How this NSG 122 Unit 3 example is built
The sheet opens with its layout, so the grader knows how to read each row. The table pairs each problem with two goals, one short-term and one longer, each written in the required parts. The measures section explains the source of harder numbers, such as fluid targets for older adults. The rejected goals section shows three drafts and why each was dropped. Every measure can be counted or observed, which is the sheet's main standard. The sheet uses the same patient and problems as Unit 2, so it reads as the next step in one plan. Dates are tied to admission days, which makes evaluation possible in later units.
NSG 122 Unit 3 rubric: what full points look like
Herzing's rubric for a goal sheet usually covers measurability, completeness of goal parts, link to problems, realistic time frames, source of measures and judgment about rejected goals. Measurability carries the most weight: every goal needs a number or an observable behavior and a date. Completeness points reward subject, verb, measure, condition and time frame. Link criteria look for each goal addressing its own problem statement. Time frame points go to dates the admission can actually reach. Source criteria reward measures grounded in clinical standards rather than guesses. Rejected goals are often credited because they show the writer tested each draft. A table layout helps the reader scan rows. Dates tied to admission days make later evaluation possible. Goal format follows the Potter fundamentals text.
Common NSG 122 Unit 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Goal sheets in Unit 3 often slip by writing goals that cannot be checked, such as patient will be comfortable. Another frequent problem is goals with no time frame, which leaves the evaluation unit with nothing to judge. Students often write nurse actions as goals, such as nurse will monitor output. Measures are invented without a source. Long-term goals extend beyond the admission. Goals do not match their problems. Rejected goals are not shown. Verbs like understand or know slip in. Two goals for the same problem sometimes repeat each other instead of covering short and longer terms. Finally, make every measure countable, because graders reward a sheet where a nurse on the next shift could check each goal without asking what it meant.
Get a NSG 122 Unit 3 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 3 instructions and the rubric from your NSG 122 classroom, with the problem statements or the case the sheet is built on. We write a custom example that puts the measure in its own column, keeps the near and later goals apart and ties every row to a problem. First custom sample free, back in 24 to 48 hours.
More NSG 122 papers and BSN samples
- NSG 122 Unit 1: Nursing process walkthrough
- NSG 122 Unit 2: Patient problem statement set
- NSG 122 Unit 4: Skill rationale write-up
- NSG 122 Unit 5: Patient needs ordering brief
- NSG 122 Unit 6: Safety and mobility plan
- NSG 122 Unit 7: Basic care procedure record
- NSG 122 Unit 8: Fundamentals skills file
- NSG 121 Unit 3: Expected versus unexpected findings chart
- NSG 123 Unit 3: Nursing intervention rationale
- NSG 124 Unit 3: Administration rights walkthrough
- NSG 126 Unit 3: Standards of practice review
NSG 122 Unit 3 questions, answered
What makes a goal measurable enough?
A reader has to be able to answer yes or no on the date. A number, a distance, a count of assisted steps or a behavior somebody could witness all qualify, while improved, better and adequate do not. If two markers could disagree about whether the goal was met, the wording still has work left in it.
Where do the target numbers come from?
From the case, from the course reading and from whatever reference your section supplies, and the sheet should say which. A target picked because it sounds plausible is hard to defend, and figures differ between texts and settings. Where your materials give a range rather than one value, quote the range and say what put the goal at its point.
Do outcomes and goals mean the same thing here?
Sections use the words differently, so read the instructions before assuming. Some ask for a broad goal with several specific outcomes beneath it, others use the two interchangeably. Whichever your classroom uses, keep the usage consistent through the sheet, and if the instructions are silent, say in a line which arrangement you followed.
Where can I find a free NSG 122 Unit 3 sample paper?
This page shows the whole NSG 122 Unit 3 goal sheet for free, eight countable goals for four problems and three goals dropped. Ask for a custom goal sheet built on your problems.
How do I write a measurable nursing goal?
Name the patient as subject, use an observable verb, set a number or criterion, add any condition and give a date. This sample writes goals such as urine output of at least 30 mL an hour by the end of day two.