| Course | NSG 222 Family Nursing |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Paper type | Family assessment write-up |
| Length | About 790 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NSG 222 Unit 7
Five People, Two Languages, One Month of Rest: A Family Assessment of a New Baby's Household, Every Entry Sourced to Who Said It
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NSG 222: Family Nursing
Instructor Name
February 25, 2026
Five People, Two Languages, One Month of Rest: A Family Assessment of a New Baby's Household, Every Entry Sourced to Who Said It
The Family Diagram, in Words
Household, one two-bedroom apartment: the mother (29, pharmacy technician, the composite patient from Units 1 to 6); her partner (31, warehouse shift supervisor, the baby's father); their son (3); the newborn daughter; and, for the first month, the mother's mother (58), who came from her own home an hour's drive away. Outside the household: the mother's sister (lives 15 minutes away, two children); the partner's mother (60, lives in another state, calls weekly); the mother's father (62, stayed at home). Decisions about the baby's care are made by the parents; the grandmother leads on food and rest during the first month, with the mother's agreement. Lines of contact: daily between mother and sister; weekly with the partner's mother; the clinic by phone and patient portal.
Assessment Under the Course Headings
The headings follow the structural, developmental, and functional areas of the Calgary Family Assessment Model used in the course (Shajani & Snell, 2019). Each entry names its source.
Roles. Mother: "I'm the one who keeps track of appointments and medicines." Partner: "I do nights with our son and the cooking on weekends." Grandmother, through a professional interpreter: "My job this month is to make sure she rests and eats properly."
Work and income. Mother: twelve weeks of leave, eight of them paid. Partner: "I have two weeks off, then back to night shifts." Both say money is "tight but fine."
Housing. Partner: two bedrooms, second floor, no elevator. Mother: "The stairs are the hard part with the baby and the car seat."
Support. Mother: her sister is "the one I call first." Partner: his mother offers advice by phone and "sends money for diapers." No one mentioned community or faith groups; when asked, the mother said they are "not really part of anything right now."
Language. Mother and partner speak English at home; the mother speaks Vietnamese with her own mother. Grandmother: speaks Vietnamese and limited English. The family asked that a professional interpreter be used for the grandmother, not their son or the mother, "so she can ask her own questions."
Health beliefs. Mother: "I trust the doctors, but my mom's way helped me last time." Partner: "Whatever keeps them both healthy."
Practices
The grandmother described, through the interpreter, the practices she plans for the first month, which she called resting after birth: keeping the mother warm, with socks and long sleeves even indoors; warm water only, no cold drinks or ice; staying home for about a month; avoiding heavy housework; special foods, including soups with ginger and pork; and washing with warm water rather than full showers in the first days. These match practices that Vietnamese women describe in research on the postpartum period, organized around hygiene, keeping warm and resting, diet, and breastfeeding (Lundberg & Thu, 2011).
Nursing response, agreed with the family: most of these practices support rest and recovery and were welcomed. Two points were discussed: keeping the perineum clean with warm water after each toilet visit fits the practice of warm-water washing, so no conflict arose; and drinking plenty of warm fluids supports breastfeeding, which the grandmother was glad to hear. Staying home for a month was noted alongside the week-two clinic visit; the family planned for the partner to drive and for the visit to count as necessary travel. Nothing in the family's plan was opposed, which follows the course text's approach of supporting cultural practices that are safe and discussing only those that could cause harm (Lowdermilk et al., 2020).
Strengths the Family Named
When asked what the family does well together, each adult answered differently. The mother said, "We ask for help." The partner said, "We don't panic." The grandmother said, through the interpreter, "This family eats together." The son, asked what he likes about his sister, said, "She's small." These strengths are recorded because a plan built only on problems misses what already works: this family asks for help early, stays calm, and shares meals, which gives the nurse natural points for teaching and checking in.
What the Assessment Adds to the Nursing Plan
Three things. First, the grandmother is a key carer this month, so teaching about warning signs, including breathlessness and swelling, was repeated to her through a professional interpreter, which also addresses the day-9 gap identified in the Unit 6 timeline. Second, the partner returns to nights after two weeks; the family's plan for the three-year-old's nights needs revisiting then. Third, the stairs are a daily strain; the mother was advised to carry the car seat only when someone else is present for the first weeks. The family is a composite.
References
Lowdermilk, D. L., Perry, S. E., Cashion, K., Alden, K. R., & Olshansky, E. F. (2020). Maternity & women's health care (12th ed.). Elsevier.
Lundberg, P. C., & Thu, T. T. N. (2011). Vietnamese women's cultural beliefs and practices related to the postpartum period. Midwifery, 27(5), 731-736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2010.02.006
Shajani, Z., & Snell, D. (2019). Wright & Leahey's nurses and families: A guide to family assessment and intervention (7th ed.). F. A. Davis.
Reading the NSG 222 Unit 7 instructions
Unit 7 asks you to assess the family of a new baby using a family framework. Expect to describe the family structure, assess structural, developmental and functional areas, record cultural practices respectfully, note strengths and explain how the assessment changes the nursing plan. Many versions ask how to handle language differences and cultural practices that differ from standard advice. Check whether your section names the Calgary model. Use a trained interpreter, not a family member, for assessment. Source each entry, noting who said it. Cultural practices should be recorded without judgment and discussed where safety is affected. Strengths named by the family guide support. The plan should include all carers.
Inside the NSG 222 Unit 7 example
The write-up opens with the family diagram in words, naming each member and relationship. The assessment section follows the model's headings with sourced entries. The practices section describes the grandmother's plans in her terms, with notes on where they fit standard advice and where discussion is needed. The strengths section records each adult's answer. The plan section names three changes, such as including the grandmother in teaching and planning interpreter use. The write-up respects the family's culture while keeping safety in view, and each entry notes its source, so the reader knows whose view it records.
Where the points sit in the NSG 222 Unit 7 rubric
Herzing's rubric for a family assessment usually covers the family structure, use of a framework, sourced entries, cultural sensitivity, strengths and implications for the plan. Cultural sensitivity and the plan that follows draw the closest reading: practices should be recorded respectfully and the plan widened to include every carer. Structure points reward a clear description of members, ages and roles. Framework criteria look for the Calgary model's structural, developmental and functional areas applied with evidence. Sourced entries earn credit, since the reader must know whose view each records. Strengths named by the family are often credited. Interpreter use with a trained interpreter is expected. Safety concerns raised respectfully, such as sleep position, earn credit. Shajani and Thorne's Calgary text and Callister's work on culture in maternity care support the assessment.
NSG 222 Unit 7 help: mistakes that cost points
Family assessments in Unit 7 often slip by judging cultural practices instead of recording and discussing them. Another frequent problem is using a family member as interpreter, which can filter what is said. Students often leave out the grandmother or other key carers. Entries are not sourced. Strengths are skipped. The framework is named but not applied. Safety concerns, such as bed sharing or swaddling too warmly, are ignored or handled bluntly. The older sibling's adjustment is forgotten. Work and money pressures on the only earner are not explored. The plan does not change after the assessment. Finally, include everyone who will care for the baby, because graders reward an assessment that reshapes teaching around the real household.
Get a NSG 222 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 7 instructions and the rubric from your NSG 222 classroom, with the case or family scenario the assignment supplies. We write a custom example that diagrams the family first, sources every assessment entry to a speaker, records practices flat and shows the reconciliation inside each plan item. First custom sample free, back in 24 to 48 hours.
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NSG 222 Unit 7 questions, answered
Which family assessment framework should I use?
Use whichever model your section names, and where two appear, state which one wins if they conflict. Frameworks divide roles, function and structure in ways that do not line up neatly, so a write-up borrowing a model the classroom never taught looks exactly like that. If the pick is left open, announce it early and keep to it down the page.
How do I write about beliefs I disagree with?
Describe them accurately and without adjectives, then show the plan working around them where it safely can. The criteria reward accommodation that is documented, not agreement, and a write-up sounding surprised by a family reveals the writer rather than the household. Where a practice and the course material genuinely conflict, name the conflict and say what the plan does about it.
Can I write about my own family?
Only where the assignment invites it, and many do not. A constructed family lets you build in the complications the criteria want to see, which a real household may not conveniently supply. If yours does allow personal experience, get consent from the people described, keep identifying detail out, and remember the document is submitted, stored and read by people you did not choose.
Where can I find a free NSG 222 Unit 7 sample paper?
This page shows the whole NSG 222 Unit 7 family assessment for free, five people in two languages with every entry sourced. Your own family assessment can be built the same way on request.
How should nurses respond to cultural postpartum practices?
Ask about them respectfully, record them in the family's terms, support those that are safe and discuss any that raise safety concerns. This sample records a grandmother's plans for the first month through an interpreter.