| Course | NU 345 Health Assessment and Promotion Across the Life Span |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Genogram and family health history |
| Length | About 600 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU 345 Unit 3
Three-Generation Genogram and Family Health History for a 38-Year-Old Woman
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NU 345: Health Assessment and Promotion Across the Life Span
Instructor Name
February 3, 2026
Three-Generation Genogram and Family Health History for a 38-Year-Old Woman
The Person and the Method
Ms. C., a composite 38-year-old elementary school teacher, provided her family history during a wellness visit, with details confirmed afterward by a call to her mother. The genogram covers three generations: her grandparents, her parents and their siblings, and her own generation with her children. Standard genogram symbols are used, with squares for males, circles for females, an X through the symbol for a deceased person, and age or age at death with cause where known (McGoldrick et al., 2020). Because this page presents the genogram in text, each person is listed below in the order the diagram would be read, generation by generation, with the key applied.
Key
Square: male. Circle: female. X through symbol: deceased. Horizontal line: marriage; vertical lines: children. Shading, recorded here in brackets: [CV] heart attack or coronary disease, [CRC] colorectal cancer, [DM] type 2 diabetes, [HTN] hypertension, [BR] breast cancer. The index person is marked with a double outline.
Genogram, Generation by Generation
The table lists each person with the information the diagram carries.
| Generation | Person | Side | Age or age at death | Health history |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paternal grandfather (square, X) | Father's | Died at 51 | Heart attack [CV]; smoked |
| 1 | Paternal grandmother (circle, X) | Father's | Died at 84 | Stroke; [HTN] |
| 1 | Maternal grandfather (square, X) | Mother's | Died at 77 | Prostate cancer |
| 1 | Maternal grandmother (circle) | Mother's | 88 | [DM] since 60s; [HTN] |
| 2 | Father (square) | Father's | 67 | Heart attack at 54 [CV]; stent; [HTN] |
| 2 | Paternal uncle (square, X) | Father's | Died at 58 | Sudden cardiac death [CV] |
| 2 | Mother (circle) | Mother's | 64 | Colorectal cancer at 52 [CRC], treated, in remission; [DM] |
| 2 | Maternal aunt (circle) | Mother's | 61 | Breast cancer at 58 [BR] |
| 3 | Ms. C. (circle, double outline) | Index | 38 | No known conditions; BMI 28; blood pressure 132/84 |
| 3 | Brother (square) | Index generation | 41 | [HTN] at 38 |
| 3 | Ms. C.'s daughter (circle) | Next generation | 9 | Healthy |
| 3 | Ms. C.'s son (square) | Next generation | 6 | Healthy |
What the Pattern Shows
Premature coronary disease recurs on the father's side across two generations: a fatal heart attack in her paternal grandfather at 51, her father's heart attack at 54 treated with a stent, and her paternal uncle's sudden death at 58. Premature coronary disease in a first-degree male relative before 55 is a recognized risk-enhancing factor in cardiovascular prevention guidance (Arnett et al., 2019), and her father meets that definition, as would her brother if he developed disease before that age. Hypertension appears in three generations on both sides, including her brother at 38.
On her mother's side, her mother had colorectal cancer at 52. A first-degree relative diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 60 changes screening recommendations: the multi-society task force recommends colonoscopy beginning at age 40, or 10 years before the relative's age at diagnosis, whichever comes first, repeated every five years (Rex et al., 2017). For Ms. C., that means screening should begin now, at 40 at the latest, rather than at 45. Type 2 diabetes appears in her maternal grandmother and mother. Breast cancer in a maternal aunt at 58 is a single second-degree relative diagnosed after 50, which does not by itself meet criteria for genetic referral, but it is recorded for review if other cancers appear in the family.
What It Means for Ms. C.
Three actions follow from the history. First, colorectal screening by colonoscopy should be scheduled now or by age 40, earlier than the average-risk start at 45. Second, her cardiovascular risk should be assessed with her family history counted as a risk enhancer: a lipid panel today, blood pressure confirmation with home readings, and a discussion of diet and activity. Third, diabetes screening is reasonable given her body mass index and family history. She also asked whether her children are affected; the history will matter for them in adulthood, particularly the colorectal and cardiac patterns, and she was encouraged to share it with them when they are older.
Limits of the History
The history depends on what Ms. C. and her mother know. The cause of her paternal uncle's sudden death was never confirmed by autopsy, and the family is unsure whether her paternal grandfather had other conditions. Her father's side has not been asked about colorectal polyps, and her mother does not know whether her own tumor was tested for inherited syndromes such as Lynch syndrome. That question matters, because a positive test would change screening for the whole family; Ms. C. will ask her mother's oncologist.
References
Arnett, D. K., Blumenthal, R. S., Albert, M. A., Buroker, A. B., Goldberger, Z. D., Hahn, E. J., Himmelfarb, C. D., Khera, A., Lloyd-Jones, D., McEvoy, J. W., Michos, E. D., Miedema, M. D., Munoz, D., Smith, S. C., Jr., Virani, S. S., Williams, K. A., Sr., Yeboah, J., & Ziaeian, B. (2019). 2019 ACC/AHA guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation, 140(11), e596-e646. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000678
McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. (2020). Genograms: Assessment and treatment (4th ed.). W. W. Norton.
Rex, D. K., Boland, C. R., Dominitz, J. A., Giardiello, F. M., Johnson, D. A., Kaltenbach, T., Levin, T. R., Lieberman, D., & Robertson, D. J. (2017). Colorectal cancer screening: Recommendations for physicians and patients from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology, 153(1), 307-323. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.05.013
NU 345 Unit 3 instructions, in plain terms
Unit 3 asks you to construct a genogram and family health history for one person. Expect to describe your method, provide a key, record at least three generations with ages, conditions and ages at onset, identify patterns and explain what they mean for the person's screening and prevention. Many versions ask how many generations to include and how to handle unknown information. Check whether your section expects a drawn diagram, a table or both. Ages at onset matter because early onset changes screening recommendations. Mark unknowns clearly rather than guessing. Connect patterns to specific guidelines, such as colorectal screening for a first-degree relative diagnosed before 60. Keep the person's relatives unidentifiable.
How the NU 345 Unit 3 example is put together
The history opens with the person and how information was gathered, including her mother's help. A key defines every symbol. The table lists each relative by generation with the facts the diagram would show. The pattern section identifies two clusters, cardiac and colorectal, with ages at onset. The meaning section turns each pattern into an action tied to a guideline, such as earlier colonoscopy and lipid testing. The limits section names what is unknown and why it matters, such as a sudden death that could have been cardiac. The layout lets a reader rebuild the genogram from the table. Each recommendation cites its source, so the prevention plan rests on guidelines rather than general advice.
NU 345 Unit 3 rubric: what full points look like
Herzing's rubric for a genogram usually covers accuracy of symbols and structure, completeness across three generations, recording of ages at onset, pattern identification, application to prevention and acknowledgment of limits. Application to prevention is where graders focus most, because the genogram exists to change care. Structure points reward a correct key. Completeness criteria require three generations with relevant facts. Ages at onset often earn their own credit. Pattern identification looks for clusters by lineage. Limits should name unknowns. Cite McGoldrick's Genograms text and the Arnett ACC/AHA prevention guideline in APA 7. A table that lets the reader rebuild the diagram, with ages and causes of death, is often credited for completeness. Graders also look for a clear statement of which recommendations change because of the history.
Common NU 345 Unit 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them
A frequent Unit 3 genogram weakness is listing conditions without ages at onset. Another frequent problem is skipping a generation or one side of the family. Students often identify patterns without connecting them to screening. Unknowns are filled with guesses. The key is missing or nonstandard. Recommendations are generic, such as eat healthy. Relatives are identifiable. Finally, tie each pattern to a guideline action, because graders reward a family history that changes what the person is offered, such as colonoscopy at 38 rather than 45. Causes of death are sometimes recorded as old age or natural causes, which hides patterns; ask what was known. Ethnic background can affect some screening, so record it where relevant. Half-siblings and adopted relatives should be marked correctly, since they change what the history means.
Get a NU 345 Unit 3 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 3 instructions and the rubric from your NU 345 classroom, plus the family history your genogram maps. We write a custom example with a readable diagram and an analysis that reaches the index person's own screening, returned in 24 to 48 hours. The first custom sample is free.
More NU 345 papers and RN-to-BSN samples
- NU 345 Unit 1: Lifespan assessment variations
- NU 345 Unit 2: Functional health pattern assessment
- NU 345 Unit 4: Health assessment and promotion plan
- NU 345 Unit 5: Developmental stage applied to assessment
- NU 345 Unit 6: Health risk appraisal
- NU 345 Unit 7: Teaching plan for one person
- NU 345 Unit 8: One health issue across the lifespan
- NU 305 Unit 3: Code of ethics applied to a situation
- NU 476 Unit 3: Project plan with milestones
- NSG 321 Unit 3: Performance feedback conversation
- NSG 323 Unit 3: Communicable disease investigation
NU 345 Unit 3 questions, answered
How many generations should I include?
Three. Two generations rarely contain enough people for a pattern to appear, and four produces a diagram too dense to read and usually rests on recollection nobody can verify. Three gives you grandparents, parents and siblings, which is where most clinically useful family history sits.
Why do ages at onset matter?
Because early onset across relatives is what suggests a familial contribution. A condition appearing in several family members in their eighties is largely what happens to people; the same condition appearing repeatedly in their forties is a pattern worth acting on. Recording only that a condition is present discards the most informative part.
How do I handle information nobody knows?
Mark it explicitly as unknown. Blanks are read as absence, so a family with no contact with a paternal line can appear to have no paternal history rather than an unknown one, and that difference matters for risk. Note where the account came from too, since family history is usually second-hand and recall varies.
Where can I find a free NU 345 Unit 3 sample paper?
This page shows the whole NU 345 Unit 3 three-generation genogram for free, the key, relative table, patterns and prevention actions. A genogram for another person can be written on request.
Why do ages at onset matter in a family health history?
Early onset in a close relative often changes screening. In this sample, an uncle's colorectal cancer at 48 and a grandfather's heart attack at 52 lead to earlier colonoscopy and lipid testing for a 38-year-old woman.