| Assessment Type |
Essay |
| Academic Year |
2025 |
Assignment Brief: Clinical Skills
Understanding your question
- What do they want me to do?
- How do they want me to do it?
- Why do they want me to do this?
Clinical case review
- Select the case
- A patient you have conducted a history and examination on.
- Review the module learning outcomes
Learning Outcomes (Level 7)
- Critically appraise the evidence based practice and medico-legal requirements underpinning clinical decision making in clinical practice
- Critically reflect on clinical decisions, proposed management and demonstrate the ability to analyse and apply results
- Critically evaluate models of history taking and their application to the student’s sphere of practice
- Undertake a systematic approach to the completion of a thorough and concise clinical history and targeted physical examination
- Evaluate the necessity for clinical investigations in support of the assessment process and reflect upon this
- Effectively document and communicate findings effectively with both patients and or carers, and to members of the multi-disciplinary team
Marking Criteria
- Relevance – Does the work address the requirements of the assessment and to what degree?
- Knowledge – Does the work demonstrate an understanding of the subject and theories debates around it?
- Analysis – Does the work interrogate the subject and the evidence in sufficient depth?
- Argument and structure – Is the argument clearly stated and developed thoroughly? Is the work structured logically to guide the reader through the argument?
- Critical evaluation – Does the work demonstrate independent thought?
- Presentation – Is the spelling and grammar to standard? Does it follow the correct format?
- Use of Literature – Does the work contain evidence of wider reading? Is this incorporated properly and is it referenced correctly?
Appendices
- Keeps your assignment from becoming too descriptive
- Helps with your word count
- What to include:
- Patient History
- Patient examination
- Diagnosis or potential diagnosis
- Further tests
- Treatments
- These will then be referred to in your assignment
Getting started
- Introduction: Brief Overview of the case and its significance in nursing practice.
- Patient Hx and Background
- Clinical Presentation: Signs/symptoms/NEWs2/Lab results/Imaging
- Critical Events
- Assessment and Interventions: Evidence-based Practice- guidance/protocols/best practice local and national
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Highlight teamwork within the MDT
- Outcomes: Patient response to intervention and treatments/ any adverse events or complications
- Analysis and Reflection: Provide a thorough analysis of the case identifying any strengths and areas of improvement in nursing care.
- Lessons Learned: Share lessons learned from the case, emphasizing how they can be applied in future nursing practice. Suggest recommendations for improving patient care.
- Conclusion: Summarize key points. Emphasize the importance of continuous learning and reflection in practice.
Being critical
- Critical thinking is an important life skill, and the purpose of your academic writing is to give you the chance to practice formulating an argument and communicating it clearly and convincingly to others.
- To think critically means asking questions rather than accept things at face value / consider different perspectives
- Think what, who, where, when, how and why?
- Along with the phrases what if, what next, so what
- (see Plymouth model for critical thinking)
Critical Reading
- Currency – when was it written/Published?
- Relevance – Does it relate to your topic / argument?
- Authority – Is the author suitably experienced or qualified?
- Accuracy – Do the links work? Is the spelling and grammar, correct? Can you corroborate the information?
- Purpose – What is the sources ‘purpose? Is there evidence of bias?
- Up to date, relevant, credible, reliable, valid, unbiased, appropriate
Academic Language
To achieve the right level of formality in your writing
- Avoid first or second person (I, we, you, our, my) using third person (the patient, Mrs X) gives your work a more professional, academic and objective tone
- Do not use contractions (don’t, can’t won’t) – always write the words in full
- Keep your language clear and simple, avoid stringing lots of long words or technical vocabulary
- All abbreviations must be explained (once)
- Keep your language cautious when you are interpreting evidence or stating your judgements
- Remember the only way you can make a definite statement is if you have read literally every piece of evidence (this indicates, studies have suggested that)
- Do not tell a story !!!
- Academic Phrasebank
Editing and proof reading
- Have I been too descriptive?
- Have I been critical enough?
- Have I supported each point with enough evidence / strong evidence?
- Do I have a clear and consistent structure?
- How does it sound if I read it out loud?
- Can someone else proofread your work?
Key points to remember
- Maintain confidentiality and tell us why (NMC/HCPC etc)
- This includes the names of workplaces
- Contact study skills for help early Study skills guides
- Arrange a tutorial with your marker
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