NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY 

M.S. in Clinical Psychopharmacology Degree Program 

CLASS/MODULE #8 TRAINING OUTLINE 

Course # Hybrid RXPP 603 and RXPP 606 Clinical Psychopharmacology I Cont. Pathophysiology for Psychologists I 

Official Title: Intro to Basic Physical Assessments, Examination and Documentation Introduction to Basic Laboratory Assessments/Studies 

Credit Hours 3.0 Course Credit Hours 

Continuing Education: 13.5 CE (Provided by SIAP, Sponsored by APA) 

SIAP is approved by the American Psychological Association 

to sponsor continuing education for psychologists 

SIAP maintains responsibility for the program and its content 

Location: Live ONLY Arrowhead Park Medical Academy Building 8 3600 Arrowhead Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88011 

Class Meeting Dates:March 14-15th, 2020 8:00am-5:00pm 

Instructor: Lindsay E. Fox, MSPAC, PA-C 

Required Texts: 

Bickley, L. S., & Szilagyi, P. G. (2003). Bates' guide to physical examination and history taking (8th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 

Required Reading: 

Abrams, T.E., Vaughan-Sarrazin, M., & Vander Weg, M. W. (2011). Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and the Effect of Existing Psychiatric Comorbidity on Subsequent Mortality. Psychosomatics, 52, 441–449. 

Garden, G. (2005). Physical examination in psychiatric practice. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11(2), 142–149. 

Kellett, J., Papageorgiou, A., Cavenagh, P., Salter, C., Miles, S., & Leinster, S. (2015). The preparedness of newly qualified doctors - Views of Foundation doctors and supervisors. Medical Teacher, 37(10), 949–954. 

Kidwell, M. & Ellenbroek, B. A. (2018). Heart and soul: heart rate variability and major depression. Behavioural Pharmacology, 29, 152–164. 

Yap, K., Bearman, M., Thomas, N., & Hay, M. (2012). Clinical Psychology Students’ Experiences of a Pilot Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Australian Psychologist, 47(3), 165–173. 

Course Description: This hybrid RXPP 603 and 606 class focuses on the complete physical assessment that is required of prescribing psychologists. Methods of medical history taking, including documentation of pertinent medical history, complete medication information, including past and current medications and drug allergies, chief complaint, determination of vital signs and basics of the physical exam will be covered. Basic laboratory studies that complement the patient visit and care continuum will be introduced. 

Required Equipment: Stethoscope Sphygmomanometer Tuning Fork Pen Light Reflex Hammer 

Learning Objectives: 

By the end of the training, the students/attendees will be able to… 

1. Identify and perform the 5 step patient centered interviewing skills and apply scenarios 

2. Recognize and be prepared to defend the difference between at least 2 open ended and close ended questions 

3. List the 7 pertinent elements of the objective part of the client encounter CC, HPI, PMHX, Past Surgical HX, Social Hx and risk factors, ROS (pertinent positives and negatives) 

4. Distinguish the difference between History and Physical Notes and a Focused Exam and give examples when each is used 

5. Practice documenting the Information obtained in at least 2 patient interviews 

6. Synthesize at least 3 findings of patient history and physical exam into a working assessment statement and treatment plan in the note component of the course 

7. Identify and perform in 8 major components of a basic physical exam: General Appearance, Vital signs, HEENT, Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, Abdomen, Neuro (including MMSE, PHQ9 and MOCA), Musculoskeletal 

8. Develop and practice motion economy and basic familiarity with at least 4 techniques. Such as inspection, percussion, palpation and auscultation in performing the physical exam on multiple systems. More detailed proficiency will be developed and practices in later courses 

9. Name and perform/measure 4 major vital signs. Then demonstrate basic interpretation of this data 

10. Learn how to document and chart findings from 1 physical exam 

11. Synthesize findings of patient history and physical exam into a working assessment statement 

12. Learn how to submit at least 1 medical-legal document for reimbursement 

13. Name at least 5 recommendations or procedures to ensure proper contact precautions and hygiene 

14. Practice at least five fundamentals of skilled interviewing 

15. Perform at least 10 blood pressure readings 

16. Compare and contrast 1 abnormal feature of systolic versus diastolic blood pressure 

17. Interpret at least 2 cardiovascular diagnostic tests 

18. Explain how physical assessment techniques vary across the lifespan 

19. Learn the laboratory tests commonly used in the process of differential diagnosis 

20. Understand when to order such tests based on clinical exam findings and history gathering 

21. Analyze lab results that explain/assist in determining the nature of psychiatric symptoms in practice cases 

Evaluation: Students will be observed by the Instructors ad Training Director for the preparation, participation and effort allocated to the basic proficiency in the physical assessment. There will be a test (multiple choice, short answer or true false) which will be given to the students on March 15, 2020 to assess concept learning. By the end of the weekend, students will conduct a head to toe examination on one another and checklist of physical exam tasks will be completed. Case studies will be presented that involve critical thinking and correlation of learned skills to make appropriate assessment and plans that fall within the scope of practice for prescribing psychologists. 

Grading Assignments Points Possible 

Proficiency in Physical Exam 60 pts. 

Case Analysis: participation and engagement 30 pts. 

Multiple Choice Test: 10 pts. 

Course grades: 

90-100 pts total = “A” 

80-89 pts total = “B” 

70-79 pts total = “C” 

Students with Disabilities: If you have or believe you have a disability, you may wish to self- identify. You can do so by providing documentation to the Office for Services for Students with Disabilities, located at Garcia Annex (telephone: 646-6840). Appropriate accommodations may then be provided for you. If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit from the premises in an emergency or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the director of Disabled Student Programs. If you have questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), call 646-3635. 

Student complaints: If students have a complaint about a course, they are advised to discuss their concerns directly with the instructor whenever possible. If that does not resolve the problem or if they cannot approach the instructor, students should either access NMSU’s online complaint system at https://dos.nmsu.edu/concerns/ or seek out the department head (eadams@nmsu.edu) for help resolving the problem. Both of these processes provide opportunities for the department head to know about issues that need attention and for instructors to receive information about student concerns so that they can respond. 

Further Notice: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) covers issues relating to disability and accommodations. If a student has questions or needs an accommodation in the classroom (all medical information is treated confidentially), contact: 

Trudy Luken, Director 

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) - Corbett Center Student Union, Rm. 208 

Phone: (575) 646-6840 

E-mail: sas@nmsu.edu Website: http://sas.nmsu.edu/

NMSU policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical condition, sex, sexual orientation, spousal affiliation and protected veterans status. 

Furthermore, Title IX prohibits sex discrimination to include sexual misconduct: sexual violence (sexual assault, rape), sexual harassment and retaliation. For more information on discrimination issues, Title IX, Campus SaVE Act, NMSU Policy Chapter 3.25, NMSU's complaint process, or to file a complaint contact: 

Lauri Millot, Director and Title IX Coordinator 

Agustin Diaz, Associate Director, Title IX Deputy Coordinator Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) 

O'Loughlin House, 1130 University Avenue 

Phone: (575) 646-3635 

E-mail: equity@nmsu.edu Website: http://eeo.nmsu.edu Other NMSU Resources: 

NMSU Police Department: 

(575) 646-3311 

www.nmsupolice.com 

NMSU Police Victim Services: 

(575) 646-3424 

NMSU Counseling Center: 

(575) 646-2731 

NMSU Dean of Students: 

(575) 646-1722 

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