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Assessment of the Newborn

Understand the importance of the newborn physical assessment and learn how to conduct one.

7,222 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Learn how to perform a newborn physical assessment

The physical examination of a baby in the first hours of life is an essential part of newborn care and an important event for parents.

On the course, you’ll learn from neonatal nurses, who are experts in newborn care. You’ll find out why the neonatal assessment is so important, and the value of involving parents.

By the end of this course, you’ll know the steps for performing a head to toe assessment of a newborn. You’ll also know how to discuss the perinatal history, determine gestational age and assess newborn development.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds The physical examination of a baby in the first hours of life is an essential part of newborn care and an important event for parents. The first question asked is often, “Is my baby OK?” Hello, I’m Dr. Victoria Kain, and I’m excited to have you join me on this course. Together we’ll explore a range of physical and neurological examinations performed shortly after a baby is born. You’ll learn methods to determine the gestational age of the infant, which can be useful if the mother’s dates are uncertain, along with step-by-step instructions for undertaking a head-to-toe assessment of the newborn.

Skip to 0 minutes and 54 seconds You will also develop an understanding of what is considered to be normal and potentially abnormal and look at why it’s important to collect a maternal history in conjunction with the assessment. The School of Nursing and Midwifery at Griffith University is globally renowned for supporting transformative change in maternity care. Register now and learn from neonatal nurses who are passionate experts in newborn care. I look forward to meeting you in this course and helping you develop the skills and knowledge you’ll need to confidently undertake a newborn assessment. See you soon.

What topics will you cover?

  • Preparing to conduct a newborn assessment.
  • Why collecting a maternal history is an important element of the overall assessment.
  • Step by step instructions for performing a head to toe physical assessment of the newborn.
  • Techniques for determining gestational age.
  • Assessing the development and reflexes of the newborn.
  • Common newborn challenges.
  • Newborn skin care.
  • Evaluating interactions between the mother and their newborn.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Perform a newborn assessment using a systematic head to toe approach, identifying both normal and abnormal characteristics.
  • Assess the gestational age of the newborn.
  • Discuss the benefits of parental and newborn bonding.

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at midwives, nurses and other healthcare professionals. It is also suitable for anyone interested in neonatal assessment, including parents and families.

Who developed the course?

Griffith University

Griffith University was created to be a different kind of university—challenging conventions, responding to trends and pioneering solutions through innovative teaching and research.

  • Established

    1971
  • Location

    Queensland, Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 210Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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