| Course | PA 610 Clinical Clerkship - Family Medicine |
|---|---|
| Week | 5 |
| Paper type | Preventive care brief |
| Length | About 480 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Chamberlain University |
| Program | Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PA 610 Week 5
Preventive Care Opportunity Brief for T.B.'s February Visit: One Item, a Colonoscopy Six Years Overdue Under the Five-Year Family-History Interval, the Case for Raising It at a Blood Pressure Visit and What the Record Says Afterward
Student Name
Chamberlain University
PA 610: Clinical Clerkship - Family Medicine
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Preventive Care Opportunity Brief for T.B.'s February Visit: One Item, a Colonoscopy Six Years Overdue Under the Five-Year Family-History Interval, the Case for Raising It at a Blood Pressure Visit and What the Record Says Afterward
The Occasion, Stated First
February 10, 2026: a scheduled blood pressure follow-up for T.B., 46, booked for 20 minutes. T.B. has not had a preventive visit since 2019 and does not plan one.
One Item, With Its Interval
Colonoscopy. T.B.'s father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 54, so T.B. should have started colonoscopy at 40 and repeated it every five years (Rex et al., 2017). T.B. has never been screened. Other preventive items are also due, including a tetanus booster and a lipid panel, but this brief argues for one.
The Case for This Appointment
Three reasons to raise it today rather than at a future wellness visit. First, T.B. does not schedule preventive visits, so "next time" may not come. Second, the family history was confirmed by T.B.'s sister two weeks ago and is fresh in T.B.'s mind. Third, a referral placed today takes about six weeks to schedule, which still leaves time to complete the colonoscopy before the summer, when T.B. says work is heaviest. Raising it costs about four minutes of a twenty-minute visit, and the blood pressure plan, which is simple today, can absorb that.
A fourth reason is practical: the gastroenterology office near T.B.'s workplace has Saturday procedure slots, which T.B. prefers, and those book further ahead than weekday slots.
Refusal Without a Script
If T.B. declines, the brief does not supply a persuasion script. The note records the reason in T.B.'s words, the risk explained in plain terms and an offer to revisit. A stool-based test is not an appropriate substitute here, because guidance for this level of family risk recommends colonoscopy rather than stool testing. T.B. is told that directly rather than offered a lesser test as a compromise.
What Happened
T.B. agreed. The referral to gastroenterology was placed during the visit, marked "first-degree relative with colorectal cancer at 54; screening colonoscopy overdue." T.B. asked whether the brother should be screened too; yes, by the same rule, and T.B. will pass that on.
What the Record Says Afterward
Health maintenance section updated: "Colonoscopy due every 5 years from age 40 (family history); referral placed 2/10/2026." A reminder is set for the April visit to confirm the procedure date. If the procedure has not happened by June, the reminder escalates to a call from the nurse.
References
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
PA 610 Week 5 instructions, in plain terms
The fifth week asks for a one-page brief arguing for a single preventive care opportunity at a particular appointment. Open with the occasion: what the visit was booked for and how long it is. Name one item, with its recommended interval and how far it is past due, and cite the guidance that sets it. Make the case for raising it at this appointment rather than waiting for a dedicated preventive visit. Plan for refusal without a script for pressuring the patient; say what would be recorded. Finish by stating what the record says afterward so the item survives the next visit. The instructions accept "preventive care plan" as another name for the same task. Arguing several items at once usually weakens the brief.
Inside the PA 610 Week 5 example
The occasion is a 20-minute blood pressure follow-up on February 10, 2026, for a patient who has not had a preventive visit since 2019. The item is colonoscopy, every five years from 40 because of a father's diagnosis at 54 (Rex et al., 2017), never done. Other overdue items are named and set aside. The case section gives three reasons: no wellness visit is likely, the family history was just confirmed and a referral now allows completion before summer, at a cost of about four minutes. The refusal section records reasons in the patient's words and explains that stool testing is not appropriate at this level of risk. The outcome section records agreement and a referral placed during the visit, and the brother's eligibility. The record section updates health maintenance and sets an April check and a June escalation.
PA 610 Week 5 rubric: what full points look like
Briefs lose the most when they audit every overdue item rather than argue one, which turns the brief into a checklist. Next comes an item without its interval or citation, so the reader cannot see why it is due. Graders deduct when the case for this appointment is missing, since the brief exists to argue timing. Faculty reward a refusal plan that records reasons rather than scripting pressure. Explaining why a weaker substitute is not offered shows clinical accuracy. The record afterward, with a reminder that escalates, earns a defined share. Citation of the guideline in APA form completes the rubric.
PA 610 Week 5 help: mistakes that cost points
Preventive briefs most often fall short by listing every screening the patient is due for with no argument for any of them. Another frequent problem is ignoring the visit's real purpose and time limit. Some briefs also offer a lesser test as a compromise without checking whether it is appropriate for the patient's risk. If your patient's opportunity is different, such as lung cancer screening, a hepatitis C test or a vaccine, send the visit details and the patient's history; a brief built for you would state the occasion, name one item with its interval and source, argue the timing, plan for refusal and record what follows. If your rubric asks for more than one item, each would be argued separately.
Get a PA-610 Week 5 example written to your instructions
The desk needs your classroom's wording for the week, the rubric, and any schedule or guideline table your section assigned, and a custom opportunity brief comes back inside 24-48h, the first one free. The sample argues from the schedule your classroom publishes rather than one chosen here, so the intervals in it are the ones you will be marked against.
More PA 610 papers and MPAS samples
- PA 610 Week 1: Family Medicine Difference Post
- PA 610 Week 2: Family History Pedigree Map
- PA 610 Week 3: Interval History Write-Up
- PA 610 Week 4: Medication Reconciliation Memo
- PA 610 Week 6: Encounter Log Gap Review
- PA 610 Week 7: Take-home Instruction Sheet
- PA 610 Week 8: Continuity Case Report
- PA 608 Week 5: Error Pattern Write-Up
- PA 604 Week 5: Productivity Expectation Review
- PA 603 Week 5: Employment Gap Explanation
- PA 602 Week 5: Refusal Encounter Write-Up
PA 610 Week 5 questions, answered
Which screening schedule should the brief use?
The one your classroom names. Sections point at different published tables and mark against the one they assigned, so a sample built on another source can be correct and still score badly. Send the table or the citation your week supplies and the intervals come from it. Where nothing is named, the brief cites its source openly and shows where a different schedule would change the argument.
Can one brief cover several items that are past due?
Some sections ask for that and it changes the document. With several items the brief has to say which one it leads with and why the others are named rather than pursued in the same appointment. With one item the whole length goes to the argument. Send the rubric row covering it and the sample arrives sized to whichever version your section marks.
My rubric calls it a preventive care plan rather than a brief.
The name moves and the marked content mostly does not. A plan version usually adds a second half listing what falls due across the coming year with dates against it, while a brief stays on the single item and the argument for putting it into today's visit. Send the headings your classroom prints for that version and the sample takes their shape.
Where can I find a free PA 610 Week 5 sample paper?
This page holds the full PA 610 Week 5 preventive care brief arguing for an overdue family-history colonoscopy at a blood pressure visit.
Why is stool testing not offered in the PA 610 Week 5 sample?
Guidance for a first-degree relative diagnosed before 60 recommends colonoscopy, so a stool test would not be an appropriate substitute.