PA 620 Week 3 Expected Findings Note Example

Clinical Clerkship - Obstetrics & Gynecology Chamberlain University Free custom sample in 24 to 48h

This PA 620 Week 3 sample paper writes an admission findings note for A.B. in early labor at 39 weeks, in which the word normal barely appears. Chamberlain PA 620 (PA-620), Clinical Clerkship - Obstetrics & Gynecology, asks Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) students to say what each system showed and against what standard. The note defines expected as early labor at term, gives one line per item from a pregnancy flow murmur to trace ankle edema and symmetric reflexes, says a digital cervical examination was not done and why, marks prenatal results as taken from the record and closes with a summary that fits every line, citing ACOG on limiting examinations after rupture.

CoursePA 620 Clinical Clerkship - Obstetrics & Gynecology
Week3
Paper typeExpected findings note
LengthAbout 450 words, 5 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolChamberlain University
ProgramMaster of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for PA 620 Week 3

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Expected Findings Note for A.B. on Admission: Each System Checked Named With What It Showed, Normal Defined for Labor at Term, Items Not Done Said Out Loud and Facts Taken From the Prenatal Record Marked as Such

Student Name

Chamberlain University

PA 620: Clinical Clerkship - Obstetrics & Gynecology

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title promises that "normal" is replaced by positive findings with their reference point, which is what distinguishes a careful expected findings note.
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Expected Findings Note for A.B. on Admission: Each System Checked Named With What It Showed, Normal Defined for Labor at Term, Items Not Done Said Out Loud and Facts Taken From the Prenatal Record Marked as Such

Normal for What

Every finding below is judged against what is expected for a healthy person in early labor at 39 weeks, not against a nonpregnant adult. A pulse of 90 and mild ankle edema are expected here.

What this page is doingStating the reference point at the top tells the reader what "expected" means before any finding is listed.
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One Line per Item Checked

General: alert, talking between contractions, comfortable.

Vital signs 04:20: temperature 36.9 °C, pulse 88, blood pressure 120/76, respiratory rate 18.

Heart: regular rhythm; a soft murmur during systole, heard best to the left of the breastbone and typical of the larger blood volume of pregnancy.

Lungs: clear in all fields.

Abdomen: gravid; fundal height 37 centimeters; nontender between contractions.

Fetal position: cephalic by Leopold maneuvers, confirmed by bedside ultrasound.

Estimated fetal weight: about 3,400 grams by palpation.

Legs: trace pitting edema at both ankles; calves soft and nontender.

Reflexes: patellar 2+ and symmetric; no clonus.

Mood and support: calm, partner present, plans an epidural if labor becomes painful. Bladder: voided at 04:00; not distended. Skin: no rashes; no petechiae.

Not Done, Said Out Loud

Digital cervical examination: not done, because membranes are ruptured and labor is not yet established; minimizing examinations limits infection risk after rupture. Breast examination: not done; not indicated for this admission.

Pelvimetry: not done; prior vaginal birth of a 3,300-gram baby makes it unnecessary. Group B streptococcus repeat: not done; the 36-week result is within the five-week window.

What this page is doingNaming what was not done, with a reason for each, shows the examination was deliberate rather than incomplete.
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Taken as Given

From the prenatal record, not checked today: blood type O positive, antibody screen negative; rubella immune; HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis negative; a negative group B strep culture from the 36th week; dating by 9-week ultrasound.

These are not rechecked because they were done in the correct window and nothing since suggests they have changed. If any had been missing, a rapid test or a sample would have been sent before induction.

The Closing Line Has to Fit

Summary: findings expected for early labor at term after prelabor rupture of membranes; no signs of infection or hypertensive disorder.

What this page is doingMaking the closing line agree with every finding above it shows the summary was earned rather than assumed.
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Why Examinations Are Limited

Limiting digital examinations after membrane rupture is part of reducing infection risk while awaiting labor (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2020).

References

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2020). Prelabor rupture of membranes: ACOG practice bulletin, number 217. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 135(3), e80-e97. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000003700

The Chamberlain PA 620 Week 3 instructions

The third week asks for an expected findings note in which "normal" is replaced by positive statements. First say what "expected" is measured against, such as a healthy person in early labor at term, since that changes what counts as unremarkable. Then give one line per item checked, naming what it showed. Say aloud what was not done and why. Mark facts taken from the prenatal record, rather than checked today, as taken as given. Close with a summary line that fits every finding above it. A case with no abnormal findings still needs a full note; the work is in naming what was seen. Avoid "within normal limits" as a finding. Cite guidance behind any examination you deliberately did not do.

How the PA 620 Week 3 example is put together

The reference section defines expected findings for early labor at 39 weeks and notes that a pulse of 90 and mild ankle edema fit that standard. One line per item follows: general appearance, timed vital signs, a soft systolic flow murmur explained by pregnancy, clear lungs, a fundal height of 37 centimeters, cephalic position by Leopold maneuvers and ultrasound, an estimated fetal weight near 3,400 grams, trace ankle edema with soft calves and symmetric 2+ reflexes without clonus. The not-done section explains skipping a digital examination after rupture and a breast examination. The taken-as-given section lists blood type, antibody screen, rubella immunity, serologies, group B strep and dating. A summary line fits the findings, and a final section rests on ACOG guidance.

PA 620 Week 3 rubric: what full points look like

Expected findings notes lose the most when they rely on "normal" or "within normal limits," which tells the reader nothing about what was examined. Next comes a note that never states the reference point, so a pulse or edema could be read as abnormal. Graders deduct when skipped examinations are left out rather than named with a reason. Faculty reward one line per item with a positive finding, prenatal facts clearly marked as taken from the record and a summary consistent with every line. Accuracy of pregnancy-specific findings is checked. Citation of guidance behind omitted examinations completes the rubric.

PA 620 Week 3 help: mistakes that cost points

Expected findings notes most often fall short as a template filled with "WNL" down the page. Another frequent problem is mixing prenatal lab results into today's examination as if they were checked today. Some notes also end with a summary that does not match a finding above it. If your case differs, such as a postpartum examination or a routine gynecology visit, send the findings you recorded; our draft would state the reference point, give each item a positive line, name what was not done and why, mark facts taken from records and close with a summary that fits. If your case truly has nothing abnormal, the note would still name each finding.

Get a PA-620 Week 3 example written to your instructions

Send the Week 3 instructions with the case or template your section supplies and a custom note is written to them and returned inside 24 to 48 hours, the first one free. If your unit's form has fixed rows, send the row list and the example fills them rather than writing around them.

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PA 620 Week 3 questions, answered

The case I was given has no abnormal findings at all. Is that a short note?

It is a full one, and usually longer than students expect. A visit that produced nothing surprising still produced a list of things somebody checked, and each of those is a row that can be written or left blank. The short version is the one that loses, because it hands a marker a conclusion with no observations underneath it to grade.

Should the note explain why a finding is expected?

No, and this is the seam faculty watch. The record states what was found and what it was held against; the argument for why that is the expected version belongs to the didactic course and is graded there. A paragraph of physiology inside a service note takes room from the items that were actually checked, and a marker recognizes it as somebody else's assignment.

Can I use within normal limits?

Where your unit's form supplies it as a field, fill it the way the form intends. Where the note is free text the phrase costs more than it saves, because it records a judgment and none of the observation behind it, so the sentence survives review and the evidence does not. Naming what was checked and what it showed takes a few more words and earns the row.

Where can I find a free PA 620 Week 3 sample paper?

This page carries a complete PA 620 Week 3 expected findings note for early labor at term, with every item stated positively.

Why is no digital cervical examination done in the PA 620 Week 3 sample?

Membranes have ruptured and labor is not yet established, so examinations are kept to a minimum to limit infection risk.