Nursing Case Presentation Guidelines

Nursing case presentation can be a cause of anxiety for nursing students. It is considered one of the most dreaded moment in a nursing student life. But a well-prepared nursing case presentation can catapult a student to greatness and earn the respect of teachers plus of course a high grade.

I have been a panel and adviser for nursing case presentations for several years now and here are some tips and suggestions you can follow.

1. A thorough and complete nursing history is the key to the case. You have to have complete data, subjective data (nursing health history) and objective data (physical assessment, laboratory and diagnostic procedures)
2. Using the Gordon’s health patterns will definitely guide you in making your nursing diagnosis. List all appropriate actual and potential nursing diagnoses with supporting data, listed in priority.
3. When you do your pathophysiology, its better if it is presented like a concept map.
4. During the actual presentation, present only the salient points of the case. A PowerPoint presentation, in an outline or bullet form is the best.
5. Make sure you have consulted our adviser several times, to make sure you are on the right track e.g., are the problems of your client properly prioritized Are there gaps in your data? Is your NCP properly stated?
6. The panel would always prefer that everything is in order, most of the time, they don’t like interruptions or repetitions of the explanations. It has to be smooth and fast but with substance.
7. Do not make PowerPoint presentations in paragraph form. Don’t present the book word for word; make short and simple explanations. Most of the panel has poor visual acuity because of too much reading so keep your fonts readable.
8. Have a dry run of what you are to present. Read the evaluation tool, it’s a guide on how you will be graded.

Remember you are a nurse student. This is a learning activity. You have to do this on your own. Copying means plagiarism. You learn by doing. Good luck!