You are a registered nurse working at the Early Childhood Clinic with a view to commencing the Child and Family Health Nurse educational pathway. It is your 6th week and you are growing in confidence every day. This morning, the Clinical Nurse Consultant suggests you take charge of the next case and report back to her.
Emma’s Story: A 34-year-old woman Emma presents with her four-year-old daughter Lucy, for examination. Emma is six months pregnant with her third child and has a partner Michael, who is often away on contract work. Emma’s family live interstate and she has been in the area for only 6 weeks. Michael’s retired parents live locally, are supportive and Emma has a good relationship with them. Emma is worried about Lucy because she is a ‘fussy eater’ and would like you to weigh her. She also asks you what immunisations Lucy will need in preparation for starting school.
On examination Lucy’s height is 105cm and her weight is 15.5kgs. A head-to-toe physical assessment finds no abnormalities.
Emma then tells you about her 14-year-old son Josh, who is about to start Year 9. She discloses that she is anxious about him fitting in at the new school. Josh misses his close friends as well as his father Michael, who is currently working away in another state (WA) on contract. Michael isn’t due back for three months but is hoping to eventually find work locally.
Emma looks tired and during your interactions with her she becomes teary and talks about her fears. With the new baby coming, she is worried about how she will cope with Lucy, who can be very energetic, oppositional and hard to control.
Assessment: Discuss the above case study and demonstrate support for healthy families from the perspective of the role of the Registered Nurse.
The discussion MUST be supported with evidence (preferably academic journal articles…referencing page numbers). You MUST include:-
1. Consideration of Lucy and Josh’s physical, cognitive and psychosocial development.
2. A description of the developmental milestones you would expect for a 4-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy to have achieved.
3. A family assessment including consideration of the factors influencing Emma and her family.
4. Identified potential problems for Emma and her family.
5. Description of the required family-centred nursing care including communication/interviewing strategies that will assist with relationship building with Emma and her family.
6. Meetings and referrals you would arrange with the multidisciplinary team and other appropriate health care professional/agencies.

Mrs. Jones, a widow, is no longer able to live independently and is requiring more and more help with her self-care. Her daughter, Susie, who is married with three school-aged children, agrees to let her mother move in with her. Susie is concerned with balancing the demands of her career and the needs of her family, especially now that her elderly and chronically ill mother will need assistance. She is also unsure about how she feels with the reversal of roles, having to now be the primary caregiver of her mother. How can the nurse, caring for this family, assist with the changes they are about to undergo? How can both the family structural theory and the family developmental theory be applied to this scenario? How can health education enhance health promotion for this family?