Unit 2.3 New to the Practice: New patient diagnostic workup: history, vitals, bloodwork, genetics, evidence synthesis.
Your PLTW coursework: Principles of Biomedical Science ▸ Unit 2: Clinical Care ▸ Lesson 2.3 New to the Practice ▸ "Problem 2.3.1 A New Patient"
What to do if absent- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Week overview - New to the Practice: building a new-patient diagnostic workup
Synthesize a , vitals, bloodwork, and genetic results into a and a written recommendation for next steps.
- 1Read the and list the history details that could matter to a diagnosis.
- 2Record the vitals and results in a single organized table.
- 3Write a of two to three possible conditions that fit the evidence.
- 4For each possibility, note which evidence supports it and which evidence argues against it.
- 5Choose the most likely diagnosis and explain your in two or three sentences.
- 6Write a clear recommendation for the next test or referral and why it is needed.
- • You will be able to organize patient-chart data into a usable evidence table.
- • You will be able to write a with supporting and opposing evidence.
- • You will be able to defend one diagnosis and recommend an evidence-based .
Daily lessons this week
Open any day for its full lesson, the work due that day, and guided notes.
One-sentence written summary of the most persuasive counterpoint from the disclosure debate.
Annotated notes mapping each workup component to the clinical question it answers, with one example reference range per component.
Shared team evidence table with all four workup components, flagged out-of-range values, and a ranked with the top candidate selected.
CER with a specific diagnostic claim, multi-source evidence from the workup, reasoning linking each evidence point to the claim, a next-steps recommendation, and one stated limitation.
Updated project tracker with unit status, confidence rating, and one reflective note, linked to the submitted evidence package.
Quick intro to the week
- Hook: a new patient walks in with no clear answer, and your job is to turn scattered data into a plan.
- Today's goal: practice the way a real clinical team does, one chart at a time.
- Monday bioethics debate ties in: how certain should a clinician be before sharing a serious diagnosis?
- Reminder: your graded diagnostic workup and recommendation are submitted on the class site.
Your PLTW coursework this week
Do this: Advance your PLTW PBS diagnostics benchmark by completing the new-patient workup and recommendation in the online course shell.
- • A lists the conditions that could explain a patient's evidence.
- • weighs multiple data sources to reach a defensible conclusion.
- • Organize a and results into a clear evidence table.
- • Write a recommendation that is justified by the strongest evidence.
📋 PLTW evidence due: the completed diagnostic workup and written recommendation in the course shell.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment: this page only gives direction.
This week's PLTW tracker
Your week at a glance. Check off each deliverable as you finish it, then submit so Mr. Mendoza can see how the class is pacing.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
| Day | Date | Focus | Key deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Thu, Oct 29 | Diagnostic disclosure debate | One-sentence written summary of the most persuasive counterpoint from the disclosure debate. |
| Wednesday | Wed, Nov 4 | Workup components notes | Annotated notes mapping each workup component to the clinical question it answers, with one example reference range per component. |
| Thursday | Thu, Nov 5 | Clinical diagnosis team project | Shared team evidence table with all four workup components, flagged out-of-range values, and a ranked differential diagnosis with the top candidate selected. |
| Thursday | - | Recommendation CER | CER with a specific diagnostic claim, multi-source evidence from the workup, reasoning linking each evidence point to the claim, a next-steps recommendation, and one stated limitation. |
| Friday | - | Submit tracker and evidence | Updated project tracker with unit status, confidence rating, and one reflective note, linked to the submitted evidence package. |
- First class day: bioethical debate (Monday is a closure)
- T: teacher background notes + PLTW launch task
- W: lab / data or model work
- Th: analysis / CER or design revision
- F: submit tracker + weekly evidence
Due by week's end: Diagnostic workup packet.
3 panels from the illustrated semester.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
What to do when absent
Most days, this class is your PLTW coursework: and PLTW is online and individual. So being out usually just means doing exactly what we did in class, from home.
Open Clever, then myPLTWHow to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
You can't do those from home: do this instead: Teacher-posted data/model packet, same objective. Supplemental: Khan: clinical data interpretation teacher-selected resources.
Class still runs. A substitute will post today's plan: complete the online activity above; it's built to be self-guided. Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
NIH MedlinePlus Lab TestsVocabulary
Resources & readings
Hand-picked readings and interactives for this lesson, from authoritative open organizations and PLTW's own public course outline.