Tina Jones — All 12 Shadow Health Modules

Tina Jones Shadow Health — Complete Module Guide

Tina Jones is the most widely assigned Shadow Health patient in US nursing programs. Used extensively at Grand Canyon University, St. Thomas University, Chamberlain University and dozens of other BSN programs, the Tina Jones series consists of 12 progressive modules that together cover a complete health assessment of a complex patient with multiple chronic conditions.

Tina is a 28-year-old African American woman presenting initially with an infected right foot wound. Her full profile includes: Type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed at age 24 (currently unmanaged, HbA1c 10.1), hypertension (BP 138/90 on admission), and intermittent asthma managed with a PRN albuterol inhaler. Understanding these three conditions and how they intersect is the foundation for scoring well across all 12 modules — every system you assess will have findings traceable back to her diabetes, hypertension or asthma.

Health History (Module 1)

The Health History is the gateway module and the most commonly assigned first. Students must gather a comprehensive patient history including chief complaint, history of present illness, past medical history, family history, social history, review of systems and psychosocial assessment. The simulation scores both the breadth of questions asked and the accuracy of the documentation. Common mistakes include failing to ask about medication adherence for diabetes and asthma, not exploring her family history of cardiovascular disease, and missing her psychosocial stressors including her father's recent death and her financial pressures.

Cardiovascular Assessment (Module 2)

The Cardiovascular module requires a full cardiac history interview and physical examination including auscultation of heart sounds, assessment of peripheral pulses, evaluation of jugular venous distension and examination for peripheral oedema. Given Tina's hypertension and diabetes, students must explore her cardiovascular risk factors in depth — asking about chest pain, palpitations, dyspnoea on exertion, orthopnoea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea even when she does not volunteer these symptoms.

Respiratory Assessment (Module 3)

Tina's asthma is intermittently managed with albuterol. The Respiratory module expects students to assess trigger avoidance, medication technique, frequency of rescue inhaler use and exercise tolerance. Physical examination includes auscultation of all lung fields, assessment of respiratory rate, SpO2 and work of breathing. Students commonly lose points by not asking about her last asthma exacerbation, whether she has ever been hospitalised for asthma and whether she uses any controller medication alongside her rescue inhaler.

Mental Health Assessment (Module 4)

The Mental Health module is frequently underestimated. Students must administer the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire) and GAD-7 (Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale) verbatim, assess her coping mechanisms, screen for substance use, evaluate her social support system and assess her grief response to her father's death. Tina screens positive for mild depression. Students who rush through this module without exploring her stressors in depth consistently score below 80%.

Remaining Modules Overview

The Gastrointestinal, HEENT, Musculoskeletal, Neurological, Skin/Hair/Nails and Abdominal modules each focus on system-specific examination and interview techniques while continuing to connect findings back to Tina's chronic conditions. The Comprehensive Assessment integrates all previous findings into a complete head-to-toe exam. The Discharge Planning module — typically assigned at the end of the series — requires creating a patient-centred discharge plan addressing diabetes self-management, wound care, medication adherence and follow-up scheduling.