Title: Identify major disorders of the eye, ear, and other sensory organs.
Course: Nurse Aide I (14051-I) > Section: Understanding Body Systems and Disorders

Identification should include

- use of diagnostic tests
- diseases and abnormal conditions (e.g., signs and symptoms, nursing care, treatment, prognosis).

Refer to Units X in Nurse Aide Curriculum, Virginia Board of Nursing, Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2023.

Process/Skill Questions:

- What are the different sensory pathways? What are the parts of each pathway?
- What are the characteristics of sensation?
- What is the physiology of the special senses of taste, smell, touch, temperature, proprioception, and pain?
- How does this information enter the body, reach the brain, and affect response?
- What is the role of the hypothalamus in the visceral sensations of hunger and thirst?
- What is the pathway of sound waves through the ear as they travel to the brain?
- What is the significance of the location of the eustachian tubes?
- Where are the arterial receptors located?
- What is the role of each in maintaining homeostasis?
- How does aging affect the sensory system?
- What can be done to reduce the effects of aging on the sensory system?