DNP 635 Module 1 Group Case Presentation: Acute Pharyngitis in a College Student Example

Reviewed by Ingrid Vasterling, MSN, RN Arizona State University Updated October 2026

This DNP 635 Module 1 sample is the Group Case Presentation from Management of Common Health Problems in Children, Adults and Families, a family nurse practitioner course in ASU's Doctor of Nursing Practice. During the Week 6 immersion, ASU DNP 635 has small groups present a patient case on an acute or common condition, covering the condition, the presentation, diagnostic reasoning, evidence-based management and guidelines, and then take questions. This group presents a 19-year-old university student with three days of sore throat and fever. Twelve slides with speaker notes work through the differential from viral pharyngitis and group A strep to mononucleosis, Fusobacterium and peritonsillar abscess, apply clinical scoring and testing, give first-line treatment and set the return precautions that matter most.

CourseDNP 635 Management of Common Health Problems in Children, Adults and Families
ModuleModule 1
Paper typeGroup case presentation slides with speaker notes
LengthAbout 680 words, 5 pages
FormatAPA 7 slide deck with speaker notes
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramDoctor of Nursing Practice
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for DNP 635 Module 1

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Not Every Sore Throat Is Strep: A Group Case Presentation on Acute Pharyngitis in a 19-Year-Old University Student

Student Name

Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

DNP 635: Management of Common Health Problems in Children, Adults and Families

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title states the clinical lesson the group wants the audience to leave with, then identifies the patient and the deliverable.
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Slide 1: Not Every Sore Throat Is Strep

Title slide: an acute pharyngitis case for primary care, from the first question to the follow-up call.

Speaker notes: Sore throat is one of the most common reasons young adults visit a clinic, and our case shows that the work is in deciding who needs testing, who needs antibiotics and who needs to come back.

Slide 2: The Patient

J.R., 19, a university sophomore living in a residence hall. Three days of sore throat, fever to 101.8 F at home, painful swallowing, no cough. Classmates have been sick. No drug allergies.

Speaker notes: We chose a college student deliberately, since this age group sees group A strep, mononucleosis and Fusobacterium all in the same season.

Slide 3: Examination

Temperature 101.4 F, heart rate 98. Tonsils enlarged with exudate, more on the right; uvula midline; no trismus or muffled voice. Tender anterior cervical nodes. No rash, no splenomegaly.

Speaker notes: The midline uvula and absence of trismus matter because they argue against a peritonsillar abscess today.

Slide 4: The Differential

Viral pharyngitis; group A streptococcal pharyngitis; infectious mononucleosis; Fusobacterium necrophorum pharyngitis; peritonsillar abscess; acute HIV infection; gonococcal pharyngitis.

Speaker notes: In adolescents and young adults, Fusobacterium necrophorum causes about as many cases of pharyngitis as group A strep in some studies, and it is the organism behind Lemierre syndrome (Centor et al., 2015).

What this page is doingListing Fusobacterium and acute HIV alongside the familiar causes shows the audience that the group considered the conditions that are rarer but dangerous to miss in this age group.
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Slide 5: Using the Clinical Score

Centor criteria with McIsaac age adjustment: fever (1), tonsillar exudate (1), tender anterior nodes (1), absence of cough (1), age 15 to 44 (0). Score: 4.

Speaker notes: The McIsaac version adds a point for ages 3 to 14 and subtracts one for 45 and older, and higher scores mean a higher chance of strep (Fine et al., 2012). A score of 4 means testing, not empiric treatment.

Slide 6: Testing

Rapid antigen detection test for group A strep: positive. For adult patients, a negative rapid result can stand without a throat culture. Consider a heterophile antibody test if symptoms persist beyond a week or splenomegaly develops.

Speaker notes: The IDSA guideline recommends testing to confirm strep before treating and says that a backup culture after a negative rapid test is not routinely needed in adults (Shulman et al., 2012).

Slide 7: Diagnosis

Group A streptococcal pharyngitis, confirmed by rapid antigen test, in a 19-year-old without complications.

Speaker notes: Confirming the diagnosis protects the patient from unnecessary antibiotics in the many cases that are viral.

Slide 8: Management

Penicillin V 500 mg orally twice daily for 10 days, or amoxicillin 1,000 mg once daily for 10 days; for penicillin allergy without anaphylaxis, cephalexin; with anaphylaxis, clindamycin or azithromycin. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain and fever.

Speaker notes: Penicillin or amoxicillin remain first line, with a full 10-day course to prevent rheumatic fever, and macrolides are reserved for serious allergy because of resistance (Shulman et al., 2012).

What this page is doingThe management slide gives drug, dose and duration with the allergy alternatives, which is the level of detail a nurse practitioner audience expects.
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Slide 9: Counseling

Stay out of class and the dining hall until 12 hours on antibiotics and fever-free; replace toothbrush; finish the full course even when better.

Speaker notes: Residence halls spread strep quickly, so the return-to-class advice is part of the treatment plan.

Slide 10: Return Precautions

Return the same day for inability to swallow saliva, muffled voice, trismus, one-sided neck swelling, or fever and worsening pain after initial improvement.

Speaker notes: Worsening after early improvement, especially with neck swelling or a toxic appearance, raises concern for peritonsillar abscess or Lemierre syndrome, which needs emergency evaluation (Centor et al., 2015).

Slide 11: If the Rapid Test Had Been Negative

Supportive care; reassess in a few days; if severe or worsening, think of Fusobacterium, mononucleosis or acute HIV, and test accordingly.

Speaker notes: Our group added this slide because a negative strep test is the more common result, and the reasoning that follows it is where diagnoses are missed.

Slide 12: Key Points and Questions

Score to decide testing; test before treating; penicillin or amoxicillin for 10 days; teach return precautions; remember Fusobacterium in young adults.

Speaker notes: Thank you. We are glad to take questions, including on how this approach changes for children.

What this page is doingThe final slide condenses the case into five actions, giving the audience a summary they could apply at their next clinic shift.
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References

Centor, R. M., Atkinson, T. P., Ratliff, A. E., Xiao, L., Crabb, D. M., Estrada, C. A., Faircloth, M. B., Oestreich, L., Hatchett, J., Khalife, W., & Waites, K. B. (2015). The clinical presentation of Fusobacterium-positive and streptococcal-positive pharyngitis in a university health clinic: A cross-sectional study. Annals of Internal Medicine, 162(4), 241-247. https://doi.org/10.7326/M14-1305

Fine, A. M., Nizet, V., & Mandl, K. D. (2012). Large-scale validation of the Centor and McIsaac scores to predict group A streptococcal pharyngitis. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(11), 847-852. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.950

Shulman, S. T., Bisno, A. L., Clegg, H. W., Gerber, M. A., Kaplan, E. L., Lee, G., Martin, J. M., & Van Beneden, C. (2012). Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of group A streptococcal pharyngitis: 2012 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 55(10), e86-e102. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cis629

What the DNP 635 Module 1 instructions ask for

DNP 635's Group Case Presentation counts for 10% of the grade and is delivered during Immersion 2 in Week 6, after modules on the integumentary system, ears, eyes, nose and throat, the neurological system and the pulmonary system. The syllabus asks small groups to research, develop and present a patient case on the management of an acute or common condition. Each presentation should include a comprehensive overview of the condition, the patient presentation, diagnostic reasoning, evidence-based management strategies and relevant clinical guidelines, and a brief question and answer period follows. Choose a condition that family nurse practitioners see often, since the course emphasizes common problems across children, adults and families, and build the case so the audience can follow the reasoning step by step.

How the DNP 635 Module 1 example is put together

Twelve slides tell the case in the order a visit unfolds, with speaker notes carrying the evidence. The first three introduce the patient, the history and the examination, including the negative findings that matter. The differential slide lists seven causes, including two that are easy to miss in young adults. A scoring slide applies the Centor criteria with the McIsaac age adjustment, and a testing slide explains the rapid antigen test and when culture is unnecessary. The diagnosis and management slides give the drug, dose and duration with allergy alternatives. Counseling and return precaution slides address the residence hall setting and complications. An extra slide covers a negative test, and the last condenses the case into five actions.

Reading the DNP 635 Module 1 grading rubric

The Canvas rubric sets the criteria for the group presentation, which is worth 10% of the grade. Case presentations in family nurse practitioner courses are generally assessed on the accuracy and completeness of the condition overview, clear diagnostic reasoning that moves from history and exam to a differential and a confirmed diagnosis, current guideline-based management with doses and follow-up, organization and slide quality and the group's handling of questions. Cases that show reasoning, including what was ruled out and why, tend to score higher than cases that state the diagnosis on the first slide. Citations should support each recommendation. Every member should be ready to answer questions on any slide.

DNP 635 Module 1 help: mistakes that cost marks

The usual weakness is a case that reads like a textbook chapter, with the condition explained before the patient appears. Lead with the patient and let the reasoning unfold. Another is management without doses, durations or allergy alternatives. Keep slides brief and use the notes for detail. Include return precautions, since safety teaching is part of management. Check that guidelines are current and cited correctly. Rehearse the timing as a group so the question period is not cut short. Do not use generative AI to build slides or notes, since the course forbids it. If your group sends the desk its chosen condition and draft case, it can help you organize the reasoning slides.

Write yours, or have the desk draft it

This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

More DNP 635 and Doctor of Nursing Practice sample papers

DNP 635 Module 1 questions, answered

Where can I find a free DNP 635 Module 1 sample paper?

This page carries a full DNP 635 Module 1 sample: a twelve-slide Group Case Presentation on acute pharyngitis in a college student, with speaker notes and references.

What does the DNP 635 group case presentation include?

A condition overview, the patient presentation, diagnostic reasoning, evidence-based management and relevant guidelines, followed by a brief question and answer period.

When is the DNP 635 group case presentation given?

Groups present during Immersion 2 in Week 6, and the presentation is worth 10% of the course grade.

What is the first-line treatment for strep throat in adults?

Penicillin V or amoxicillin for 10 days, with cephalexin for non-anaphylactic penicillin allergy and clindamycin or azithromycin for anaphylactic allergy.

Why consider Fusobacterium in a college student with sore throat?

Fusobacterium necrophorum causes a substantial share of pharyngitis in adolescents and young adults and can lead to Lemierre syndrome, so worsening symptoms need prompt reassessment.