Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.

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Community and Public Health Nursing: A Call to Action
Andrea Reed; Beth Tremblay; Chloe Gross; Felisa Smith · Virginia's Academic Library Consortium (VIVA) · 2024
Community and Public Health Nursing: A Call to Action is a primer exploring the diverse roles of community and public health nurses through a social justice lens. Students will gain the fundamental knowledge and skills to work with community members and other stakeholders to promote health and well-being and to prevent disease. This textbook examines key issues such as health disparities, access to care, cultural competence, and the impact of social determinants on public health outcomes. Students will gain knowledge, practical skills, and insight into how nurses can improve community health, advocate for health-related policies, and promote health equity at the individual through systemic levels. The textbook also maps the content to the AACN New Essentials for Baccalaureate Nursing Education. The book is accompanied by a comprehensive Instructor’s Guide designed to support educators in meeting educational goals and developing competencies. The guide offers practical teaching strategies, such as role-playing communication exercises and simulation activities; suggests clinical activities to facilitate deeper understanding and classroom engagement; and includes NCLEX-style practice questions to reinforce key concepts, test critical thinking skills, and provide students valuable practice preparing for the NCLEX exam.

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Inclusive Approach to Anthropometric Body Measurement Assessments
Shelly LaForest; Michelle Hughes; Lisa Nielsen · Toronto Metropolitan University · 2024
“Inclusive Approach to Anthropometric Body Measurement Assessments” is an open educational resource (OER) created for undergraduate nursing students at the introductory level. The resource introduces students to body measurements, but does so in an inclusive manner. This resource is a unique contribution to nursing education as content is theoretically informed by an inclusive approach to assessment that incorporates culturallyresponsive techniques related to race/ethnicity, gender/sex/ sexual orientation, body sizes/types, and ability/disability. It is part of the first health assessment resource that is informed by clinical judgment with the goal to facilitate students’ clinical decision making and ability to prioritize care by recognizing and acting on cues and signs of clinical deterioration. Interactive clinical judgment activities and formative assessments to evaluate a student’s learning are integrated throughout the resource. The integration of clinical judgment throughout this resource will support students’ capacity to enhance patient safety and equitable health outcomes as well as their success in writing national nursing exams to become licensed to work as a Nurse.

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Urinalysis Atlas: A Pictorial Guide to Formed Elements in Urine (Doty and Taylor)
Dawn Taylor; Caroline Doty · LibreTexts · 2023
In Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) Urinalysis course, students learn to evaluate normal and abnormal formed urinary elements through microscopic examination of urine sediment. They learn to interpret results and correlate with other laboratory data to identify disease. Access to quality atlases are a vital tool in the students’ learning process. Because the cost of printing pictures is so great, the price of printed atlases is high. The number of images included is limited. And many excellent atlases are now out of print. This project seeks to eliminate those challenges for students by giving access to an Open Educational Resource (OER) atlas for urinalysis. This format is easily accessed during students’ time on campus and will continue into their careers as medical laboratory scientists. There are currently not many medical subject resources available as open resources. It is our hope that other healthcare professionals will find these resources beneficial. This project is unique in that students are the main contributors of the pictures used. While not entirely comprehensive at this point, the OER platform will allow for continual updating as new images and information become available.

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Oregon EMS Psychomotor Skills Lab Manual
Chris Hamper; Carmen Curtz; Jamie Kennel; Holly Edwins · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2023
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) must be prepared for an array of possible emergencies while on duty. These skills must be ingrained through practice to withstand the stress of an emergency scene: ready at a moment’s notice, should the patient condition necessitate. Within this book you will find many of the skills an EMT will be expected to perform. Each student is required to complete each skill a minimum number of times. This effort will assist the instructional team in tracking your progress, as well as provide you with the documentation necessary to prove proficiency for national and state certification. The skills in this text are important to master but remember, a truly proficient EMT is refreshing old skills and acquiring new ones throughout their career.

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Precision Nutrition and Advanced Culinary Medicine
Sara Police · UKnowledge · 2021
This electronic textbook (eBook) and/or eBook chapters are designed to accompany NS801, Precision Nutrition and Advanced Culinary Medicine, a 1-credit, 8-week online medical elective course for the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Office of Medical Education curricula. Reading for the course will be labeled to align with the content of the online course; such that Module 2 is aligned with Chapter 2, Module 3 with Chapter 3, and so on. As an open access textbook supported by the University of Kentucky Libraries Alternative Textbook program, all sources will be linked and readily available.

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General Inpatient Management of Pediatric Diabetes Mellitus at University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital
Alex Tuttle · University of Iowa · 2023
This eBook is a medical education resource intended to supplement the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of medical students and pediatric residents in furthering their own knowledge about the general inpatient management of pediatric diabetes mellitus. This book may be of further use to any physician, advanced practitioners, or nurses who may also encounter pediatric patients with diabetes mellitus in the inpatient hospital setting. This book is specific to protocols and preferences for pediatric diabetes management at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. However, it also contains overarching concepts that transcend location wherever pediatric diabetes may be managed. At the time of publication, this book includes 4 Units, each consisting of 4-7 Chapters. Unit 1 introduces readers to an overview of diabetes mellitus, including its definition, diagnostic criteria, laboratory evaluation, clinical diagnosis, and key differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Unit 2 dives into understanding different types of insulins and their uses. Unit 3 walks readers through the creation of initial insulin regimens for pediatric patients with new-onset diabetes. Lastly, Unit 4 dives into the details of pediatric diabetes management at Stead Family Children’s Hospitals according to the protocols and capabilities of the institution and preferences of the pediatric endocrinology division.

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Career Cornerstones: Establishing a Foundation for a Career in Healthcare (Revised)
Andrea Nelson; Katherine Greene · University of West Florida Pressbooks · 2025
Career Cornerstones: Establishing a Foundation for a Career in Healthcare (Revised) is an Open Educational Resource (OER) that focuses on career skills required for students entering their respective health profession's program. This book is designed to help students be successful not only in their health profession's educational program, but also as they start to intern or work in healthcare settings. This resource is targeted for Healthcare Administration, Health Sciences, and Pre-Professional students.

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Exploring the U.S. Healthcare System
Karen Valaitis · University of West Florida Pressbooks · 2023
Welcome to Exploring the U.S. Healthcare System. This open educational resource (OER) introduces students to foundational characteristics of the U.S. healthcare system. It begins with an overview of the healthcare system that includes a brief history and a description of the current state of health in the U.S. The second chapter describes health delivery systems, including inpatient, outpatient, post-acute, longterm, palliative, and hospice care. An introduction to health insurance in the third chapter will include an overview of basic concepts, private insurance, public insurance, and recent trends. The fourth chapter presents issues related to the triple aim of improving access to care, increasing the quality of care, and lowering the cost of care. The fifth chapter reviews how the government intervenes in healthcare and presents current policy issues related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and value-based contracting. The final chapter on the topic of technology in healthcare provides an overview of health information technology, health information legislation, emerging technologies, and the future of health information technology. Chapter content is supplemented with additional material such as reports, briefs, figures, infographics, definitions, and key terms. Chapters two through six end with a “knowledge check” exercise to actively engage students with the content. While this OER book was curated and created for undergraduate students in the field of healthcare, it is my hope that it will continue to be customized to other programs and shared again.

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Nursing Advanced Skills
Open Resources for Nursing Open RN · WisTech Open · 2023
This textbook is an open educational resource with CC-BY licensing developed specifically for prelicensure nursing students. The e-book and downloadable versions are free. Affordable print versions are published in collaboration with XanEdu and available on Amazon and in college bookstores. Content is based on the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) statewide nursing curriculum for the Nursing Advanced Skills course (543-112) and the NCLEX-RN Test Plan. 1 Content includes advanced skills for registered nurses, such as intravenous infusion, blood product administration, management of central lines and chest tube systems, basic electrocardiogram interpretation, and nasogastric/feeding tube insertion, and builds on basic nursing skills discussed in the Open RN Nursing Skills OER textbook.

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Nursing Assistant
Myra Sandquist Reuter · Chippewa Valley Technical College · 2022
Chippewa Valley Technical College is pleased to announce the release of the Nursing Assistant OER textbook with CC BY licensing. This book was developed for use in Nursing Assistant courses with funding from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). It contains remixed content from Open RN textbooks and other OER sources as well as new content. Chapters contain interactive learning activities and videos of instructor skills demonstrations.

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Mental Health is a Verb: A Pocket Guide to Mental Health for Nursing Students
Jake Bush; Jill Van Der Like · University of West Florida Pressbooks · 2023
MENTAL HEALTH IS A VERB is an open education resource written by Jake Bush, Ph.D., RN, CNE, and Jill Van Der Like, DNP, MSN, RNC through the University of West Florida which addresses mental health nursing care. The book opens with a foundational module that provides a brief history of mental health treatment, pertinent theorists, and the underpinning concepts of mental health versus mental illness, followed by a separate chapter on psychopharmacology. The heart of the text is arranged into the most common mental health diagnoses. Additionally, this second edition includes the addition of case studies (modules 8-19), two virtual simulation activities (modules 7 and 13), and a mental health cumulative study guide as an appendix.

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Healthcare in the United States: Navigating the Basics of a Complex System
Deanna Howe; Andrea Dozier; Sheree Dickenson · University of North Georgia Press · 2022
This book is a collaborative effort among three faculty members from the Darton College of Health Professions, Nursing Department, at Albany State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and part of the UniversitySystem of Georgia. The book idea originated from a grant-funded program to create open education resources (OER) for students learning in UniversitySystem of Georgia’s eMajor courses. The cost of education in the United States is remarkably expensive, and the added burden of purchasing textbooks for each course can be prohibitive. The opportunity to create free educational materials has been a rewarding experience. A free pdf form of this text is available for download. The authors of this book are registered nurses who have each worked 25 or more years in various roles and specialties within our healthcare system. There have been many changes throughout the years. The authors’ experience and knowledge are from a nursing perspective not found in other texts of similar content.The healthcare system has advanced tremendously since the very beginning of our formalized system. The most significant growth has been in technology use to support, diagnose, increase patient safety, and document patient outcomes.However, more can be done to ensure a system that meets all our citizens’ healthcare needs.Readers of this text will learn a brief history of our healthcare system and explore the current state of health in the U.S. In the next 12 chapters, readers will: consider health as defined using determinants of health discover the many types of healthcare providers seen throughout the system differentiate between the different types of healthcare settings explore state and federal programs that provide oversight examine private insurance and managed care plans survey access issues and the cost of healthcare review how state and federal government provides support to special populations discover the quick expansion of technology use in healthcar

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Pulmonary Physiology for Pre-Clinical Students
Andrew Binks · Virginia Tech Publishing · 2022
Pulmonary Physiology for Pre-Clinical Students is an undergraduate medical-level resource for foundational knowledge of pulmonary physiology. This text is designed for a course pre-clinical undergraduate medical curriculum and it is aligned to USMLE(r) (United States Medical Licensing Examination) content guidelines. The text is meant to provide the essential information from these content areas in a concise format that would allow learner preparation to engage in an active classroom. Clinical correlates and additional application of content is intended to be provided in the classroom experience. This resource should be assistive to the learner later in medical school and for exam preparation given the material is presented in a succinct manner, with a focus on high-yield concepts. The 101-page text was created specifically for use by pre-clinical students at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and was based on faculty experience and peer review to guide development and hone important topics. Instructors reviewing, adopting, or adapting parts or the whole of the text are requested to register their interest at: https://bit.ly/interest-preclinical. Instructors and subject matter experts interested in and sharing their original course materials relevant to pre-clinical education are requested to join the instructor portal at https://www.oercommons.org/groups/pre-clinical-resources/10133. Binks, Andrew., (2022). Pulmonary Physiology for Pre-Clinical Students, Roanoke: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.21061/pulmonaryphysiology. Licensed with CC BY NC-SA 4.0.

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Medical Terminology for Healthcare Professions
Andrea Nelson; Katherine Greene · University of West Florida Pressbooks · 2021
Medical Terminology for Healthcare Professions is an Open Educational Resource (OER) that focuses on breaking down, pronouncing, and learning the meaning of medical terms within the context of anatomy and physiology. This resource is targeted for Healthcare Administration, Health Sciences, and Pre-Professional students.

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Neuroscience for Pre-Clinical Students
Renée LeClair · Virginia Tech Publishing · 2022
Neuroscience for Pre-Clinical Students covers neuroenergetics, neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and selected amino acid metabolism and degradation. This USMLE-aligned text is designed for a first-year undergraduate medical course and is meant to provide the essential biochemical information from these content areas in a concise format to enable students to engage in an active classroom. Hence, it does not cover neurophysiology and neuroanatomy; and clinical correlates and additional application of content are intended to be provided in the classroom experience. The text assumes that the students will have completed medical school prerequisites (including the MCAT) in which they will have been introduced to the most fundamental concepts of biology and chemistry that are essential to understand the content presented here. With its focus on high-yield concepts, this resource will assist the learner later in medical school and for exam preparation. The 49-page text was created specifically for use by pre-clinical students at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and was based on faculty experience and peer review to guide development and hone important topics. Instructors reviewing, adopting, or adapting parts or the whole of the text are requested to register their interest at: https://bit.ly/interest-preclinical. Instructors and subject matter experts interested in and sharing their original course materials relevant to pre-clinical education are requested to join the instructor portal at https://www.oercommons.org/groups/pre-clinical-resources/10133.

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Cell Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry for Pre-Clinical Students
Renee LeClair · Virginia Tech Publishing · 2021
Cell Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry for Pre-Clinical Students is an undergraduate medical-level resource for foundational knowledge across the disciplines of genetics, cell biology and biochemistry. This USMLE-aligned text is designed for a course in first-year undergraduate medical course that is delivered typically before students start to explore systems physiology and pathophysiology. The text is meant to provide the essential information from these content areas in a concise format that would allow learner preparation to engage in an active classroom. Clinical correlates and additional application of content is intended to be provided in the classroom experience. The text assumes that the students will have completed medical school prerequisites (including the MCAT) in which they will have been introduced to the most fundamental concepts of biology and chemistry that are essential to understand the content presented here. This resource should be assistive to the learner later in medical school and for exam preparation given the material is presented in a succinct manner, with a focus on high-yield concepts. The 276-page text was created specifically for use by pre-clinical students at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and was based on faculty experience and peer review to guide development and hone important topics. Instructors reviewing, adopting, or adapting parts or the whole of the text are requested to register their interest at: https://bit.ly/interest-preclinical. Instructors and subject matter experts interested in and sharing their original course materials relevant to pre-clinical education are requested to join the instructor portal at https://www.oercommons.org/groups/pre-clinical-resources/10133. Suggested Citation LeClair, Renée J., (2021). Cell Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry for Pre-Clinical Students, Blackburg, VA: Virginia Tech Publishing. https://doi.org/10.21061/cellbio. Licensed with CC BY NC-SA 4.0.

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Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application
Alice Callahan; Heather Leonard; Tamberly Powell · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2020
This book is designed as an Open Education Resource (OER) for introductory nutrition courses and has been adopted for use in high schools and colleges. Topics covered include basic nutrition and metabolism, information literacy, body weight and health, nutrition across life stages, dietary supplements, an in-depth look at each of the macronutrients, and major functions of vitamins and minerals. The second edition of Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application was released in August 2022. The second edition includes a fully revised Unit 7 (Body Weight and Health) and minor revisions to Unit 10 (Nutrition and Physical Activity). In June 2023, Unit 2 (Nutrition Science and Information Literacy) was significantly updated along with the ancillary materials for Unit 2. The remainder of the OER and the accompanying ancillary materials are the same as the first edition, originally published in

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Histology and Embryology for Dental Hygiene
Laird Sheldahl; Raye Yapp · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2020
This eBook makes use of animated images to focus on concepts in histology and embryology, as well as hyperlinks to promote non-linear reading and learning. It is aimed at college students in a dental hygienist program.

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Transitions to Professional Nursing Practice
Jamie Murphy · Open SUNY · 2020
Transitions to Professional Nursing Practice provides a pivotal learning experience for students transitioning from an associate degree education to a baccalaureate degree. Content includes a broad overview of the nursing profession, the role of accrediting and professional organizations with a strong focus on the American Nurses Association’s foundational documents. The competencies of the Standards of Professional Practice and the Code of Ethics are weaved throughout the text. Topics covered in this text include professional nursing practice, baccalaureate education, healthcare in the 21st century, autonomy and accountability, nursing philosophy, professional development, communication, interprofessional collaboration, critical thinking, introduction to evidence-based practice, and nursing leadership and theory.

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Health Case Studies
Glynda Rees; Rob Kruger; Janet Morrison · BCcampus · 2017
Health Case Studies is composed of eight separate health case studies. Each case study includes the patient narrative or story that models the best practice (at the time of publishing) in healthcare settings. Associated with each case is a set of specific learning objectives to support learning and facilitate educational strategies and evaluation. The case studies can be used online in a learning management system, in a classroom discussion, in a printed course pack or as part of a textbook created by the instructor. This flexibility is intentional and allows the educator to choose how best to convey the concepts presented in each case to the learner. Because these case studies were primarily developed for an electronic healthcare system, they are based predominantly in an acute healthcare setting. Educators can augment each case study to include primary healthcare settings, outpatient clinics, assisted living environments, and other contexts as relevant.