This guide is designed as a starting point for faculty to locate open educational resources for use in VCU health sciences courses. Faculty are invited to explore these resources as a way to gain familiarity with OER and to identify potential materials for use in their courses. Just as they evaluate traditional textbooks, faculty are encouraged to evaluate these resources to determine whether they might be a good fit for their courses.
Doyle, G. R., McCutcheon, J. A. (2015). Clinical procedures for safer patient care. BCcampus. https://opentextbc.ca/clinicalskills/
The checklist approach, used in this textbook, aims to provide standardized processes for clinical skills and to help nursing schools and clinical practice partners keep procedural practice current. Each skill/procedure is covered in a chapter that has learning objectives, a brief overview of the relevant theory, checklists of steps for procedures with the rationale behind each step of the process, and a summary of key takeaways. Key terms are set in bold throughout the book and laid out again in a Glossary in the appendix. All 88 checklists are also summarized, and hyperlinked to the original checklist, in the appendix.
Melrose, S., Dusome, D., Simpson, J., Crocker, C., Athens, E. (2015). Supporting Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities & Mental Illness: What Caregivers Need to Know. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: BCcampus. Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/caregivers/
This multidisciplinary resource develops topics of interest to all those who care about and for individuals with co-occurring intellectual disabilities and mental illness. Each chapter presents current evidence informed practice knowledge. Each topic is also presented with audio enabled text boxes emphasizing ‘Key Points for Caregivers.' For those who are interested in background knowledge, we provided the comprehensive literature base. And, for those interested mainly in ‘what to do,' we provided text box summaries for reading and listening.
Rees, G., Kruger, R., Morrison, J. (2017). Health case studies. Victoria, BC: BCcampus. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/healthcasestudies/
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.
Lapum, J., St-Amant, O., Hughes, M., Petrie, P., Morrell, S., and Mistry, S. (2019). The Complete Subjective Health Assessment. eCampusOntario. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/healthassessment/
This textbook is designed for the novice learner who is seeking to develop a foundational understanding of the complete subjective health assessment in the context of health and illness. The textbook deconstructs the categories of the complete subjective health assessment, providing learners with explanations and examples of what constitutes relevant subjective data. This textbook provides an opportunity to learn how to respond to normal, abnormal, and critical findings when completing a complete subjective health assessment
Frederiksen, K. and Phelps, S. F. (2017). Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students. Rebus. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/literature-reviews-for-education-and-nursing-graduate-students
Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students is an open textbook designed for students in graduate-level nursing and education programs. Its intent is to recognize the significant role the literature review plays in the research process and to prepare students for the work that goes into writing one. Developed for new graduate students and novice researchers just entering into the work of a chosen discipline, each of the eight chapters covers a component of the literature review process. Students will learn how to form a research question, search existing literature, synthesize results and write the review. The book contains examples, checklists, supplementary materials, and additional resources. Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students is written by two librarians with expertise guiding students through research and writing assignments, and is openly licensed.
Barret, D. H., Dawson, A., Ortmann, L. W. (2016). Public Health Ethics: Global Cases, Practice, and Context. Springer. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/public-health-ethics-global-cases-practice-and-context
This book sets forth a straightforward, stepwise ethics framework that provides a tool for analyzing the cases in this volume and, more importantly, one that public health practitioners have found useful in a range of contexts. The subsequent chapters provide case studies illustrating applications of the framework to various public health topics.
Farkas, M. (2023). Age Friendly Care. https://vivaopen.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/1842
Age Friendly Care is a growing initiative that places focus on the aspects of what matters to the aging population. The purpose of this course is to provide insight and education to those working in healthcare, especially for those who work in the geriatric population. Topics to be discussed include an overview of Dementia and Alzheimer's, current perceptions surrounding Dementia and Alzheimer's, the 3D's, practicing and applying Age Friendly Care, and nonpharmacological practices for those with Dementia.
Rhodes, A. (n.d.) What Matters Most- Direct Care Workers. https://virginiacommonwealth.instructure.com/courses/79162
If you care for individuals with dementia, delerium or depression (The "3Ds") We are excited to offer you a short, video-based education program that will develop your skills! Developed by experts at Johns Hopkins University, Penn State, and Virginia Commonwealth University, "What Matters Most' is an opportunity to improve the quality of life for nursing home residents. Guided by the IHI Age-Friendly 4 Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility). Our goal is to foster professional partnerships between nursing homes and academic health centers, enhance educational opportunities, and ultimately improve health outcomes and quality of life for nursing home residents. Thank you for joining us on this important mission!
Lowey, S. E. (2015). Nursing Care at the End of Life: What Every Clinician Should Know. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/nursingcare/
The purpose of this textbook is to provide an indepth look at death and dying in this country, including the vital role of the nurse in assisting patients and families along the journey towards the end of life. The text provides a basic foundation of understanding death and dying, including a brief historical examination of some main conceptual models associated with how patients cope with impending loss. An overview of illness trajectories and models of care, such as hospice and palliative care are discussed. Lastly, the latest evidence-based approaches for pain and symptom management, ethical concerns, cultural considerations, care at the time of death, and grief/bereavement are examined.
D’Onofrio, G., Greco, A., & Sancarlo, D. (Eds.). (2018). Gerontology. http://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.69934
Aging well and actively is the real objective of human being. This book is an up-to-date and realistic view on physiopathological mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases. The book includes topical contributions from multiple disciplines to support the fundamental goals of extending active life and enhancing its quality.
Zawada, E.T. (Ed.). (2019). Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. http://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.77654
This volume is a collection of reports dealing with geriatrics and gerontology. The first section provides an introduction to the common medical and non-medical problems of aging. The second section concentrates on one of the most devastating problems of the elderly, that of dementia. Finally, the third section deals with newer topics such as hearing loss, acute and chronic lymphoproliferative disorders, and the use of nerve and muscle stimulation to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with degenerative neurologic diseases. The chapters contained herein represent the transformation of managing older patient problems that commonly impact quality of life after the age of 60 years.
Hamilton, W. N., Howell, D. J., & Jordan, M. (2021). The Fundamentals of Healthcare Administration: Navigating Challenges and Coordinating Care. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-fundamentals-of-healthcare-administration-navigating-challenges-and-coordinating-care
This book is written for those interested in acquiring a thorough knowledge base relative to the intricacies of the organizational theories, customs, and insights significant to the management of health service organizations. It examines the foundational aspects of leadership and management as they relate to establishing and maintaining the principles and practices within healthcare organizations. The book opens with a discussion on the differences between health, healthcare, and health care while providing an overview of healthcare management and organizational trends. It culminates in discussions of leadership, management, motivation, organizational behavior, and management thinking. Additionally, it discusses topics of information technology, teamwork, health disparities, organizational culture, performance, and change.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & National Institutes of Health. (2020). Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL). 6th edition. https://www.cdc.gov/labs/pdf/SF__19_308133-A_BMBL6_00-BOOK-WEB-final-3.pdf
Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) has served as the cornerstone of biosafety practice in the United States since its initial release in 1984. We wish to emphasize that the sixth edition of BMBL remains an advisory document recommending best practices for the safe conduct of work in biomedical and clinical laboratories from a biosafety perspective. The BMBL is not intended to be a regulatory document, although we recognize that some may use it in that way. The core principle of this document is protocol-driven risk assessment; it is not possible for a single document to identify all of the possible combinations of risks and mitigations feasible in biomedical and clinical laboratories. The BMBL should be used as a tool in the assessment and proposed mitigation steps in biomedical and clinical laboratories.
LeClair, Renée J. (2021) Cell Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry for Pre-Clinical Students. Roanoke: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.21061/cellbio.
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.
LeClair, Renée J. (2022) Neuroscience for Pre-Clinical Students. Roanoke: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.21061/neuroscience
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.
Villatoro, V., & To, M. (2020). A Laboratory Guide to Clinical Hematology. Open Education Alberta. https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Allied_Health/A_Laboratory_Guide_to_Clinical_Hematology_(Villatoro_and_To)
This text explores the principles of clinical hematology and is written for aspiring clinical laboratory professionals who perform a wide variety of basic and advanced hematology testing on whole blood, serum, urine, cerebrospinal fluids and other body fluids.
Huri, M. (2018). Occupational Therapy - Therapeutic and Creative Use of Activity. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.72549
Occupational therapy is a health care specialty with a deep focus on client-centered and holistic rehabilitation to improve the individual's occupational performance, quality of life and well-being through participation in meaningful and purposeful activities. This new book presents the importance of the therapeutic and creative use of activity in different populations, which is one of the core components of occupational therapy. Rehabilitation, rehabilitation delivery and outcomes are affected by recent changes in the meaning of health and social values. This resulted in an increasing necessity for therapeutic therapy, as well as creative use of activity in occupational therapy. This book focuses on recent advances in occupational therapy and reviews current practical guidelines. It introduces updated knowledge and skills for children, adults and the communities, including physical, mental, social, sensory, behavioral, environmental and community-based interventions to prevent, promote and improve activity use. The book will be relevant to occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physical therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and all the members of interdisciplinary rehabilitation team care workers.
Armstrong, E. & Sousa, J. (2013). The Essential Guide to the Physical Therapy Aide Revised. https://oercommons.org/authoring/4081-the-essential-guide-to-the-physical-therapy-aide
This textbook has been designed to be an introductory training to the entry-level position, Physical Therapy Aide. As part of College of the Sequoias Physical Therapy Aide program, this textbook was used alongside hands-on lab training to train students to work as Physical Therapy Aides. It discusses some of the history and current context of Physical Therapy, provides instruction on common PT Aide job activities (like modalities and transfers), introduces general physiology, reviews commonly-used medical terminology, and, in an effort to embed necessary remediation for the PT Aide program, also includes effective career skills and habits, like business letter writing, resumes, effective communication skills, and appropriate workplace conduct.
Burbridge, B. (2017). Undergraduate Diagnostic Imaging Fundamentals. https://openpress.usask.ca/undergradimaging/
Diagnostic Imaging principles and concepts are augmented by the presentation of images for common clinical conditions. Guiding principles related to minimizing radiation exposure and requesting the most appropriate imaging examination are addressed.Static images are enhanced by the ability to access images stored and displayed on an Html-5 compatible, Dicom image viewer that simulates a simple Picture Archive and Communication system (PACS). Users can also access other imaging from the Dicom viewer (ODIN), beyond the basic curriculum provided, to further advance their experience with viewing diagnostic imaging pathologies. This book is also available in three other digital formats: ePUB (for Nook, iBooks, Kobo etc.), PDF (regular print), PDF (large print).
If these resources aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, you can try searching in some of the repositories and aggregators listed on this guide’s homepage.
You can also reach out to your program’s liaison librarian or to the Open Educational Resources Librarian. Your librarians can help you identify resources or discuss the possibility of customizing or creating resources to better fit your needs.
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