This page includes OERs that may be useful in a wide variety of health sciences courses at VCU, rather than being relevant only to a particular school or college. These resources may also serve as helpful foundational, review, or general reference resources for students in a variety of programs and courses.
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.
Melrose, S., Park, C. & Perry, B. (2015). Creative clinical teaching in the health professions. Retrieved from https://clinicalteaching.pressbooks.com
This peer reviewed e-book is a must-read for nurses and other health professionals who strive to teach with creativity and excellence in clinical settings. Each chapter presents current evidence informed educational practice knowledge. Each topic is also presented with text boxes describing ‘Creative Strategies' that clinical teachers from across Canada have successfully implemented. For those who are interested in background knowledge, the authors provided a comprehensive literature base. And, for those interested mainly in 'what to do,' the text box summaries offer step-by-step directions for creative, challenging activities that both new and experienced instructors can begin using immediately.
Greene, K., & Nelson, A. (2023). Career Cornerstones: Establishing a Foundation for a Career in Healthcare. University of West Florida Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.uwf.edu/healthcarecareerfoundations/
Career Cornerstones: Establishing a Foundation for a Career in Healthcare 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.
Betts, J. G. (2022). Anatomy and Physiology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/details/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e
Anatomy and Physiology 2e is developed to meet the scope and sequence for a two-semester human anatomy and physiology course for life science and allied health majors. The book is organized by body systems. The revision focuses on inclusive and equitable instruction and includes new student support. Illustrations have been extensively revised to be clearer and more inclusive. The web-based version of Anatomy and Physiology 2e also features links to surgical videos, histology, and interactive diagrams. Please learn more about the changes by previewing the preface.
Pakay, J. (2023). Foundations of Biomedical Science: Quantitative Literacy Theory and Problems. La Trobe eBureau. https://oercollective.caul.edu.au/foundations-of-biomedical-science.
Foundations of Biomedical Science: Quantitative Literacy Theory and Problems is designed to help students develop the fundamental mathematical and quantitative literacy required to navigate and interpret evidence-based Biomedical data. This will provide students with the skills and confidence to habitually question any quantitative data they come across and to use these skills to make informed judgements regarding their veracity.
Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2024). Psychology. 2nd edition. https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology-2e#details
Psychology 2e is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.
Revilla, M. K. F., Titchenal, A., & Draper, J. (2020). Human Nutrition—2020 Edition. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/human-nutrition
This textbook serves as an introduction to nutrition for undergraduate students and is the OER textbook for the FSHN 185 The Science of Human Nutrition course at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. The book covers basic concepts in human nutrition, key information about essential nutrients, basic nutritional assessment, and nutrition across the lifespan.
Parker, N. (2016). Microbiology. OpenStax CNX. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/microbiology
Microbiology covers the scope and sequence requirements for a single-semester microbiology course for non-majors. The book presents the core concepts of microbiology with a focus on applications for careers in allied health. The pedagogical features of the text make the material interesting and accessible while maintaining the career-application focus and scientific rigor inherent in the subject matter. Microbiology's art program enhances students' understanding of concepts through clear and effective illustrations, diagrams, and photographs.
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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