LibGuides: Open Educational Resources (OER): Health Sciences

Open Resources

These textbooks have been created for free use in courses. These resources may be adopted for use as classroom text, modified to create new texts (if licensing allows), or used as a supplemental learning tool to aid in understanding key concepts.

Check out more resources listed in other relevant subject areas, such as Biology and Chemistry.

Anatomy and Physiology

Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts; Kelly A. Young; Peter Desaix; Eddie Johnson; Jody E. Johnson; Oksana Korol; Dean Kruse; Brandon Poe; James A. Wise; Mark Womble
ISBN: 9781951693428

Publication Date: 2022

License: CC BY 4.0
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.
Medical Terminology for Healthcare Professions by Andrea Nelson and Katherine Greene
Publication Date: 2021

License: CC BY 4.0
This book focuses on breaking down, pronouncing, and learning the meaning of medical terms within the context of introductory anatomy and physiology. This resource is targeted for Healthcare Administration, Health Sciences, and Pre-Professional students.

Disease Prevention

Disease Prevention and Healthy Lifestyles by Judy Baker
License: CC BY-SA
An open textbook that discusses health, wellness, and disease prevention as it pertains to both chronic and infectious diseases, as well as mental and emotional health.
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases by Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Publication Date: 2021

Public Domain
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, a.k.a. the “Pink Book,” provides physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and others with the most comprehensive information on routinely used vaccines and the diseases they prevent.

Patient Care

Clinical Procedures for Safer Patient Care by Glynda Rees Doyle and Jodie Anita McCutcheon
Publication Date: 2015

License: CC BY 4.0
This open educational resource (OER) was developed to ensure best practice and quality care based on the latest evidence, and to address inconsistencies in how clinical health care skills are taught and practised in the clinical setting.
Foundations for Assisting in Home Care by Kimberly B. McLain, Andrea C. Wade and Erin O'Hara-Leslie
Publication Date: 2018

License: CC BY 4.0
This text takes you from gaining an understanding of what home care is and the tasks involved, through better understanding the physical and psychological needs of people, along with the influence of culture on behaviors, values, and healthcare practices.
Nursing Care at the End of Life by Susan E. Lowey
ISBN: 9781942341192

Publication Date: 2015

License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Nursing Care at the End of Life addresses an essential component of the basic educational preparation for the professional registered nurse student.

Science Education Booklets

Free publications from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) for high school and college students on topics including cell biology, genetics, and pharmacology.

Chemistry of Health by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Public Domain
The Chemistry of Health is a science education booklet that explores the work chemists do. Many chemists are medical explorers looking for new ways to maintain and improve our health. Others are helping to preserve our planet by developing safe, cheap, and efficient ways to make the materials we use every day.
Medicines by Design by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Public Domain
Medicines by Design is a science education booklet that discusses the many different ways medicines work in the body and how this information guides the hunt for drugs of the future.

Learn Oncology
License: CC BY-ND 4.0
A comprehensive site of educational resources encompassing the discipline of oncology - including learning modules, whiteboard videos, virtual patients and case practice, and assessment tests.
Online Medical Terminology Course
Des Moines University's Department of Medicine and Health Sciences has made available an online course in medical terminology.
OpenLearn
Open Learn is an initiative of The Open University, UK and offers more than 1000 free online classes. It also provides supplemental materials for educators, including articles, podcasts, videos, games, and much more.
UCI Open
The University of California - Irvine has a large collection of openly licensed courses available for the public to use, licensed under Creative Commons licenses.

CDC Stacks: Public Health Publications
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a wide array of educational resources to inform the public and medical professionals about health-related issues worldwide.
Knowledge Center Online Catalog
The Office of Minority Health Resource Center online library catalog provides access to the nation’s largest repository of information dedicated to the health of minority populations within the United States and its territories.

Videos

CSurgeries
CSurgeries as an online library of peer-reviewed surgical procedure videos, created by surgeons for surgeons, trainees, and students.
Digital MEdIC
Videos on variety of health topics
MEDSKL
MEDSKL was designed for medical school students and practicing physicians to learn and review the fundamentals of clinical medicine. The site offers free videos and downloadable resources created by medical professors.

Images

MedPix
A free open-access online database of medical images, teaching cases, and clinical topics,
Public Health Image Library (PHIL)
Mostly Public Domain
Photographs and illustrations from the CDC.

Mixed Media

SkillsCommons
A free and open library of workforce training materials - including resources for healthcare manufacturing and health/social assistance.
Teaching Commons
The Teaching Commons brings together high-quality open educational resources from leading colleges and universities. Curated by librarians and their institutions, the Teaching Commons includes open access textbooks, course materials, lesson plans, multimedia, and more.