Open Educational Resources (OER) for Medicine and Health Sciences

licensed under: CC-BY license

Biology is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the biological sciences, and offer everyday applications. The book also includes clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

licensed under: CC-BY creative commons license

Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for nonmajors, covering standard scope and sequence requirements. The text includes interesting applications and conveys the major themes of biology, with content that is meaningful and easy to understand. The book is designed to demonstrate biology concepts and to promote scientific literacy.

licensed under: CC-BY creative commons license

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.

Microbiology is produced through a collaborative publishing agreement between OpenStax and the American Society for Microbiology Press. The book aligns with the curriculum guidelines of the American Society for Microbiology.

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licensed under: CC-BY-NC-SA

"Introduces and examines the basic prinicples which guide growth and development and the health of individuals across the lifespan, from the prenatal period through senescence. Presents methodological, conceptual and substantive issues necessary for understanding and evaluating empirically based information about growth, development and health at different stages of life and from different academic perspectives. Course covers several themes, including contributions of biological and environmental factors to health and human development, measuring the health of individuals in communities, understanding determinants and consequences of health and development across the lifespan, measuring population health and assessing the implications of health disparities.

Course Objectives: After completing this course, students should be able to do the following:

-Identify an alternative approach to the health of populations other than the disease-based approach
-Discuss the value of integrating multiple perspectives to understanding human health, including the demographic, human development, lifespan, family, and community contexts
-Demonstrate how a longitudinal, lifespan approach provides an expanded understanding of the multiple determinants of health
-Identify the common models of behavior change used in public health at both the individual and the population levels
-Describe an integrated approach to understanding the health of populations in developing and developed countries"

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"Teaches students to frame public health issues using a life course perspective. Introduces and examines basic principles of human development across the life span, from the prenatal period through senescence, and the idea that health outcomes reflect developmental processes. Provides a conceptual framework with which to understand the interrelationships among biological, psychological, and social factors and their influence on development and health. Also illustrates the application of this perspective to gain a critical understanding of public health issues."

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"This course will consider long-term service delivery programs designed to meet the special needs of seniors. It will review care and service systems from the unique perspective of an aging population, including the physiological and psychological changes common among seniors.

Students will become conversant with a conceptual framework for planning, organizing, and delivering services to the elderly, including the ability to define the major physical, mental and psychosocial changes and health problems that accompany aging and their applicability to program development. They will be able to describe the impact of demographics and the changing nature of family relationships on senior services delivery programs as well as to evaluate various models of service delivery, including their relevance to current economic, political and social conditions.

The course will also include an historical, philosophical and managerial overview of seniors housing and care, from congregate living to skilled nursing. The course will analyze the underpinnings of the profession, including the demographics of aging, the role of financing and the evolving marketplace. The course will include a focus on the role of health care delivery within seniors housing, with attention devoted to the determinants of quality care, various models of care, and the critical role of quality management. "

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licensed under: CC-BY-NC-SA

"Introduces the study of aging, its implications for individuals, families, and society, and the background for health policy related to older persons. Presents an overview on aging from different perspectives: demography, biology, epidemiology of diseases, physical and mental disorders, functional capacity and disability, health services, federal and state health policies, social aspects of aging, and ethical issues in the care of older individuals.

Course Learning Objectives: To introduce students to a range of health issues that older persons, their health providers, and society face in the next decade. These include the demographics and biology of aging, an understanding of the basic health and mental health issues, and policy decisions that state and federal government will need to solve related to these issues."