130 Nursing
Case Studies
End-of-life Care After Stroke: Videos and Illustrations by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CC BY-NC-SA).
This e-learning module aims to help healthcare professionals have sensitive and effective conversations about end of life care after stroke. Using different case study videos, its goal is to improve the care that stroke patients receive at the end of their life and the experiences of their families.
Health Case Studies by Glynda Rees; Rob Kruger; and Janet Morrison (CC BY-SA).
Eight separate health case studies that align with the open textbooks Clinical Procedures for Safer Patient Care and Anatomy and Physiology: OpenStax.
Nursing Virtual Case Studies by Adrianna D’Ilio, RN, MSN and Amanda Egert, RN, MSN (CC BY).
These learner paced, interactive virtual branching case studies aim to help learners develop their noticing and clinical judgment skills. Each case study is designed to work with a specific level of learner (novice to advanced) and uses a variety of resources to help learners prepare for the experience and reflect on their actions. Concepts of patient-centered care, communication, safety and health and illness are used to demonstrate how care is provided in a variety of health care settings across the lifespan (community and acute care).
Collections
OpenStax – Nursing by various (CC BY).
Our nursing textbooks are designed to meet the standard scope and sequence requirements of their respective courses – and are 100% free online. Complete with free resources for educators (like LMS course shells, lecture slides, instructor answer keys, and more), all OpenStax textbooks are fully customizable. Explore our texts below and adopt any and all parts useful to your course.
Miscellaneous
Regul8: A framework for optimising autonomic regulation in children by Minette Coetzee (CC BY-NC).
The Regul8 framework represents an approach to providing fundamental children’s nursing care. The impetus for the work was to align emerging understandings and research outcomes with current children’s nursing practice. Concepts were developed through continuous exploration of emerging scientific fields and refined through a decade of teaching and learning alongside children’s nursing students, practitioners and educators from across Africa. The framework is designed to comprehensively address the major influences on regulatory function through an intentionally Afrocentric guide to children’s nursing care planning. This resource includes a poster and a document laying out the evidence supporting the framework.
Simulations
BC Schools of Nursing Virtual Simulation Games by Chris Hillary; Jennifer Girvin; Summer Gauvreau; and Kristen Bird (CC BY-NC-SA).
This resource is intended to be a series of interactive nursing training modules produced in collaboration between Selkirk College and College of the Rockies in British Columbia, Canada. While there is currently only one module available, more will be added later. Each module will contain learning preparation, background, a virtual simulation game consisting of videos embedded in an H5P activity, and a debrief. The first module is about post-operative care for a non-binary patient.
Dressing change open educational resource [virtual reality module] produced by Sask Polytechnic and Eli Alquist (CC BY).
An interactive simulation for a dressing change. No special equipment needed. Developed by Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The simulation must be downloaded to run.
ECG open educational resource [virtual reality module] produced by Sask Polytechnic and Eli Alquist (CC BY).
An interactive simulation for a electro-cardiogram. No special equipment needed. Developed by Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The simulation must be downloaded to run.
Open RN Virtual Simulations by various (CC BY).
Each simulation is designed in H5P and is available under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, allowing free and open access for faculty to utilize, adapt, or modify them.
OpenRN Simulations for Nursing by various (CC BY) .
A collection of online virtual simulations created in H5P. This simulations include a new born assessment, a patient with heart failure on a ventilator (see accompanying Teacher’s Guide), a clinic walk-in with chronic angina, a heart-failure patient in a LTC facility, a pediatric patient with asthma at a clinic, and an older adult patient receiving antimicrobial therapy in a hospital setting.
Simulation scenarios for nurse practitioner educators: A faculty guide by various (CC BY-NC-ND)
This University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) nurse practitioner (NP) simulation program was developed utilizing the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best PracticeTM, Simulation Guidelines and Best Practices for Nurse Practitioner Programs, and the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP) (International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning [INACSL], 2021; Lewis, 2017; Lioce et al., 2020a). This text provides 15 complete simulation scenarios in a template format for the following populations: pediatric, women, and adult. Also included in this text are how to conduct pre-briefing and debriefing sessions, faculty planning for pre- and postsimulation, faculty and student evaluation tools, and incorporating simulated patient actors (SPAs).
Textbooks
2023 Compendium of North American Nursing OER by Kyle Montgomery; Marnie Seal; Shannon Dowdall-Smith; Remar Mangaoil; Phyllis Montgomery; and Sharolyn Mossey (CC-BY).
The aim of this compendium is to provide nurse educators with an easily accessible collection of OER designed to support student learning, particularly within nursing programs.A search of the Pressbooks directory was undertaken to identify resources for potential inclusion in this compendium. These resources were filtered according to the following inclusion criteria: nursing authorship; North American; published after 2015; and intended for nursing students. Materials were excluded if they were identified as self-published books or were not openly licensed. This resulted in a total of 25 resources that address areas inclusive of, but not limited to, health assessment, nursing leadership and management, foundational nursing practice skills, and the care of special populations.
Documentation in Nursing: 1st Canadian edition by Jennifer Lapum; Oona St-Amant; Charlene Ronquillo; Michelle Hughes; and Joy Garmaise-Yee (CC BY-NC).
This open access textbook is intended to guide best practices of documentation in the nursing profession. This resource is designed for students in undergraduate nursing programs, and addresses principles of documentation, legislation associated with documentation, methods and systems of documentation, and key trends in the future of documentation. Incorporated into this resource is legislation and practice standards specific to the province of Ontario, Canada.
Fundamentals of Nursing Pharmacology by Chippewa Valley Technical College; Amanda Egert; Kimberly Lee; and Manu Gill (CC-BY).
This adapted open-access Canadian Nursing Pharmacology textbook was designed specifically for the entry-level undergraduate nursing student. It is also applicable to other health disciplines for use. This textbook explores pharmacological concepts by showing the connections between pathophysiology, pharmacological principles, and common medication classes. This textbook also provides learning tools to improve the students retention with quizzes, videos, concept maps, drug cards, and is organized using a concept-based teaching approach.
An Introduction to Anti-Racism for the Nursing Professional: A Focus on Anti-Black Racism by Nadia Prendergast (CC BY-NC).
This textbook was created for undergraduate nursing students at the introductory level. Educators co-curated this OER in collaboration with students for students. This resource is a unique contribution to nursing education as content focuses on Anti-Black racism in the Canadian context.
Introduction to Health Assessment for the Nursing Professional-Part II by Dr. Jennifer Lapum and Michelle Hughes (CC-BY-NC).
This textbook is created for undergraduate nursing students at the introductory level. This resource is a unique contribution to nursing education as content is theoretically informed by health promotion in the Canadian context and by an inclusive approach to health assessment that incorporates culturally-responsive techniques related to race/ethnicity, gender/sex/sexual orientation, body sizes/types, and ability/disability. It is 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.
Leading Change in Health Systems: Strategies for RN-BSN Students by Kathy Andresen (CC BY).
This book is designed for practicing nurses pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. This book is focused on building upon previous knowledge, skills and attitudes Registered Nurses (RNs) related to leadership in healthcare systems. Readers will be able to apply the theoretical knowledge gained from this course in their clinical practice environment.
Leadership and Influencing Change in Nursing edited by Dr. Joan Wagner, University of Regina (CC BY) .
Leadership and Influencing Change in Nursing is designed for a single-semester introduction to the professional nurse’s leadership role as both a care provider and a formal leader. An assortment of authors with diverse nursing leadership roles across Saskatchewan and Canada have contributed to this textbook. These diverse voices are focused on providing student nurses with the foundational tools, techniques, and knowledge required to empower them to meet the leadership challenges found within the incessantly changing Canadian health care environment.
Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students by Linda Frederiksen and Sue F. Phelps (CC-BY).
This textbook is 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.
Nursing Advanced Skills by Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN) (CC-BY).
This book 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. 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 textbook.
Nursing Assistant by Myra Sandquist Reuter (CC-BY).
This textbook is from Wisconsin Technical College and aligns with its Nursing Assistant program which prepares students for employment as nursing assistants as well as for entry to other health-related programs. This train prepares students for employment in nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies, hospices, community based residential facilities, assisted living centers, and homes for the developmentally disabled.
Nursing Fundamentals by Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN); edited by Kimberly Ernstmeyer and Dr. Elizabeth Christman (CC-BY).
This textbook from OpenRN is developed for entry-level prelicensure nursing students. Content is based on the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) statewide nursing curriculum for the Nursing Fundamentals course (543-101), the 2019 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, the 2020 NCLEX-PN Test Plan, and the Wisconsin Nurse Practice Act. As of January 2024 this resource has had 1.4 million page views, 915,000 visitors and 17,000 downloads.
Nursing Management and Professional Concepts by Ernstmeyer & Christman – Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN) (CC-BY).
This book has been developed specifically for prelicensure nursing students preparing to graduate and take the NCLEX-RN to obtain their nursing license. Content is based on the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) statewide nursing curriculum for the Nursing Management and Professional Concepts course (543-114), the 2023 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, and the Wisconsin Nurse Practice Act.
Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts by Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN); edited by Kimberly Ernstmeyer and Dr. Elizabeth Christman (CC-BY).
In this book, mental health and community health concepts are discussed while emphasizing stress management techniques, healthy coping strategies, referrals to community resources, and other preventative interventions. Nursing care for individuals with specific mental health and substance use disorders is examined, and the nurse’s role in community health needs assessments and caring for vulnerable populations is introduced.
Nursing Pharmacology by Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN); edited by Kimberly Ernstmeyer and Dr. Elizabeth Christman (CC-BY).
This textbook from OpenRN is designed for entry-level undergraduate nursing students. It explains basic concepts of pharmacology and describes common medication classes. This book is not intended to be used as a drug reference book, but direct links are provided to DailyMed, which provides trustworthy information about marketed drugs in the United States.
Nursing Skills – 2e by Chippewa Valley Technical College (CC-BY).
A foundational text used in practical nursing programs as well as first-year courses preparing students to become registered nurses with over 1.9 million page views, 1.1 million visitors and 10, 000 downloads.
Nursing Skills by Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN); edited by Kimberly Ernstmeyer and Dr. Elizabeth Christman (CC BY-SA).
This textbook from OpenRN is developed for entry-level undergraduate nursing students. It describes techniques for obtaining a health history and performing a basic physical assessment using a body systems approach. It also includes evidence-based clinical skills with related mathematical calculations and conversions.
Nursing Virtual Case Studies by Adrianna D’Ilio, RN, MSN and Amanda Egert, RN, MSN (CC-BY).
These learner paced, interactive virtual branching case studies aim to help learners develop their noticing and clinical judgment skills. Each case study is designed to work with a specific level of learner (novice-advanced) and uses a variety of resources to help learners prepare for the experience and reflect on their actions after.
Open RN series by Open RN (CC-BY).
The OER Nursing textbooks are written based on the State Nursing curriculum established by the Wisconsin Technical College System. Upcoming books include
- Nursing: Mental Health & Community Concepts
- Nursing: Management & Professional Concepts
Social Determinants of Health in Nursing Education by (CC BY-NC).
This workbook was established with nurse educators and nursing students in mind to provide knowledge, guidance, and support for integrating social determinants of health (SDOH) across the nursing education spectrum. Contents from this workbook are applicable to pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing programs, RN-to-BSN programs, and graduate education.
Toward a Moral Horizon: Nursing Ethics for Leadership and Practice by
This third edition of Toward a Moral Horizon: Nursing Ethics for Leadership and Practice will assist nurses and all health care providers to take up the challenge of embedding ethics in health care practice, education, research, and policy at all levels—from local to regional to global. In the current, complex health care environment, more nurses are engaging in graduate studies to enhance their knowledge and expertise in providing necessary leadership in all health care settings.
Videos
Nursing Skills Videos by various (CC BY).
This video series was produced by the British Columbia Institute of Technology BSN Program as part of the BCcampus Health OER project. The playlist includes:
Open RN Project videos by various (CC BY).
This channel contains OER media with a CC 4.0 license being used by the Open RN project. The Open RN project is funded by a $2.5 million dollar grant from the Department of Education to create 5 OER Nursing Textbooks with 25 associated Virtual Reality scenarios.
Personal Care – HCA videos by various (CC BY-NC).
These 11 videos were created by College of the Rockies and Selkirk College as part of BCcampus’s 2020 Open Education Foundation Grant for Institution.
Media Attributions
- Canada Map Icon by Icons8 (CC BY-ND).
- BC Map by Adamwashere (CC BY-NC-SA).
- Sask map by Wikimedia Commons (public domain).