Open Education Resources for Nursing
The Open RN™ project is funded by a $2.5 million dollar grant from the Department of Education to create five OER Nursing Textbooks with 25 associated Virtual Reality scenarios.
Open Resources for Nursing
The Open RN project is led by Chippewa Valley Technical College as part of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) consortium. OER nursing textbooks and virtual simulations are collaboratively developed by faculty based on the WTCS State Nursing curriculum and the current NCLEX-RN Test Plan. Textbooks undergo national peer review by faculty, deans, industry members, and nursing students to ensure the content is accurate and relevant, written in clear language for pre-licensure nursing students, and based on current, evidence-based practices. All Open RN materials have CC-BY 4.0 Creative Commons licensing.
Open RN textbooks are published in Pressbooks where they are free and accessible in online or downloadable formats. The textbooks are also uploaded to LibreTexts where they can easily be "remixed" by faculty and aligned to their curriculum.
Open RN OER Textbooks
Mental Health & Community Concepts (Published Fall 2022)
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Nursing Assistant (Published January 2023)
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Nursing Advanced Skills (Published Spring 2023)
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Nursing Skills - Second Edition (Published August 2023)
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Nursing Pharmacology - Second Edition (Published August 2023)
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Medical Terminology - Second Edition (Published June 2024)
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Nursing Fundamentals - Second Edition (Published August 2024)
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Management & Professional Concepts - Second Edition (Published August 2024)
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Nursing Health Alterations (Published August 2024)
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Nursing Health Promotions (Anticipated Spring 2025)
Read more about Open RN textbook content
For bookstores: Print textbook orders can be placed directly with Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.
Virtual Simulations
The Open RN project created 25 Virtual Reality Scenario Plans with CC-BY 4.0 licensing for use during immersive VR learning experiences provided in the Acadicus platform. These scenarios utilize VR headsets and hand controllers during patient care simulations to promote the development of clinical judgment.
View Open RN OER Virtual Reality Scenarios
In addition to VR Scenario plans, the Open RN project created over 30 free, screen-based virtual simulations that can be accessed using a URL and any device connected to the internet. No special equipment or software is required to complete these learning activities that provide immediate formative feedback and promote the development of clinical judgment. These virtual simulations have been created in H5P with CC BY 4.0 licensing. They are incorporated into the Open RN OER textbooks and can be accessed using the following button. Media used in these virtual simulations has been uploaded to the Open RN YouTube channel with CC BY 4.0 licensing.
Disclaimer: These Nursing Open Educational Resources were developed under a $2.5 million dollar grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Next Gen RN
The Next Gen RN project is a spinoff project funded by a $500,000 WTCS Core Industry grant. The goal of the project is to improve the preparedness of pre licensure nurses entering the workforce by providing the opportunity to practice taking NCLEX Next Generation (NGN) style questions. NGN questions were launched on the NCLEX in April 2023 in an effort to more accurately assess nursing graduates’ clinical judgment.
LibreTexts’ ADAPT software platform has been customized for nursing faculty to create NGN-style case studies and questions and share them publicly with other faculty. Over 25 NGN-style case studies are shared in the “Next Gen RN” public course in ADAPT that serves as a repository.
Nursing instructors can request a personal ADAPT account to view these questions by going to LibreTexts ADAPT platform and clicking on “Contact Us.” Resources for using ADAPT are located online at the Next Gen RN Nursing Tutorial.
In addition to NGN case studies available to faculty within the ADAPT platform, individual NGN questions are also linked within the Open RN OER textbooks as formative assessments with immediate feedback provided to students.
Request More Info
For more information about the Open RN project, to get involved, or to sign-up for quarterly updates, please fill out this form or email us at OpenRN@cvtc.edu.
For past updates, visit the WisTech Open blog.