20 Helpful Anatomy Resource Guides for Nursing Students
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Updated on October 28, 2024
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A thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology is required for nurses. Use this collection of resources and tools to help you master this area.
Credit: Getty ImagesNursing students must study anatomy and physiology to understand how the body functions and to help them recognize the causes of illness. Nurses apply concepts and practical applications to assess, diagnose, and track their patients’ health.
Courses in anatomy and physiology for nurses are a prerequisite for all other courses in the nursing curriculum. The topics can be challenging for students. But an understanding of anatomy and physiology provides the foundations for the clinical skills and competencies required for nursing practice.
This collection of free study tools for anatomy and physiology can help prospective nurses master the field.
Anatomy Resources for Nursing Students
These resources cover all aspects of anatomy and physiology for nurses. The free study guides, visual aids, and interactive tools can help you learn the topics you need for a nursing career.
Study Resources
The University of British Columbia: Clinical Anatomy Modules
This multimedia learning hub offers clinical anatomy modules and other resources. Users can access interactive radiology images, animated muscle group modules, sketches of anatomy, and links to neuroanatomy information.MedlinePlus: Anatomy Guide
This comprehensive study guide focuses on all aspects of human anatomy and physiology. The site provides descriptions and pictures of human body parts and organ systems, tutorials, and journal articles. Some content is available in Spanish and English.Body Guide: Skin
This guide focuses on the largest human organ system: skin. It also tackles its accessory structures and their functions. Students learn about hair, nails, and sweat and sebaceous glands. Nerve receptors for stimuli, like touch, cold, heat, pain, and pressure, are also taught.StudyStack: Anatomy Flashcards
Users can access links to thousands of downloadable flashcards in all areas of anatomy, physiology, and biology. Students can view, print, and share the flashcards. They can also use quizzes and other study tools to chart their progress.Alzheimer’s Association: Inside the Brain
Intended for the general public and beginning nursing students, this resource provides an overview of brain function. The page also offers information on the symptoms and effects of Alzheimer’s disease.National Institutes of Health: Introduction to the Human Body Module
This easy-to-use training module for anatomy and physiology gives an overview of the systems and organs in the human body. The site includes links to downloadable study materials.Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth: Human Anatomy Learning Modules
These human anatomy learning modules contain images, videos, and self-assessment questions. The site also has tutorials and resources on radiology and computed tomography (CT) scans, including an online anatomy textbook.WebMd: Picture of the Abdomen
Part of WebMd’s medical reference pages, this study guide explores the anatomy of the abdomen. The webpage also describes several abdominal and digestive disorders and medical treatments.
Visual Guides
University of Washington: Muscle Atlas
The Muscle Atlas contains over 80 images and descriptions of upper and lower extremities. Students may use these images for research, training, and study purposes.MedlinePlus: Anatomy Videos
Beginning nursing students will find this collection of animated videos helpful as they begin their studies. The videos show the anatomy of body parts and organ systems. They also explain diseases and conditions.The University of Utah: Anatomical Images
Designed for students and healthcare workers, this site offers a library of anatomical images. Users can study the images and take online quizzes.Loyola University Chicago’s School of Medicine: Bones of the Body
This easy-to-use study guide asks students to pick a bone from the “Bone Box” to learn terminology and anatomical structure. The clearly labeled images present all the bones in the human body from the skull to the lower extremities.The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research: Bone Curriculum
For students from high school through medical school, this study guide includes descriptive text, images, and animations. The curriculum covers bone structure and diseases. It also includes clinical practice.University of Washington: Radiographic Anatomy of the Skeleton
This resource helps students understand skeletal structure. The site presents several modules that depict X-ray images of the upper and lower extremities and spine.
Interactive Resources
Leiden University Medical Center: Three-dimensional Cross-sections of the Human Body
This site is part of the Visible Human Project, a public-domain library of cross-sectional images from human cadavers. Students can access this visual aid to find detailed, 3D representations of the female body.ZygoteBody: 3D Anatomy
This interactive website offers 3D models of the human body. Users can move several layers like muscle tissues and blood vessels, or make them transparent, to study individual parts.Khan Academy: Human Anatomy and Physiology
This interactive site provides an online educational unit in human anatomy and physiology. Students progress through the course at their own pace, watch videos, and take quizzes to assess their learning.Get Body Smart: Muscular System Quizzes
Students watch animated narrations about the muscular system and take quizzes based on the content. This site offers condensed and easy-to-understand explanations for upper limb, lower limb, head and neck, and muscle regions.McGraw-Hill Higher Education: Interactive Case Studies and the Human Body
This interactive tool offers students 20 case studies of conditions affecting the male and female body. For each case study, students read the facts, apply them to make a diagnosis, and answer accompanying questions.The University of Texas at Austin: eSkeletons
Based on a comprehensive database, this interactive site provides an introduction to skeletal anatomy. Users can access a glossary and downloadable resources.
