Introduction

This textbook is an open educational resource based on the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) statewide nursing curriculum for the Health Alterations course (543-105), a second semester nursing course designed for students in the Practical Nursing program and the first year of the Associate Degree Nursing program. It is also aligned with the 2023 NCLEX-PN and NCLEX-RN test plans.

This textbook elaborates on the basic concepts of health and illness as presented in Open RN Nursing Fundamentals and builds on content presented in Open RN Nursing Skills, 2e and Open RN Nursing Pharmacology, 2e. It applies theories of nursing in the care of clients through the life span, utilizing problem-solving and critical thinking while studying common conditions affecting different body systems. Evidence-based nursing interventions are discussed while applying the nursing process. Concepts of leadership and management are also introduced. Interactive learning activities are provided in each chapter, including NCLEX Next Generation-style case studies and questions.

The development of this OER textbook was funded by a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Education and peer review was funded by state budget funds received by WTCS and the WisTech Open project. It has a CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government. More information about the Open RN project can be found at cvtc.edu/OpenRN and more information about the WisTech Open project can be found at https://www.cvtc.edu/grants/wistech.