Free Learning Resources

Access to the content described on this page is completely free for students and instructors. Just follow the links. Optionally, we provide paid plans that included progress tracking across user sessons. Instructors can track student progress and quiz scores using a special instructor dashboard page.

The content described below includes heart and lung sounds, taking blood pressure, medical terminology and also links to free EKG training on EKG.Academy.

We plan to make significant additions to these classroom resources. So please bookmark and return!

Heart and Lung Sounds

Learn to auscultate heart and lung sounds. These modules cover both normal and abnormal sounds.

Normal Heart Sounds

We present normal first and second heart sounds, split first and second heart sounds, third heart sounds, innocent murmurs and exercise related fast heart sounds.

Normal Heart Sounds

First Heart Sounds

This course will teach you about first heart sound auscultation. Before you take this course you should have finished the Normal Heart Sounds course and feel comfortable with your ability to listen and recognize normal heart sounds.

First Heart Sounds

Second Heart Sounds

This course will teach you about the second heart sound. Before you take this course you should have finished the Normal Heart Sound and First Heart Sound courses. You should feel comfortable with the material presented.

Second Heart Sounds

Basics of Lung Sounds

We focus on describing eight key lung sounds with text and audio.

Basics of Lung Sounds

Auscultation Quizzes

Students can take and retake these auscultation quizzes at any time.
General Heart Sounds
Basic Lung Sounds

Taking Blood Pressure

Quickly learn to take blood pressure and then practice on our virtual patients.

Overview

The basic principles of a sphygmomanometer and its use.

BP Overview

How to Take BP

Methods and precautions for taking blood pressure manually.

How to Take BP

Taking Blood Pressure Practice

Using our simulated blood pressure cuff, students observe the dial while listening and then enter pressure readings. Immediate feedback is provided.

Practice Drill

Medical Terminology

Medical Dictionary

A quick reference for medical terms and word parts. Lists by body system as well as alphabetic access.

Medical Dictionary

Medical Word Parts

Our concise summary of essential medical prefixes, suffixes and combining forms.

Medical Word Parts

EKG

Free EKG training is available from Practical Clinical Skills website. This includes several training modules. Each of these modules includes lecture materials as well as interactive exercises within the lessons. Most modules include an ECG rhythm quiz. Users have the option of using a dashboard to track module completion and quiz results.

EKG Basics

Learn the basics of EKGs terminology and interpretation. An entry-level quiz provides practice drills for EKG analysis.

EKG Basics

Rhythm Interpretation

Learn the fundamental concepts and methods for EKG interpretation. Interactive questions and answers are available throughout the module.

EKG Interpretation

Sinus Rhythms

Learn about important EKG morphologic features. Practice drills are available within the module and a quiz concludes the course.

Sinus Rhythms

EKG Daily Drill

Practice EKG interpretation with our daily dose of three tracings. Hosted by our sister website, PracticalClinicalSkills.com.

Daily EKG Drill

Basic Test

Students tested on normal sinus rhythm, sinus tachycardia, sinus bradycardia, sinus arrhythmia and asystole

5 Questions

Second Test

Students tested using Basic Test plus these additional tracings: ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, junctional escape rhythm, pacemaker rhythm and premature ventricular complex.

10 Questions

Progress Tracking

Access to our free content does not require that students or instructors register. But if they setup a free account, each person gets progress tracking on a personalized dashboard. Instructors can monitor student progress and quiz scores. Students are able to control who sees their progress and scores.

Contributors

Dr. Barbara Erickson, Author, Heart Sounds and Murmurs Across The Lifespan
Diane Wrigley, Physician Assistant
Dr. Jonathan Keroes, Cardiologist
Dr. Raymond Murphy, Pulmonologist
David Lieberman, Audio Engineering

Authors and Reviewers

Heart sounds by Dr. Jonathan Keroes, MD and David Lieberman, Developer, Virtual Cardiac Patient.
Lung sounds provided by Diane Wrigley, PA
Heart sounds mentorship by W. Proctor Harvey, MD>
Reviewed by Dr. Barbara Erickson, PhD, RN, CCRN.
Last Update: 12/14/2022

Sources

Heart Sounds and Murmurs Across the Lifespan (with CD) by Dr Barbara Ann Erickson
Publisher: Mosby
ISBN-10: 0323020453; ISBN-13: 978-0323020459
Heart Sounds and Murmurs: A Practical Guide with Audio CD-ROM 3rd Edition
Elsevier-Health Sciences Division
Barbara A. Erickson, PhD, RN, CCRN
Heart Sounds Made Easy with CD-ROM: (with CD-ROM) 2nd Edition
Anthony P. Salmon
ISBN-13: 978-0443069079
NCBI Review of Heart Sounds and Murmurs: A Practical Guide
The Virtual Cardiac Patient: A Multimedia Guide to Heart Sounds And Murmurs Jonathan Keroes, David Lieberman
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkin)
ISBN-10: 0781784425; ISBN-13: 978-0781784429
Ventricular Function Curves in the Exercising Dog
JONATHAN KEROES , ROGER R. ECKER , and ELLIOT RAPAPORT
Circulation Research, Vol. 25, No. 5
Electrocardiographic changes associated with ritodrine-induced maternal tachycardia and hypokalemia American Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology, VOLUME 154, ISSUE 4, P921-923, APRIL 01, 1986
Susan K Hendricks, MD, Jonathan Keroes, MD, Michael Katz, MD
A Multimedia Guide to Heart Sounds and Murmurs
January 2007 JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association 297(2):217-218
DOI:10.1001/jama.297.2.217. M. Saleem Seyal, MD, Reviewer
Clinical Heart Disease W Proctor Harvey, MD