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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Vital Signs: Understanding What the Body Is Telling Us by University of Pennsylvania

4.8
stars
6,499 ratings

About the Course

The vital signs – heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration rate, and pain – communicate important information about the physiological status of the human body. In this six-part course we explore the anatomy and physiology underlying the vital signs so that you will develop a systematic, integrated understanding of how the body functions. Relevant body systems are reviewed including cardiovascular and respiratory, followed by explanations of how the function of these systems affects vital signs. We discuss normal ranges, normal variants, and the mechanisms that underlie changes in the objective measurement of vital signs. The course also includes demonstrations of appropriate techniques for measuring vital signs in yourself and others. The course is designed for a broad, general audience but will be particularly interesting for individuals working in healthcare, those considering a career as a healthcare professional, lay caregivers, those with an interest in personal health and fitness, or anyone who simply wants to understand how the body functions....

Top reviews

BR

Sep 29, 2018

Yes, it is very useful to me and I will suggest to my friends to take this course. My sincere Thanks to Connie B. Scanga, PhD, she taken the all lecture clearly and her lecture was easy to understand.

AB

Jun 29, 2017

I really enjoyed to the professor and the idea of learning the material with her students. It made me feel as if I was in the classroom learning with them. She broke down the material in a great way.

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176 - 200 of 1,644 Reviews for Vital Signs: Understanding What the Body Is Telling Us

By Carlos I G G

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Sep 26, 2022

Disfrute el curso. Contiene conocimientos básicos sobre sognos vitales para reforzar conocimintos de una forma agradable, ylo mejor es que cuenta con traducción a diversos idiomas, lo que lo vuelve accesible.

Thaks to Dr. Scanga and their coworkers and students.

By Shamta K

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Feb 9, 2021

This is a great beginners course for current/prospective health professional in understanding how to assess for basic vital signs (e.g. blood pressure, respiration rates, etc) and the basic anatomy underlying each of these systems. Great video and quiz resources!

By Rachel G

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Feb 10, 2019

I really enjoyed this class. It was informative and interesting while also being entertaining. A good course leaves you curious and wanting more and this course left me very curious...and feeling a bit smarter. Thank you for producing such an excellent course.

By Lana M

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May 27, 2016

Excellent introductory course to vital signs in the human body. The real-live classroom format was different and appealing. The lab demonstrations were very helpful. The Professor did a wonderful job explaining every topic, particularly Metabolism. Thank you!

By Farrah

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Apr 24, 2020

Really helpful having the downloadable lecture outlines that I could print off and add notes to. I was able to fully concentrate on the lessons and keep learning, rather than being half-attentive while scribbling notes. Made it very time-efficient. Great course.

By NAKSHATRA N A E C

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Jan 26, 2021

Very good explanation of Anatomy, Heart and Respiration.

I loved the content and especially regarding body's thermostat mechanism.

The way of explanation is simply superb.

I really appreciate Prof. Scanga for her nice and extraordinary efforts for this course.

By Yennilda V

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May 16, 2020

Dr. Scanga does an excellent job at explining the topic, so much so that it sounds even easy, the questions she poses to her sutdents helps you think out an answer and remember the information.

The classroom setting also makes the class more engaging and fun.

By Pat H

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Apr 25, 2020

I would say thanks to Dr.Scanga. I am a 2nd medical student in Australia and do this course on weekends. I really pick up some old knowledge and learn a lot of new stuff in this course especially about the pain part. Thanks for creating this wonderful course!

By julie t

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Jul 4, 2023

Really enjoyed this course! Well organized with useful course material. Prof Scanga is very knowledgeable, clear, engaging and interesting. UPenn is lucky to have her! Glad to have stumbled upon this course, a great first class for me on Coursera.

5 stars !!

By Andrea D G

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Mar 10, 2017

I've taken a lot of courses online, not only on this platform, and this one is by far the best and my favorite. I really wish there would be more courses on medical sciences and specially with Prof. Scanga teaching. She is just the best. Love from Venezuela.

By Christopher L

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Mar 14, 2018

Fantastic, well-taught introduction to human physiology! This course covered more topics than I thought it would with good detail and great explanations, and it has certainly encouraged me to learn more about the human body. Thanks for such a great course!

By Andrei H

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Feb 28, 2017

This course was probably the hardest to learn mentally. Took a lot of research and time into it t actually pass it. Though I did learn a good portion. I loved the lesson about pain knowing what what types of pain their are and how the nerves senses them.

By Laura R

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Jun 20, 2017

Such an amazing course! The instructor was incredibly clear and the lessons were well thought out. I like that we are able to watch the videos as many times as required to fully understand the content. This will be very helpful for my future. Thank you!

By Layra E P

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Aug 30, 2020

The course is great, it exceeded my expectations. The promised subject is very complete and reliable, apart from the fact that the classes are very didactic. I definitely recommend this course for students and nurses who want to update their knowledge!

By Duy T

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Jul 30, 2023

This is a really attractive course for young people who have a passion for medicine. I sincerely thank Ph.D. Connie B. Scanga at the University of Pennsylvania made it possible for me to complete this course. Once again, a big thank you from Vietnam !

By Conner D

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Apr 23, 2021

Incredible, informative lectures that are short, and easy to fit into a busy schedule. The exam questions required critical thinking about the course content. This course does require some higher-level biology knowledge to fully comprehend everything.

By Grzegorz A K

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Nov 13, 2016

One of the best courses I've attended on Coursera. Prof. Scanga explains everything clearly and creates calm, almost relaxing, atmosphere in which knowledge nearly effortlessly enters the mind. I would really love to attend another course made by her.

By Hiranmayi C

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May 2, 2019

It was very informative. I have learnt many new concepts here that haven't been reviewed in my class previously. Especially Metabolism, Temperature Regulation and Pain have been extremely helpful. A must do course for anyone interested in health care

By Sara B

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Jun 21, 2017

I really enjoyed the course. The lectures were engaging and easy to follow. I don't have a background in these topics but the course was very doable for me. I would definitely be interested in more courses from the same people expanding on this one.

By Isabel V d C

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Jan 2, 2021

Aulas extremamente importantes e detalhadas sobre sinais vitais. Sou grata pela professora que tive e pelo conhecimento que pude adquirir nessas 6 semanas! Coursera sempre me proporcionando grandes momentos de ensino, priorizando sempre a educação.

By Nicole G

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Jul 1, 2020

I really enjoyed this course and the professor. I took it the summer after taking Animal Physiology at my university and it was like the perfect refresher! Also, I like the clinical applications presented, though I would have like to see even more!

By Tyree S

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Mar 8, 2016

I like this class because the instructor explains the information very well. I am using this as a refresher course and I definitely feel like I am learning a lot through her teaching. I would recommend this class to anyone that would be interested.

By Oladoyinbo S

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Oct 16, 2022

This course is exciting. My zero knowledge in vital signs has become top notch. All the videos, lectures, note files, assignment and other things provided for the course was just perfect and good for better learning. Thanks to coursera.

By ALA c

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Jan 3, 2021

I learned a lot in this course, really helped me to understand vital signs , those factors affecting the systems in our body, how we identify normal and abnormal signs, not just knowing the normal and abnormal rate but also understand the process.

By Niranjana B

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Feb 18, 2018

The Course Contents were really good and appropriate to understand for the distant / web learning. The Mentor was a really good person who knows how to take the sessions without glitches. Recommend this to the learning enthusiasts of their body !