If you have an interest in starting a professional career in physiology, then you need to take one of these free online courses and get the certificate too.
Physiology is a field of science that studies mechanisms and their functions in living organisms. Two terms of importance to note are the human body’s physiological state and pathological state. The physiological state is the state of normal function, while the physiological state is one where there is the presence of abnormality or disorder. Also vital to physiology studies is the relationship between organs, systems, cells, biological compounds, etc., and how they all function together.
Various systems are studied to fully understand the human body in studying human physiology. These systems include the respiratory systems, circulatory systems, reproductive systems, nervous system, renal/urinary system, etc. These systems, their components, functions, and disorder are all studied in detail to provide evidence-based results.
This article contains a couple of online courses you can enroll in if you’re thinking of starting a career in physiology, already have background knowledge, or looking to further your studies in the field. To help smoothen your academic journey in the area, a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) that would be of help is also contained in the article.
Why Should You Have a Career in Physiology?
A career in physiology is a career path charged with handling patients in need of care from different aspects of the field. In studying physiology, there are numerous disciplines you can choose to specialize in, which may depend on your interest, or a particular problem you are willing to solve.
These branches include systems physiology, cell physiology, exercise physiology, defense physiology, etc. While these may be just a few, all disciplines in physiology are essential and have promising career prospects.
A career in physiology opens you up to a vast field of disciplines you can always practice in. As a physiologist, environments like universities, research institutes, fitness facilities, rehabilitation centers, etc., are all working environments that a career in physiology opens you up to explore.
In addition to the educational and hands-on skills, courses on physiology open you to other life-long skills the career extends to include team spirit, analytic thinking, effective communication, problem-solving skills, etc.
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Why Enroll in Physiology Courses?
Whichever discipline you choose to major in, physiology career paths compulsorily require education. These online courses on physiology provide you with the basic knowledge needed to practice and excel in this field.
These preparatory courses combine beginners, intermediate, and expert-level methods that cut across important topics required in the field. These vital topics are spread across years of study to avoid bombarding the students with the workload.
Free online courses on physiological classes, apart from having a primary advantage of being free, provide you with all required resources from videos, lessons, practical examples, quizzes, and projects, all of which are valuable resources.
Free online courses on physiology, when enrolled, not only provide you with the knowledge required but go further. Learning online at your own pace increases your level of discipline and allows you to learn in a learning environment created to suit you alone.
How do you become a Physiologist?
To become a physiologist, the basic requirements, almost the same as in every other field, are education on chosen specialty and practice. Due to the various options available, selecting a specialization will help carve a defined academic path that you would be following next to ensure you don’t deviate from your career goals.
An essential educational requirement in physiology is a bachelor’s degree. This degree is gained in physiology or closely related courses such as chemistry and biology in some schools. When this degree is acquired, you can pursue a doctorate or master’s degree in any field, depending on your specialization or quest for career advancement.
Seeking internship positions is an excellent place to start as a beginner with no experience and a starting point to build a career. The next step would be to look for a suitable job in your chosen field with the education acquired. This helps you apply the knowledge gained from the studies and provides you with experience in your chosen field.
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Top Ten Free Online Courses in Physiology with Certificates in 2022
1. Introductory Human Physiology
This course introduces the physiology of the human body to enable a complete understanding of the body’s functions with all its organs. The knowledge of human physiology teaches skills in biological makeup, medicine, metabolic pathways, and the human body’s organ systems.
Summary; The course covers various lessons on body systems such as the homeostasis and endocrine system, the nervous systems, somatic nerves, muscles, etc. These lessons are carefully split into various weeks to accommodate flexible deadlines and ensure ample time is spent on each class to provide a complete understanding of the course.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 33 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
2. Medical Neuroscience
A foundation for understanding the central nervous system’s sensation, action, and cognition. In an attempt to understand human behavior, medical neuroscience focuses on the neurophysiology of the central nervous system. All lessons required in any first-year institution of medicine are discussed in detail, including neurophysiology and clinical neuroanatomy.
Summary; The course has flexible deadlines, which allow you to fix your preferred work routine whenever you please. It is an advanced-level course that aids in building your already existing knowledge of medical neurosciences. It is a six-unit course, and each unit is split into weeks to allow for easy understanding. A certificate is being issued upon completion of the system, which can be uploaded on various platforms and shared when required.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 71 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
3. Science of Exercise
A physiological understanding of how the body reacts to exercise is part of what this course aims at improving. This knowledge, when gained, will help identify behaviors, choices, and environments that impact health and training. Also included in this lesson are learning assessments that demand you apply knowledge obtained to practical situations like nutrition logs, heart rate monitoring, daily caloric expenditures, and body mass index.
Summary; Included in this course are lessons that will give the students access to evidence-based research on the health benefits of exercise. The benefits of this exercise examined also include preventing and treating heart disease, obesity (weight loss), cancer, dementia, and diabetes. It is a beginner-level course that teaches students skills such as nutrition, public health, fitness, etc.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 10 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
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4. Understanding Obesity
There are too many misconceptions about obesity, and this course addresses them. The course discusses vital physiological concepts on how the brain controls appetite and body weight. Other biological and environmental pressures that lead to gaining weight quickly while not being able to lose it as fast as it is acquired are also considered. Meanwhile, the course also allows its students to reflect on their already existing assumptions around the subject.
Summary; For practical learning purposes, learning materials and resources are a perfect blend of videos, audio messages, and short texts to enhance understanding. Short quizzes are also carried out by the end of every week, which helps prepare you for the final project. For the final project, students are tasked with demonstrating their understanding of the course and how they can develop it further after the course. A certificate is awarded at the end of this exercise.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 6 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
5. Extracellular Vesicles in Health & Disease
Extracellular vesicles in the body help maintain normal cell physiology and are also involved in cell-to-cell communication. They have also been found to transmit messages that influence the progression of diseases. An approach to understanding the role of extracellular vesicles in health and conditions is being made in this course. The course teaches evidence-based knowledge of the relationship between extracellular vesicles, health, and diseases, but recent studies and advancements are also shared.
Summary; the course is shared into four modules and is recommended for intermediate-level learners. The various modules all treat different topics around an introduction to their relationship, physiological conditions, how extracellular vesicles influence the development of multiple diseases, and drug resistance. Professionals like scientists, cell and molecular biologists, clinicians, etc., can all take this course to broaden their understanding.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 12 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
6. The Science of Gastronomy
In the science of gastronomy, attention is paid to the process and preparation of cooking food. Most importantly, how this food is enjoyed is not left out. Biology, chemistry, and physics are strong bases on which these courses are based. Studies such as sensory stimulation, altering flavor by chemical means, and color modification to improve the appearance of dishes are all discussed in this lesson.
Summary; As a teaching aid, various videos will be used for the duration of this course. These videos are to be followed when practicing the different scientific principles and methods instructors use. While the procedure may be rich and educative, it is not designed with particular consideration for people with special dietary needs, such as vegetarians, diabetic patients, or people maintaining gluten-free diets.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 25 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
7. Visual Perception and the Brain
While the visual sense might seem to many as just that, the course shows how visual acuity is highly influenced by perception and the brain. It considers how everything we see is generated by the optical system, the problems associated with vision, and what your visual perception indicates on brain systems. The study is based on the perception of how we see the physical world and why we see it that way.
Summary; The lessons in this course are drawn from neuroscience, psychology, the history of vision science, and contributions from philosophy over the years. It is a five-week course spread out into texts, videos, and quizzes to ensure a perfect understanding of the course. At the end of the course, the students are awarded a certificate.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 14 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
8. Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society
The personal and societal relevance of sleep cannot be overemphasized. The relevance of sleep to individuals is made evident in the daytime performance of the individual. The brain’s role in sleep generation and how to control rest is discussed in this course. Sleep-altering situations such as jet lag and sleep deprivation also substances like caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, etc., are all discussed in this course.
Summary; The beginner-level course discusses the importance of sleep to individuals, medical practitioners, and society. Also included in this lesson are disorders such as excessive sleepiness, insomnia, and sleep-dependent changes in autonomic control. Real-life consequences of sleep disorders on individuals and society are shared. Upon completion of the course, shareable certificates are awarded to the students.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 21 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
9. Lactation Biology
Too many people poorly understand the critical biological process known as lactation, hence this course. The course focuses on educating on the process involved in lactation, the product of the physiological function, and the concepts that help understand the process. Learning tools such as presentations are used to educate the students for better understanding.
Summary; Also embedded in this course is the advantage of interacting with other students. Notes are being compared, and constructive discussions to foster better understanding. The system encourages a curious mind by encouraging students to begin the course with personal questions or concerns they want to be addressed.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 40 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
10. Vital Signs: Understanding What The Body Is Telling Us
The body has unique ways of communicating different feelings to us, some of which are our vital signs. These vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, etc., all communicate essential information about the physiological status of the human body. This course explores human anatomy to fully understand what these vital signs say about our bodies. Body systems are reviewed, including how those systems affect vital signs.
Summary; The course further demonstrates checking for vital signs for yourself and other people. It is suitable for many healthcare practitioners, including lay caregivers, personal health and fitness personnel, and the general public interested in how the human body functions. The course has subtitles available in various languages.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Physiology
Duration; 14 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
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Conclusion
Physiology is an exciting field of medicine to venture into, and it would be a great privilege to be one. While venturing into the area, the first step would be to ensure you do thorough research on the course. This research will prepare you for what you’re about to begin.
This research provides you with information such as required courses, available school options, financial implications, and available disciplines to specialize in. This information, when available, helps advise on the next step to take in achieving your goal.
Applying the results of your research in pursuing your desired career will help the process be more precise and ensure that you have a smooth transition to the entire process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can proceed to study medicine after acquiring a degree in physiology. To achieve this, you would either need to reapply to medical school all over again or apply for direct entry into medical school. The process of direct entry may vary for different institutions.
With a degree in physiology, you can work in different workspaces such as schools, hospitals, etc. You can also practice in various capacities in the human physiology specialization, such as exercise physiologist, neurophysiologist, clinical physiologist, cardiac physiologist, etc.
To become a physiologist, you will need an undergraduate degree in physiology, which is the first-degree requirement. This degree usually takes about four to five years, depending on the institution. For further studies, you will need a postgraduate degree that takes about three to five years, depending on the choice of institution.
Both fields of medicine are essential and quite similar but are different in executing their tasks. Physiology is the branch of medicine that deals with the physical body, while psychology takes care of the mind. While physiology might diversify to animals, psychology focuses only on humans.
Both courses require time and effort to understand what they are entirely about. However, physiology may be a tad bit challenging due to its broad nature and mathematical implications. It will require a series of studying and practicing to perfect it.
References
- www.booking-wp-plugin.com – What you can do with a Degree in Physiology
- www.indeed.com – How to become a Physiologist
- nimedhealth.com – Can a Physiologist become a Medical Doctor?
- www.upgrad.com – Psychology Vs Physiology
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