If the series has given you an interest in following a career in the field of health, or you're already working in the sector and would like to improve your formal qualifications - or, perhaps, you'd just like to pursue study for your own interests - there are a range of Open University courses which may prove interesting, including:

Understanding Health (Y158) - a new "Openings" course that focuses on the health of individuals, families, localities and societies. It looks at how much people influence their own health, and how much it is influenced by our families, the places we live and wider society. It looks at what we can do as individuals to maintain our health as well as looking at how the medical profession and politicians intervene to try to keep us healthy.

Understanding Health and Social Care (K100) - a broad practical introduction to health and social care, whether you are engaged in supporting, nursing or caring for others, receive services yourself, or simply have a general interest. Using real examples, it explores the nature of modern caring, the effects of technological, social and political change, and the shift to more flexible, interprofessional ways of working. It develops the intellectual and study skills important to all learners and has been designed in the light of N/SVQ Levels 3 and 4 in Care. A Certificate in Health and Social Care is awarded for successful completion.

Working for health (K203) - designed for anyone who has an interest in health issues, such as the influence of stress, housing and employment on health, the role of complementary medicine, the debate about the relative importance of individual lifestyles and wider public health concerns, and the implications of changes in the NHS. You will explore everyday aspects of health in different cultural, historical and policy settings, and consider some radical ways of enhancing health and healthcare. The course will enable you to appreciate the different models of health and to review your own and alternative standpoints and values in health work.

Promoting Health: Skills, Perspectives and Practice (K301) -this course combines critical review, evaluation of good practice and encouragement to innovate to extend the debate about promoting health. The course is concerned not only with official practice and policy but also with all agencies and activities that can influence health. You will explore and question current policies and interventions, both in professional practices and in people’s everyday actions. The course encourages effective forms of action informed by awareness of the complex interplay of ethical and political issues. A Certificate in Health Promotion can be awarded for successful completion.

Assessing Practice in Nursing and Midwifery (K350) - intended for qualified nurses and midwives who supervise pre- and post-registration students. With a focus on real practice and everyday situations, it enables you to assess your working environment, examine opportunities to support and assess students and practitioners, and develop professional and educational skills that aid mentoring and assessment.

Health and Disease (U205) - a multidisciplinary course examining the contribution of medicine, biology, sociology, history, economics, politics and statistics to worldwide health issues, and develops skills in research methods, interpreting data and writing essays. Themes include disease patterns in industrialised and developing countries; determinants of illness and disability; human biology, culture and evolution; and community care. Case studies include schizophrenia, asthma, AIDS, hysteria, rheumatoid arthritis, TB and heart disease.

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