LibGuides: Physician Associate Studies Subject Guide: Finding information

Finding information

As a Physician Associate student you will be expected to use a wide variety of information sources for your academic study and assignments.

See below for a list of key resources for Physician Associate studies.

Finding information

Use Hunter, the library's discovery tool, to find books by title or author, journal articles or journal titles.

1. Find books

To find books in Hunter, enter your search terms, select Books and more. Sign in to find the book location and availability.

Some books are available as e-books, select View Online to view electronic versions. You will need to login with your university login to access these.

2. Find journal articles

In Hunter, enter an article title or a few words from the title and select Articles and more. Select view online and follow the link to the full text. You will need to login with your SGUL login to access these off-site.

3. Find journals

To find a specific journal in Hunter, type in the name of the journal and select Journal Titles results will include journal titles from the Library’s electronic and print journal collections. You will need to login with your university login to access electronic journals off-site.

Databases and e-resources

Healthcare databases allow you to track-down journal articles by topic and where possible link you to the whole article if the library owns it in its collection. They offer a more comprehensive search than Hunter. Key databases for Physician Associate Studies include:

Medline (Ovid) - onsite access This link opens in a new window Onsite access from SGUL PCs and library laptops
From US National Library of Medicine. Covers clinical medicine, including the allied health fields. Includes biological and physical sciences and humanities where they relate to health care.
Embase (Ovid) - onsite access This link opens in a new window Onsite access from SGUL PCs and library laptops
Produced by Elsevier. Covers biomedicine and pharmacology; particularly strong in the areas of drugs, toxicology and psychiatry. Includes US and European journals.
PsycINFO (Ovid) - onsite access This link opens in a new window Onsite access from SGUL PCs and library laptops
Compiled by the American Psychological Association. Contains relevant material from medicine, psychiatry, social work, law, criminology, social science and organisational behaviour.
Web of Science - onsite access This link opens in a new window Onsite access from SGUL PCs and library laptops
The Web of Science gives access to the Web of Science Core Collection (including Citation Reference Searching) Conference Proceedings and Journal Citation Reports (Science and Social Science).
Web of Science is part of the Clarivate Analytics group of products which includes Essential Science Indicators and Journal Citation Reports.

We also provide access to evidence-based healthcare resources such as:

AccessMedicine (McGraw-Hill) - SGUL students and staff This link opens in a new window
SGUL username and password required for access
AccessMedicine includes access to 130+ e-books organised by basic sciences,
clinical medicine, and healthcare systems. The AccessMedicine resource also includes access to cases, videos, and Q&As.
Acland's Video Atlas of Human Anatomy - SGUL students and staff This link opens in a new window SGUL username and password required for access
An accessible source of anatomical knowledge with simple language and realistic, 3D visuals. You can access the exams (the quiz section) and save your favourites by registering for a personal account
BMJ Best Practice - onsite access This link opens in a new window Onsite access from SGUL PCs and library laptops
From the BMJ, a single source combining the latest research evidence, guidelines and expert opinion presented in a step-by-step approach, covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Integrated Drug formulary enables you to quickly access detailed information on dosing, availability, formulations, side effects and contraindications in the BNF (via MedicinesComplete).
BMJ Best Practice Mobile App helpsheet PDF - available to SGUL staff and students only
BNF (MedicinesComplete) - SGUL students and staff This link opens in a new window SGUL username and password required for access
British National Formulary. Provides healthcare professionals with authoritative and practical information on the selection and clinical use of medicines.
Complete Anatomy - SGUL students and staff This link opens in a new window
SGUL username and password required for access
Complete Anatomy is a 3D anatomy platform including models and videos, with an extensive library of structures and muscle movements. Complete Anatomy is a 3D Anatomy app that can be downloaded from the app store on your device.

An activation code is required for full access to the app:
SGUL Students - access information can be obtained in the SGUL Library Canvas module

SGUL Staff - please email the library team to request the staff activation code

Use of Complete Anatomy is subject to the Complete Anatomy Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, consent to these terms is inferred by use of the resource.

SGUL staff may create and share content via Complete Anatomy, and track student engagement and attainment with this content. This may include lectures, screens and quizzes on the Complete Anatomy platform. Interactions with this content are tracked in the Complete Anatomy platform and a digital record is created which SGUL staff can use to review student attainment in quizzes at both an individual and cohort level. These records may be used by SGUL staff to inform curriculum planning and could be exported to use in student records.

For support with access to library resources, please email journals@sgul.ac.uk
JoVE Journal of Visualized Experiments - SGUL students and staff This link opens in a new window SGUL username and password required for access
JoVE makes and publishes videos of scientific experiments from international laboratories. Includes sections on: Behaviour, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biology, Cancer Research, Chemistry, Developmental Biology, Engineering, Environment, Genetics, Immunology and Infection, Medicine, and Neuroscience.

To find these and more and to see the offsite access links, visit our Databases page. If you know which resource you are looking for, use the A-Z list to navigate to it. You can also browse databases by speciality or resource type. When you have selected a resource, choose the appropriate on-site (no login required) or off-site (university login required) link to access it.

Books are organised on the library shelves using the National Library of Medicine classification system, made up of a series of letters and numbers.

A typical shelf mark - or call number - looks something like this:

A diagram of the NLM classification used in SGUL library, with the example WK 700 MAR. The first letters (e.g. WK) indicate the main subject, the numbers (e.g. 700) indicate the sub-topic and the last letters (e.g. MAR) indicate the author.

There are a range of call numbers running from A-Z, however you will find the majority begin with a Q or a W. We've highlighted a few examples of the types of topics that will be help for Physician Associate students. You can find a full list of these topics at the ends of the library shelves.

QS Human Anatomy QT Physiology QV Pharmacology QZ Pathology W General Medicine WB Practice of Medicine	WE Musculoskeletal System WF Respiratory System WG Cardiovascular System WH Hematic System WI Digestive System WL Nervous System	WM Psychiatry WO Surgery WP Gynaecology WQ Obstetrics WS Paediatrics

	Resource Lists
	Note: Your lecturers will provide lists of recommended resources in Canvas.

The majority of our journal articles are available online, although we do have a number of print journals available for reference. These can be found in the rolling stacks based in the smaller silent study section of the library.

The most effective way to search our subscriptions is to use Hunter; just enter keywords relating to your topic and select 'Articles and more' from the drop-down menu to get started. A step-by-step guide to finding articles can be found here.

However, if you are carrying out a large research project or a literature review, you'll need to use more sophisticated search tools (such as Ovid or EBSCOhost) to carry out more detailed literature searches. Our Principles of effective literature searching guide provides a useful introduction to the search process, and you can always book yourself on to one of our training sessions if you feel you need more support. The 'Key databases and e-resources' tab to left highlights some of our recommendations for Physician Associate students.

Offsite access

Note: If you're accessing online resources offsite, you will be asked for a username and password. Use the SGUL username and password that you use to access the University computers.

The log in page can look different depending on the supplier of the article, but will usually refer to an 'institutional login'. You will normally need to select your location (e.g. UK Access Management Federation) and then select your 'institution'. Remember to look for 'St George's, University of London'.

This might also be referred to as a 'Shibboleth' login - again, just use your SGUL username and password when prompted.

Online Resources

CKS (Clinical Knowledge Summaries) This link opens in a new window
CKS (Clinical Knowledge Summaries) provides primary care practitioners with a readily accessible summary of the current evidence base and practical guidance on best practice in respect of over 300 common and/or significant primary care presentations. Managed by NICE.
Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window
Consists of several databases supporting evidence-based medicine, including: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, NHS EED (NHS Economic Evaluation Database) and HTA (Health Technology Assessments).

Free access to users in England & Wales through funding by the NHS.
PubMed - SGUL students and staff This link opens in a new window
PubMed is a free version of Medline, published by the US National Library of Medicine (NLM). Click on the link above to access a customized version of PubMed were many citations are linked to full text articles already available via your university network login.

Libraries

BMA Library
The BMA library specialises in current clinical practice, medical ethics and education and providing expert information to it's members.
The King's Fund Library Services
The King's Fund provides a unique and free source of information on health and social care policy and management.
SCONUL Access
SCONUL Access is a scheme which allows many university library users to borrow or use books and journals at other libraries which belong to the scheme. This includes access to other University of London libraries. The extent of your access will depend on what course you are studying.
Wellcome Library
The Wellcome Collection library has an extensive collection relating to medical history as well as contemporary research.

Websites

Faculty of Physician Associates
Membership organisation that provides professional support to physician associates across the UK
General Medical Council - GMC
The UK's independent regulator of doctors. Useful resource for clinical practice and prescription guidance as well as information on ethical standards.
Department of Health and Social Care
Government department responsible for health and social care policy. Provides access to legislation, reports, public health information and health statistics.