Locating information in the clinical setting is very different than finding articles for an assignment. Your preceptor will expect you to know which resource is most appropriate and to find the information efficiently. Do not be surprised if your preceptor asks you to find information to answer a specific clinical questions, then sits down next to you to watch how you find the answer. Using Google to find an answer is unacceptable. If you are asked to find an article, providing the abstract only is unacceptable. The information you find will be used for direct patient care. This means that someone's health and wellbeing is dependent upon the information you find. Unlike an assignment where you can change a topic if you cannot find enough information, you cannot change a patient's diagnosis, complication or treatment if you are having difficulty finding relevant information. You can, however, change the resource you are searching, the way you are searching or the terms to describe the concepts in your search.
Dealing with technical problems is an occasional, but frustrating, reality of accessing information in the rural setting. Technical problems may include: unable to access the Libraries' web site, the proxy server may not accept your username and password, a database might be down, the PDF of an article might not open. If any of these situations occur, contact coeref@uwyo.edu.
IF UW Libraries resources are not available there are a number of databases and resources available to you without going through the UW Libraries' web site, including PubMed, and other NLM and federal agency databases, Cochrane Library through WyLD, and Apps for your smartphone or ipad. See the tabs at the top for more information.
Before you leave on rotation:
- Download any Apps you might use on rotation. Some require that you go through the UW Libraries' page in order to this.
- Get a public library card from Albany County Public Library. This will give you access to the Cochrane Library and some limited full text articles through GoWYLD.
- Print out this LibGuide in case the web site is inaccessible during a patient care emergency. This will give you links to resources available to you without going through the libraries' web site.
Two ways to order articles through Interlibrary Loan:
- Request IT: Use the blue FindIT@UW button when searching a database such as PubMed or International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, or go directly to the Request It button on the library home page. Click on Article request or Book request in the column on the left to bring up a form which you can fill yourself.