Surgical Technologist Program Resources

Having a difficult time finding an article? Here are a few tips:

• If you find too many results, try adding limits to your search. Try adding more terms to your search (e.g. try "surgical draping" instead of "patient preparation procedures") or limit by publication date.

• If you are not finding enough results, consider broadening your search. Try taking away search terms or making your terms more general. Also consider if there are synonyms or other ways to search for the same idea, but in a different way. For example, if you are looking for information on "aseptic technique" you might also try "sterilization," or other related terms.

Our librarians are happy to help if you cannot find what you are looking for. Just stop by the reference desk or call for assistance.

Electronic versions of journal articles can be found within databases. These databases allow you to perform searches by subject terms, author, title, date of publication, and other terms. Using these databases also ensures that you find scholarly, peer-reviewed sources that your instructors want you to use.

Here are some databases you may find useful when performing health-related research:

Health and Medicine Module by Proquest

Search 520 periodicals on health subjects such as medical conditions, substance abuse, insurance, health policy

CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)

CINAHL is a comprehensive database that covers more than 760 journals. Many articles are available in full text. Those that are not available full-text can usually be requested through interlibrary loan.

Science Direct

Science Direct is a comprehensive database containing articles from all science disciplines, including medicine and health.

PubMed

PubMed is free to access and contains indexed entries for thousands of articles. Not all of the articles are available for free, but some may be found in CINAHL, and others we may be able to order via interlibrary loan. This is a good place to look for the broadest amount of sources and for information about drug trials.

Academic OneFile

This is a more general database but it can be useful for finding journal and newspaper articles on broader topics. This can be especially useful to search for current events and trends.

The current issue of Surgical Technologist is available online.  ICC Library has the print version available in the back of the library. Just click on the photo below for the current month.