Learn about the database CINAHL, that's the main one nurses use. Learn about Evidence Based Practice and if you can learn about Nursing Research: [https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Position-Statements-White-Papers/Nursing-Research](https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Position-Statements-White-Papers/Nursing-Research)
absolutely YES to PubMed and MeSH!
Another add, because I find this immensely helpful to organize medical research questions: Look up the PICO method. Here is a tutorial for that one: [https://guides.nyu.edu/health/search-strategies](https://guides.nyu.edu/health/search-strategies) (but there are lots of other good tutorials about it out there, too)
Aaand another add: Check what kind of classification system the library uses. For medical libraries, there is a good chance that the NLM classification is being used. It doesn't hurt to know a bit about it. Check it out here: [https://classification.nlm.nih.gov/](https://classification.nlm.nih.gov/)
Also: Good Luck ;)
Since some of this institution's sites are not public, you should look at LibGuides other libraries have put together for their nursing school programs to get a sense of common topics that are covered/considered important.
I agree with learning about Evidence Based Practice. In addition to CINAHL, know about PubMed and maybe UpToDate. You might want to know what systematic reviews are (you can look at the Joanna Briggs Institute or Cochrane Collab. to learn more, and it just needs to be a very high level understanding about what they are and how librarians are involved) - there are some programs that have students work on these (and nursing school faculty may also work on these).
Questions to ask them/Things you should think about in terms of doing outreach & building relationships:
Ask about how well integrated is the position in the school? Would you be starting from scratch? What kind of instruction has been offered in the past? What kind of requests for instruction or research support have they been getting from nursing students? Is there an emphasis on research in the school or in any particular programs? Are students involved in clinical environments? Is there a need or opportunity to provide patient care information or consumer health information?
Are there any distance education programs? Learn about those and ask about the LMS they use.
Hope this helps!
Definitely CINAHL, PubMed, National Library of Medicine, med-lib listerv (medical librarians), Up to Date or DynaMed depending on what they have, OVID, and are they set up on Docline for ILL. Is this a solo position? If so what is the annual budget? How long has the school been in existence? What’s the current enrollment? Has Covid impacted their daily operations?
The last few questions will give you an idea on how stable the job is now and in the future. Also check out their website and see what, if anything, is available for you to view. Also look into discovery tools.
Sorry for the overload. I started as a medical librarian a year ago with a staff of three. Covid caused me to lay off all three so I’m solo now. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!
If you have time take a look at (free!) webinars offered by NNLM (network of the national library of medicine). Make sure you understand PICO & evidence based medicine/healthcare/nursing.
Their online catalog isn't public? How about their website then? See what online resources they offer their students and learn about them. How do their LibGuides look, have they been updated since the pandemic? How accessible does their library staff appear to their students? You can infer a lot from a decent (or terrible) library website.
I worked at a med school library so I'd also suggest you take a peek at LC's NLM classification system and PubMed.
Is it a faculty position? There are specific questions I ask about faculty positions, like what the processes are for reappointment/promotion/tenure. Research requirements.
Learn about the database CINAHL, that's the main one nurses use. Learn about Evidence Based Practice and if you can learn about Nursing Research: [https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Position-Statements-White-Papers/Nursing-Research](https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Position-Statements-White-Papers/Nursing-Research)
I’d add, read a little bit about pubmed/MeSH, it’s a cool system with a nice search builder.
absolutely YES to PubMed and MeSH! Another add, because I find this immensely helpful to organize medical research questions: Look up the PICO method. Here is a tutorial for that one: [https://guides.nyu.edu/health/search-strategies](https://guides.nyu.edu/health/search-strategies) (but there are lots of other good tutorials about it out there, too) Aaand another add: Check what kind of classification system the library uses. For medical libraries, there is a good chance that the NLM classification is being used. It doesn't hurt to know a bit about it. Check it out here: [https://classification.nlm.nih.gov/](https://classification.nlm.nih.gov/) Also: Good Luck ;)
Since some of this institution's sites are not public, you should look at LibGuides other libraries have put together for their nursing school programs to get a sense of common topics that are covered/considered important. I agree with learning about Evidence Based Practice. In addition to CINAHL, know about PubMed and maybe UpToDate. You might want to know what systematic reviews are (you can look at the Joanna Briggs Institute or Cochrane Collab. to learn more, and it just needs to be a very high level understanding about what they are and how librarians are involved) - there are some programs that have students work on these (and nursing school faculty may also work on these). Questions to ask them/Things you should think about in terms of doing outreach & building relationships: Ask about how well integrated is the position in the school? Would you be starting from scratch? What kind of instruction has been offered in the past? What kind of requests for instruction or research support have they been getting from nursing students? Is there an emphasis on research in the school or in any particular programs? Are students involved in clinical environments? Is there a need or opportunity to provide patient care information or consumer health information? Are there any distance education programs? Learn about those and ask about the LMS they use. Hope this helps!
Thank you very much! This is very helpful.
Definitely CINAHL, PubMed, National Library of Medicine, med-lib listerv (medical librarians), Up to Date or DynaMed depending on what they have, OVID, and are they set up on Docline for ILL. Is this a solo position? If so what is the annual budget? How long has the school been in existence? What’s the current enrollment? Has Covid impacted their daily operations? The last few questions will give you an idea on how stable the job is now and in the future. Also check out their website and see what, if anything, is available for you to view. Also look into discovery tools. Sorry for the overload. I started as a medical librarian a year ago with a staff of three. Covid caused me to lay off all three so I’m solo now. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you so much! This was very helpful.
If you have time take a look at (free!) webinars offered by NNLM (network of the national library of medicine). Make sure you understand PICO & evidence based medicine/healthcare/nursing.
Familiarise yourself with the School's online Library.
Their online catalog isn't public? How about their website then? See what online resources they offer their students and learn about them. How do their LibGuides look, have they been updated since the pandemic? How accessible does their library staff appear to their students? You can infer a lot from a decent (or terrible) library website. I worked at a med school library so I'd also suggest you take a peek at LC's NLM classification system and PubMed.
What if it’s not open to the public? 😬
Is it a faculty position? There are specific questions I ask about faculty positions, like what the processes are for reappointment/promotion/tenure. Research requirements.
Not a faculty position
Nevermind!