This box lives at Nursing Subject Guide > Finding Health Sciences Information
It is included on the Finding Nursing Resources in the Library page of the Nursing Library Module Canvas Module
Introduction
As a nursing student, developing strong research skills is essential for academic success and professional practice. This module will guide you through the tools and strategies available through the VSCS Libraries to help you locate high-quality, evidence-based resources for your coursework, clinical preparation, and capstone projects.
You’ll learn how to access and use library databases to find scholarly articles, ebooks, streaming videos, and more—many of which are tailored to health sciences and nursing. We’ll also cover how to request materials through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) when they aren’t available in our collections, and how to navigate specialized databases to efficiently locate the types of sources most relevant to your field. Whether you're searching for peer-reviewed journal articles, clinical guidelines, or nursing theory texts, this module will help you become a confident and capable researcher.
This box lives at Nursing Subject Guide > Finding Health Sciences Information
It is included on the Finding Nursing Resources in the Library page of the Nursing Library Module Canvas Module
If a book, article, video, or other resource isn’t available through the VSCS Libraries, students, faculty, and staff at CCV and VTSU can request it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Materials may be delivered physically or electronically, depending on the format. To ensure a successful request, be sure to provide accurate citation details—such as the title, author, and edition—and specify if you only need a particular chapter. Full books and DVDs can be picked up at any CCV academic center or VTSU library branch, or mailed to your home (within the Northeastern U.S.). Individual book chapters and articles will be delivered electronically.
Delivery Timelines
Physical items like books and DVDs may take up to two weeks to arrive, so it's best to request them early in the semester. These are shipped from the lending library to VSCS Libraries before being forwarded or made available for pickup. Electronic resources, such as articles and scanned book chapters, usually arrive within 2 to 10 days and are delivered via email. All requests must comply with U.S. copyright law (Title 17), and the library may decline requests that exceed fair use or involve rare, out-of-print, or newly published materials.
Call Numbers (Print Books)
To browse for books on nursing in our library collections, use the call numbers 610-618.
- 610.73 General Nursing
- 610.73072 Nursing Research
- 610.73068 Nursing Management
- 611.347 Anatomy
- 613 Personal Health
- 616 Pathology
- 616.89 Mental Health
- 617 Orthopedics and Surgery
- 618.2 Obstetrics
Subject Headings
Each book and ebook you find in the VSCS Discovery Search has subject headings describing it. (Click on a title in your search results and scroll down to see the terms listed under "Subjects.") You can click on the subject headings to see other material that shares that subject heading.
Some examples of Nursing Subject Headings are:
- Nursing -- Philosophy
- Nursing informatics
- Nurse practitioners
- Community health nursing
- Evidence-based medicine
- Therapeutics
- Health attitudes
- Communication in medicine
The names of influential individuals and organizations are also included as subject headings:
This box lives at Nursing Subject Guide > Finding Health Sciences Information
It is included on the Finding Nursing Resources in the Library page of the Nursing Library Module Canvas Module
Nursing & Health Sciences Databases
Library databases provide access to a wide range of digital resources, including ebooks, streaming videos, newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals. Some databases are organized by subject area, while others focus on specific formats—such as streaming media or news articles. Using subject-specific databases can help narrow your search to relevant academic disciplines, and format-specific databases make it easier to locate particular types of sources. Many specialized databases also offer unique tools and features that support different kinds of research.
To explore the databases available through VSCS Libraries, start by selecting the Individual Databases tab in the search box on the library homepage. From there, you can browse the Top Databases or view the full list of subscribed resources by choosing Browse or search full database list. You can also access the complete Databases A–Z list from anywhere on the library website via the Find menu.