Web site of the month: Students 4 Best Evidence

www.students4bestevidence.net

Students 4 Best Evidence (S4BE) is an award-winning international blogging network for students interested in evidence based healthcare and supported by the Cochrane UK. Produced by nurses, medical students, AHPs and others, S4BE pulls together useful resources on evidence based healthcare and puts them all into a single interactive space.

S4BE is described as a community for students, by students, although in reality the content would be of equal interest to anyone with a focus on using evidence in their clinical practice.

The site aims to guide you through an understanding of what is evidence-based health care, how it is practised and what resources are available to support it. Sections of the site will take you through the whole evidence based practice cycle:

• Asking questions
• Searching for evidence
• Appraising research
• Acting on evidence
• Evaluating your practice

The site also has an interactive element and features blogs written by students as well as reviews of useful resources (websites, courses, databases etc). Students can also sign up to be a contributor to the site.

There are also a related social media sites including an S4BE Twitter & Facebook page, as well as a YouTube channel.

We think Students 4 Best Evidence is a really useful resource for students and anyone else who is interested in developing their skills in evidence based practice. Highly recommended 👍👍👍👍

About to start studying? Our course for people about to start a course is back

Our Pre-Course Course is back! Designed for NHS staff about to start (or who may have already started) a programme of study, the Pre-Course Course can help equip you with the skills you need to make finding information for your studies as painless as possible.

Whether it is a module, short course, degree or masters, is freely available to NHFT and NGH staff.

You may already be confident in using the library and finding the information you need, but if you think Athens is a good holiday destination rather than your gateway to online resources this may be the course for you. Whether it is a module, short course, degree or masters the Pre-Course Course can help.

In this 3 hour session we will you set you up to:

• tackle reading lists and find the books you need
• use databases
• identify good quality information
• search for evidence and guidelines
• access full text electronic journal articles
• make best use of the support the Library Service can offer you throughout your studies

There will also be an opportunity to join the library and apply for an Athens account to access online journals and databases if you haven't already.

Find the course dates on our web site here.

New dates available on our course for staff who are studying

We've added three new dates to our Pre-course Course programme, aimed at NHS Staff who are about to start (or may have already started) new studies.

You may already be confident in using the library and finding the information you need, but if not this course will help you get ahead of the information skills game.

There will also be an opportunity to join the library and apply for an Athens account to access online journals and databases if you haven't already.

The new dates are:

• Tuesday the 15th October, 9.3- 12.30, Northampton General Hospital
• Monday the 11th November, 1.30 - 4.30, Berrywood Hospital
• Monday the 2nd December, 1.30 - 4.30, Northampton General Hospital

For more information see the course page on our web site.

Web site of the month: University of Northampton Skills Hub

The Skills Hub is produced by the University of Northampton's Library and Learning Services. It aims to provide support to anyone undertaking further study by helping the development of academic skills.

http://skillshub.northampton.ac.uk/

On the Skills Hub you will find lots of useful material including:

• Interactive guides to Harvard referencing, including quizzes to test your knowledge
• Video tutorials on using the statistics package SPSS 
• Video guides on academic writing
• Interactive tutorials on critical thinking
• Guide and video to reflecting writing
• Time management and note taking tips, and more.
• Guides for UoN students on using the Library (including a virtual tour), using TurnItIn and more

You can also follow the latest developments on the site via the Skills Hub Twitter feed.

Most of the material on the Skills Hub is open access and we highly recommend it for anyone undertaking a course of further study, whether at the University of Northampton or beyond (and don't forget, if you are about to start a course of study we can help too).

Places still left on our course for staff about to start studying

We still have some places left in July, August and September on our Pre-course Course.

It is designed to give anyone about to start an academic programme a flying start in dealing with:

• Sourcing material from reading lists
• Getting an Athens password
• Accessing electronic journals
• Searching databases
• Getting the most from the support the Library Service can offer you.

If you are going back to education, whether it is a module, short course, degree or postgraduate qualification, this course could help to make your academic life a little easier.

To find out more, including course dates and venues, and how to book, visit our web site.

New training course for NHS staff about to undertake further study

We have developed the new Pre-course Course for NHS staff who are about to start (or may have already started) new studies. It may be a short course or module, a full Masters or even a PhD, but we can help.

You may already be confident in using the library and finding the information you need, but if you think Athens is a good holiday destination rather than your gateway to online resources this may be the course for you.

In this 3 hour session we will you set you up to:

• tackle reading lists and find the books you need
• use databases
• identify good quality information
• search for evidence and guidelines
• access full text electronic journal articles
• make best use of the support the Library Service can offer you throughout your studies

There will also be an opportunity to join the library and apply for an Athens account to access online journals and databases if you haven't already.

Date	Time	Venue
23rd July	1.30 - 4.30	Room 2, Northampton General Hospital Learning  and Development Centre
13th August	9.30 - 12.30	Rowan Room, Berrywood Hospital
22nd August	9.30 - 12.30	Room 2, Northampton General Hospital Learning and Development Centre
12th September	1.30 - 4.30	Rowan Room, Berrywood Hospital

Contact us if you would like to book a place.

The RCN launches moneysmart - a complete guide to finances for students nurses

MoneySmart

Moneysmart is a free interactive guide to finance for student nurses. It covers bursaries and budgeting as well as benefit entitlements and information on housing and accommodation. There is even a top ten money saving tips list.

It's an essential guide for any student nurse who wants to make their money go further.

Find the whole guide on the RCN's web site.