Medical Assisting

1. Library Catalog - Find Books, Media and Pamphlets

PCC's online catalog is a database of books, media, pamphlets and course reserves located in the library's collection. To find resources in the library by subject, you will need a call number which is based on the Dewey Decimal Classification System and leads you to the specific item on the shelf. To find the call number, use the library catalog.

Basic Search

Use the Basic Search to look for an item using its exact subject heading, title or author's name (last, first). Select the type in the words.

To find information about a person, use Basic Search by subject.
To find information on a topic, use Basic Search by subject.

To search by subject, select 'Subject Search', then type in the subject heading.

Examples of subject headings:

  • Medical assistants
  • Medical laboratory technology
  • Medical personnel
  • Medical record personnel
  • Medical technologists
  • Physicians' assistants
  • Medical Care
  • Patients--Legal status, laws, etc
  • Patients' Rights
  • Sick--Legal status, laws, etc.

Check related subjects too:

  • Hospital patients--Legal status, laws, etc
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Medical ethics
  • Medical records management 
  • Medical records technology
  • Medical terminology
  • Office Procedures
  • Patients, Psychology

To search by title, select 'Title', then type in the first few words of the title. Skip the first word of the title if it is an article, e.g. 'a', 'an' or 'the'.

To search by author, select 'Author', then type in the author's last name, then first name, e.g. 'Hemingway, Ernest'.

Advanced Search

If Basic Search is unsuccessful use Advanced Search to combine topics.

Use the KEYWORD Search to look for an item using part of the title or to combine topics:
To search by keyword, type in the words you want to search for then select from the menu whether you want to search for ALL THE WORDS, ANY OF THE WORDS (e.g., RNA or ribonucleic acid), or the WORDS AS A PHRASE (e.g., chemical elements). You can also use the KEYWORD search to combine topics.

Examples of combined searches:

Search for: Medical ethics[as a phrase], Search in: [ Subject]
AND
Search for: California [any of these words], Search in: [Keyword Anywhere]

Search for: Medical care,
Search in: [Subject]
AND
Search for: cost policy [any of these], Search in: [Keyword anywhere]

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2. Reference Books

Basically, there are two kinds of reference books: general resources, which are broad in scope and deal with all fields; and specialized resources, which deal with specific disciplines such as health or medicine. The titles cited below are only a representative sample of many specialized reference books that are available in the library.

Specialized Dictionaries

  • Black's Medical Dictionary (Ref 610.3 B 2)
  • Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary (REF 610.3 D 1-4)
  • Melloni's Illustrated Medical Dictionary (REF 610.3 D 2)
  • Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mplusdictionary.html
  • Mosby’s Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary (REF 610.3 M 3) 
  • Stedman's Medical Dictionary (REF 610.3 S1-3)
  • Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (REF 610.3 T 1)

Specialized Encyclopedias

  • Encyclopedia Britannica Online(Although this is also a general encyclopedia, the links to specialized resources are invaluable for discipline-based searches)
  • Encyclopedia of Human Biology (REF 612.003 E 1)
  • Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (616 H 5-4)
  • Heart BookComplete text, from Yale Univ. School of Medicine
  • Magill's Medical Guide (REF 610.3 M 4)
  • Oxford Medical Companion (REF 610.3 O 1-2)

Almanacs and Yearbooks

  • Statistical Abstract of the United States (REF 317.3 U 1)
  • Statistical Record of Health and Medicine (REF 614.0973 S 1)
  • World Almanac (REF 310 W 1)

Handbooks, Manuals, Directories

Book List prepared for the 2003 accreditation

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3. Databases and Indexes - Find Articles

To access databases from the main library page, look under "Find Articles" and click on Databases by Name or Databases by Subject http://www.pasadena.edu/library/dbsubject.htm

  • Use ProQuest, a database of periodical articles, to find articles about medical assisting and health related issues. As with the catalog, search under a variety of terms. Use Proquest also for access to the LA Times, USA Today and New York Times.
  • Use ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source to locate full text articles from journals in nursing and allied health.
  • Use SIRS, a database of both periodicals and government resources. Look under "Government Reporter", Domestic Affairs, Health Care Industry or search by government department (eg. Health and Human Services Department).
  • Use Salem Health: Magill's Medical Guide for full text access to the award-winning health reference work Magill’s Medical Guide.

To browse or search to see if the Library has a subscription to a particular magazine, newspaper, or journal title use the Periodical Title List. http://dv2dw2vb3l.search.serialssolutions.com/

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4. Resources on the World Wide Web

Finding reliable information on the web can be difficult.
Use the Librarians' Index to the Internet www.lii.org or see recommended websites below.

Familydoctor.org http://familydoctor.org/
Hardin MD http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/index.html
Hardin MD Nursing & Nursing Resources http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/nurs.html
Health Answers http://www.healthanswers.com/
Martindale's Health Science Guide http://www.martindalecenter.com/
MedicineNet -- Information on diseases, procedures, and pharmaceuticals http://www.medicinenet.com/
MEDLINEplus -- From the NLM, consumer-oriented service providing answers to health questions http://medlineplus.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
Medscape -- Health news and information http://www.medscape.com/
Mosby Periodicals Home Page http://www3.us.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/temp-med.html
National Institutes of Health http://health.nih.gov/
NOAH New York Online Access to Health -- English and Spanish
 http://www.noah-health.org/
World Health Organization http://www.who.ch/

Organizations:
American Association of Medical Assistants http://www.aama-ntl.org/
American Medical Technologists http://www.amt1.com/site/epage/home_315.htm
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last updated: 10/06/2008 by P. Johnson revision #2