LibGuides: Health Care Assistant: The ESSENTIALS

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Chat online with a librarian and find answers to your questions.

Regular hours:

Monday - Thursday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Campus Libraries:

Start with these. For more sites appropriate for HCA assignments & professional work, click the Websites tab (under Resources) in the left menu.

HealthLinkBC
The recommended starting point! Go to Illnesses and Conditions, to learn about common health concerns and how to prevent or treat them.

Merck Manual of Diagnosis & Therapy (E-book) This link opens in a new window
The Merck Manual is one of the world's most trusted medical references and the 19th Edition (2011) is the most comprehensive. The Merck Manual is organized into organ systems, such as heart, lungs, gastrointestinal system, muscular system, etc. It examines each major disease of the organ systems in the standard format of diagnosis (symptoms), prognosis and treatment. First published in 1899, The Manual is one of the most compact, concise and complete medical reference books for doctors, medical students and health care professionals. The print edition contains nearly 4,000 pages written by more than 300 independent contributors -- all experts in their fields. It addresses the mechanism and cause, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of over 2000 diseases and disorders. The Merck Manual 19th Edition makes it easy to find the right information quickly.

Medline Plus (US National Library of Medicine)
Health topics, find Patient handouts
Public Health Agency of Canada
Diseases and conditions
Mayo Clinic - Canada
Go to Patient Care and Health Information then Diseases and Conditions

CINAHL This link opens in a new window
Evidence-based research articles. Quick lessons allow you to browse for a disease, health condition, etc. Evidence-based care sheets.
Nursing Reference Center Plus This link opens in a new window
Evidence based care sheets, patient information sheets, skills videos
Examine+ This link opens in a new window
Examine is the largest database of nutrition and supplement research on the Internet.