Information literacy skills and the transition to professional practice

This article describes a teaching innovation by health librarians at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) delivered to final year nursing students which was designed to demonstrate the value of their existing information skills to professional practice. Using NHS Evidence as the information resource and a theme of 'transitions' - moving from an academic to a professional environment - the sessions illustrated how search skills could be transferred to the workplace. Work based scenarios were used to raise awareness of the potential of fast access to quality information in an attempt to overcome some of the perceived barriers around access to information.