Vista

Vista is the online course management tool used at UMMS. The library assists faculty and faculty support staff by serving as consultants for issues surrounding course design and linking to external resources (i.e., full-text journal articles). The library is also responsible for orienting all incoming students to using the Vista platform.

Mobile Devices for Clinical Application

All 3rd- and 4th-year UMMS students are required to use a hand-held mobile device within the scope of their clerkship work. A "synching station" is hosted in the library and is accessible to students and other staff and faculty wishing to update their devices on campus. The library has established a Mobile Devices for Clinical Application page for students and staff.

Evidence-Based Medicine

Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) has become an important tool of the clinician wishing to use best outcome data in diagnosing and treating patients. The library is involved in the 3rd-year SOM clerkship and GSN Research Class in teaching students how to find and best interpret good evidence in the medical literature. Library staff also teach EBM to other groups both within the medical school, UMass Memorial Medical Center and at regional conferences. The library's EBM website has information about EBM, links to EBM data and informational resources, as well as several tutorials.

"Assignment support" workshops (1st-year Genetics paper, etc.)

In addition to offering routine classes to students, faculty and staff on database searching and Microsoft Office Suite resources, the library also teaches classes specifically targeting certain segments of the curriculum. These include PubMed for 1st-year Human Genetics students, MEDLINE/Micromedex for finding drug resources for the 2nd-year Pharmacology Class and basic searching skills for the GSN Research Class. The library is always delighted to assist faculty in developing programs that help UMMS students become experts in using the medical literature.

Integrating Geriatrics in the Curriculum

UMMS has received a $2 million award from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to dramatically enhance the training of medical students, residents and practicing physicians in geriatrics. The library hosts a webpage devoted to geriatrics resources and sites.