Repurposing With Purpose: Creating a Collaborative Learning Space to Support Institutional Interprofessional...

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Academic Libraries
• Interprofessional Learning

Background:

• The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) adopted a new educational model focusing on patient-centered, interprofessional learning.
• This shift required adapting existing infrastructure to support collaborative learning among various health disciplines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the repurposing of library space at UMMC to facilitate a patient-centered, interprofessional educational approach.
• To highlight the creation of a collaborative learning environment to support diverse health science students.

Main Methods:

• The Rowland Medical Library identified underutilized space within its facility.
• The space was redesigned and equipped to foster interprofessional collaboration and support the new didactic model.
• The new collaborative learning space was made available for campus-wide use by students from medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health programs.

Main Results:

• Repurposed library space successfully created a dedicated collaborative learning environment.
• The new space supports the interprofessional education goals of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
• The facility is accessible and utilized by students across multiple health science disciplines.

Conclusions:

• Academic libraries can play a crucial role in supporting shifts towards innovative educational paradigms like interprofessional learning.
• Strategic repurposing of library spaces can effectively create environments conducive to collaborative health science education.
• The initiative at UMMC demonstrates a successful model for integrating library resources with evolving medical education needs.