Welcome!

The new Learning and Assessment Center at Michigan State University (MSU) is a result of the collaborative vision of the Colleges of Human Medicine, Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at MSU.

This unique multi-college organization allows for better efficiency, new cross-college collaborations and the opportunity to model aspects of team care so important to achieving optimal patient outcomes and improving our healthcare system. The Learning and Assessment Center (LAC) helps prepare health professions students develop and demonstrate competence in basic tasks and skills through in-depth, hands-on training. It is an important extension of their classroom training, allowing them to expand and fine-tune their abilities before going into a real-life setting.

Latest News

CPR Courses Now Available!

The Learning and Assessment Center is now offering a full "menu" of American Heart Association Basic Life Support courses (also known as "cpr"). These include: Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (initial and renewal), Heartsaver AED, Heartsaver First Aid and Family & Friends. Courses are offered to MSU students, faculty and staff as well as those in the community. Participants have the option of taking courses at the Learning and Assessment Center or instructors may teach courses on-site. More...

CHM - PBL (Problem Based Learning)

The Problem-based Learning Preceptor Certification Examination is a test intended to certify new PBL preceptor readiness for their small group leadership assignments. The test is intended to certify PBL preceptors as competence with the basic skills of PBL small group facilitation. Pilot tested with experienced PBL preceptors in 2007-2008, the test appears able to distinguish different levels of preceptor skill with respect to a basic level of PBL small group leadership competence.

Christpher Reznich
Dir, Med Ed Research & Dev.

GME - OSCE

Since 2006, over 658 PGY-1 residents from across the state have participated in a 10-station Patient Safety Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation, or OSCE, as a means of determining their strengths and weaknesses and developing individualized learning plans. This baseline assessment takes place during orientation or during the first few months of residency, and includes stations testing history-taking, physical examination, aseptic technique, and responding to a critically-ill patient, as well as team functioning and other crucial skills necessary for new residents.

Participants and their program directors are given detailed reports on their performance as a means of providing them with clear feedback and improving the safety of the patients they care for early in their internships and residencies. Each PGY-1 trainee in the Lansing community participates, as do trainees in several College of Human Medicine affiliated programs as well as many Statewide Campus System osteopathic interns from across Michigan.

The PGY-1 OSCE was developed by the College of Human Medicine's Associate Dean for College-wide Assessment, College of Human Medicine-sponsored Program Directors, and the Director and staff of the Michigan State University Learning and Assessment Center.

Dr. Dianne Wagner
Asc Dean, Human Medicine

Sharing the Sandbox: Creation and Application of Simulation in Health Care Education

Sponsored by the MSU College of Nursing and the Michigan League for Nursing

This interactive workshop on September 12, 2008 introduced participants to a variety of experiential teaching and learning modalities. Sessions focused on: maximizing resources in learning resource center development, simulation learning activities, developing and incorporating learning preferences into online and high fidelity simulation, and the use of standardized patients. Participants also took part in demonstrations within the MSU Learning and Assessment Center.

CVM Receives Institute for Healthcare Communication (IHC) Program Partner Award

In recognition of its outstanding commitment to improving faculty instruction and client communication, the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine has received the Institute for Healthcare Communication (IHC) Program Partner Award for 2008.

When the IHC offered its inaugural training program in 2003, two faculty from CVM participated in the week-long train-the-trainer workshop. Additional faculty and staff members took part in subsequent years, and by August 2008, the college had trained 38 people. At this time, CVM has the distinction of having trained more faculty than any other veterinary school in North America. MSU-CVM is also unique in having trained several licensed veterinary technicians, adjunct faculty members in private practice, and support staff who are not directly linked to instruction, but who interact with students or clients.

This significant achievement could not have happened without the support of the CVM Dean, Dr. Chris Brown, who believed it was important to train a critical mass of the college's faculty and staff. IHC helped MSU meet that goal by bringing facilitators to the MSU campus. A distinct advantage for holding annual week-long training programs on campus was the ability to work in the Learning and Assessment Center. Standardized client actors were trained to play the role of animal owners in veterinary scenarios representing a range of issues. For some exercises, the standardized clients employed their improvisational skills to play the role of a student, clinician or technician. Additionally, all the participants had the opportunity to be videotaped, to practice giving and receiving feedback, and to get individualized coaching.

With more than three-dozen instructors, clinicians, adjunct faculty, technicians, and support staff committed to enhancing their own communication skills, the college is well positioned to mentor future generations of graduates. The Dean of CVM, Dr. Christopher Brown will be accepting this award from Dr. Greg Carroll from the Institute for Health Care Communication on December 16, 2008 at 4pm.

Sarah Abood
Ast. Professor, Sm Animal Clinical Sciences.