Long Island, New York: The Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine’s (http://medicine.hofstra.edu/) Health Sciences Library has received an US10,000 Technology Improvement Express Award grant from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region, for iPads that will be loaded with medical textbooks and other related applications as part of a study to determine the usefulness of the new technology in the medical school’s curriculum.

The iPad pilot program will train and track users to determine the effectiveness of the iPad and apps as a tool for medical education. The grant will pay for the purchase of 10 iPads and cases, along with textbook, productivity and medical applications.


"We are honored to have received this award," says Dean Lawrence Smith. "It presents an exceptional opportunity for our new medical school to further enhance the learning experience for our students."


Ten out of the 40 current first-year medical students and 10 out of approximately 30 faculty members involved in the winter/spring course will receive the devices. In-person training, as well as a support website, will be provided by library staff. Some of the apps loaded on the iPads will include textbooks not currently available via library subscriptions on various platforms, specific information retrieval apps such as Pubmed on Tap, Micromedex and DynaMed; patient education apps; and a patient log app such as Drchrono, which can serve the students as a transportable Electronic Health Record.

After using the devices for the trial period, participants will be asked to assess the usage of the device and the effectiveness of the iPad and apps as a tool for medical education. Students and faculty at the school who own their own iPads will be given the opportunity to load the same textbooks and set of apps and will also be offered training.