MLA Research Training Institute

Dear Readers,
This month I caught up with Laura Murray, MSIS, MBA, AHIP, Graduate Medical Education Librarian at USF Health Libraries. Laura talked about her experience attending the MLA Research Training Institute (RTI) last year. If you have ever been interested in attending RTI, read her interview to learn more!
Best,
Janet

Laura Murray, MSIS, MBA, AHIP

What motivated or inspired you to attend the MLA RTI? 
After Covid started, I started to focus on my professional goals and one of the things I wanted to do was to start my Ed.D. and publish again. I saw an email about the RTI program and talked to my supervisor about it. She really encouraged me to participate. This turned out to be a great decision because what I learned at RTI has laid the groundwork for my dissertation.  

What was the best/most helpful aspect of the MLA RTI training? 
Having regular course work and the expectation to have it completed really kept me on track. Having a mentor to talk to and guide us was essential. I cannot say enough good things about the mentors! Having a supportive supervisor was also a bonus.  

What was the most challenging aspect of the MLA/RTI training? 
Performing some of the teaching activities in front of my peers. I have imposter syndrome and had to work through this. Balancing RTI with my work was a challenge, but I loved the work I did with RTI.  

Have you been able to use any of your newly acquired skills in your professional practice? 
From day 1, I was able to network and learn from other medical librarians. Doing my own research has made me a confident researcher. I have also learned about best practices to build the curriculum for my residents and ways to approach teaching. I have connected with medical librarians across the country through RTI that I would have never connected with otherwise.  
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​What advice would you give to someone who was considering applying for the MLA RTI? 
Do it! You will gain more than you are afraid of. Convince your leadership to give you protected time to do this. This is very doable, and the leadership of this program is very supportive and always trying to improve. This program brought a lot of meaning to my job. Get out there and give yourself the gift that is this program! 

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