Users Who Train Each Other Thrive Together

When clinicians learn how to use Epic, they want to know more than which buttons to use—they also want to understand how the software supports their specific workflows. That’s where peer-based training comes in.

After peer-based training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, for example, providers reported feeling comfortable and prepared for the transition to Epic, and they considered the training exercises to have been representative of their workflows.

Epic offers assistance in designing two such training programs, one for physicians and one for nurses. In each program, a peer trains doctors or nurses in their shared specialty, giving clinicians the chance to learn from someone to whom they can relate.

Vanderbilt’s program required providers to complete training before receiving access to the system. They also built an app to serve as a communication platform for providers, which allowed trainees to view required e-learnings, check their training schedule, and track completion of training tasks.

“At the end of the day, we knew we had a responsibility and an obligation to our patients and our other users to ensure that every person who had to use [Epic] could support and deliver high-quality care the day we went live,” said Dara Mize, a clinical director in the office of the CHIO at Vanderbilt.

Epic community members can learn more about Vanderbilt’s peer-based training program by checking out their UGM presentation slides and audio. They can also learn more about the Specialists Training Specialists and Nurses Training Nurses programs on the UserWeb.