SHARE has a deep interest in the success of Epic. Our hospital has invested significantly in the new Epic system, and the our progress will be tied to its implementation. In a recent SHARE Rep meeting, we compared experiences with Epic Training. Most Reps generally agreed that trainers had been knowledgeable and helpful. They felt the hospital had made it an imperative to make sure that every employee succeeds with the testing required for Epic GoLive.

That said, we also heard about problems. In some classes, materials hadn’t been pertinent to everyone in the class. SHARE communicated a thorough roundup to the hospital leadership in charge of Epic, and our report lined up with the other feedback they’d been hearing, including concerns about:

In-class hardware issues
Class location
Parking
Accessing the Epic Playground
Ensuring accuracy with meal count
Consistency between trainer instructional delivery
Trainers not always able to respond to UMMHC policy related workflow questions

Hospital leadership seems to be responding quickly to correct shortcomings. The good news is that exit evaluations show that employees have found the Epic Trainings to be very beneficial. And that the trainings are getting better over time.

Those who have already been through Epic implementation at other hospitals tell us that it’s common at this point for employees to feel anxious about the amount that they’ll need to know at GoLive. Hospital leaders have described that employee feedback has helped them better understand our hospital’s unique needs. They are working with Epic to tailor a robust set of easy-to-use tools to make the transition to Epic successful for every employee.

If you haven’t yet been to an Epic training, SHARE Representative (and Epic Superuser) Kate Richardson makes the following suggestions:

Take strong notes and write down as much as you can. This will be a great reference come GoLive.
Keep your classroom materials, you will need these to practice in the playground.
Practice in the playground often.

SHARE members can learn more at www.ummhcepiccentral.org