How can you train new employees in your EHR when you are already short-staffed, busy, and trying to keep up? Turnover is a significant issue in the healthcare industry. The remaining staff have little time to dedicate to training new staff members. There are several training strategies you can use. With a plan in place, you can rebuild your team and get caught up.
Use Documented Workflow and Processes to Train
Use process-based training to train new employees in your EHR. This will teach best practices for utilizing the EHR with your specific workflow. For example, train new employees in your EHR on how you provide clinical summaries for patients. Or train on the steps your office takes when filing programs and billing reports in your EHR. Keep your workflow and processes documented for this. Make sure this documentation is accessible on a computer drive or in a binder. Keep it up to date as your processes change over time. This will be a great resource guide for training new employees in your EHR.
Take Advantage of an eLearning Management Platform
An eLearning Management Platform (eLM), like Patagonia Health Academy, lets your new staff catch up quickly. With personalized, role-based learning paths, videos, quizzes, and live events, an eLM can allow you to simplify employee training. Reduce onboarding time or give existing staff a refresher on tasks they can perform in your EHR, without using leadership or other team members' bandwidth to train.
Get your Super-Users to Help with Training
When implementing your EHR system, you should have designated super-users. Super-users are staff members who work with patients or the EHR system daily. These individuals are gifted in both service and technical skills and know how to use them in many roles. Your super-users should train new employees in your EHR because they can offer tips, advice, and help in many areas of the system. If you have not already, evaluate your team and choose some. Your super-users can also keep existing staff trained on EHR system changes or updates.
Focus on Role-Based EHR Training
Train new employees in your EHR with role-based training tailored to their responsibilities. Your user groups (e.g., clinical providers, office staff, IT support staff, etc.) use different features daily. Only train them on those areas of the EHR they will need to use to perform their duties. Your super users are the only staff who should learn the program in all areas. Training on the system based on roles shortens learning times.
Utilize your EHR Training Resources
Use the educational materials your EHR vendor provides. These could include:
- Training manuals
- In-person User Groups
- Workflow guides
- Video tutorials
- On-demand educational webinars
It is daunting to train new employees in your EHR when staff shortages and retention are at an all-time high. Existing staff may be new due to high turnover rates, leaving even fewer experienced EHR users to help train new employees. By incorporating these strategies, you can maximize your training resources.
