You are: The Learning Guide

You don’t need a technical degree to break into this field, just the right focus and foundational skills. Begin by:

• Leaning into your strengths and translational experiences: Have you ever presented in front of a large audience? Taught a classroom? Carry the confidence that your motivation to teach and support, paired with your curiosity, are valuable assets!

• Exploring entry-level certifications or courses such as free Medical Terminology Courses, Google’s IT Support Certificate and concepts and strategies surrounding “training the trainer.”

• Learning how EHR systems work through YouTube tutorials or free demo environments (if available). Consider starting with general healthcare workflow courses to build context.

• These are three out of several pathways to take when achieving your specific goals:

  • Consider Health Tech instead of Healthcare IT - skip the conventional Healthcare System route and look for emerging technologies like Remote Patient Monitoring or AI-powered devices that “predict” medical urgencies and look for opportunities directly with those companies.

  • It is possible to find an EHR Trainer role without direct experience, however some sort of teaching background or credential will be a likely prerequisite or preference by an employer.

  • Consider an entry-level help desk or support analyst role to get a better grasp of the healthcare IT ecosystem.

• Networking with professionals on LinkedIn or local HIMSS chapters to understand hiring paths and job shadowing opportunities.

Essential Resources:

• The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for getting up to speed faster and smarter - This book focuses on the importance of the first 90 days of a new role. Missteps in that timeframe can jeopardize or even derail your success.

  • Hardcover version

  • Kindle Version

• The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age. - This book is a compilation of compelling stories and hard-hitting analyses of physicians that provide insight into the challenges of technology in the healthcare sector. (links below)

  • Paperback version

  • Kindle version

More specific to your aspirations:

• Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard - Great insights and strategies on embracing and facilitating change.

  • Hardcover version

  • Kindle version

• Who Moved My Cheese? - a simple, amusing, yet enlightening read that is referenced to often, especially during times of change.

  • Paperback version

  • Kindle version

Your clinical experience is a powerful asset. Here’s how to build on it and pivot into a technical role:

• Lean into your strengths and translational experiences. Stand out to your IT/informatics department by suggesting optimizations to workflows, or volunteer to be a subject matter expert or “super user.” If you believe your leader will be supportive, share your interest in this next phase of your career. Disclaimer, not all leaders are created equal so sharing such information will not always yield the same result for everyone, but it can make an impactful difference!

• Target roles that bridge clinical and IT skills, like Clinical Informaticist, Epic Trainer, or Support Analyst. These positions highly value your hands-on care experience.

• Volunteer to help with project management of new initiatives. This will make you visible to your organization’s IT team and potentially open up some doors for you.

  • You may also consider volunteering for an onboarding process for your department specific to EHR fundamentals.

  • Pilot programs are also great ways to have closer collaboration with Healthcare IT professionals in your organization.

    • Bonus! Volunteer to create training material or tip sheets for these types of efforts. You’ll get hands-on experience while standing out.

• Consider specialized training in systems like Epic (through an employer or consulting firm), or certifications in Health Informatics (e.g., AMIA 10x10, or CAHIMS). Learn about Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDS, or CDSS).

• Document your process improvement contributions from the bedside such as: helping optimize documentation workflows, reducing charting time, or using clinical technology effectively.

• Found a new device, or service, that will help your department? Create a presentation pitch, solidify some real use cases and benefits, and bring it up to your leader! Regardless if it’s adopted, you’ll gain experience in presenting.

• Leverage mentorship or job shadowing with your organization’s IT or informatics department to understand real-world applications.

Essential Resources:

Success isn’t only about understanding technology, it’s about improving systems. These two books introduce you to the foundational thinking behind workflow optimization, process improvement, and reducing inefficiencies.

• Unlocking Lean Six Sigma

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

• The Toyota Way

  • Hardcover Version

  • Kindle Version

Recommendation to all clinicians:

• The Influential Mind - strategies and lessons on how to clearly communicate vision and align multiple disciplines; something you will likely need to get familiar with.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

Already in the field and ready to level up? Focus your next steps on deepening your expertise and broadening your impact:

• Master a specialty area such as Adult Learning Theory, Human-Computer interactions, and concepts covered in delivering dynamic presentations.

• Earn certifications like Project Management Professional (PMP), and Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt.

• Build your portfolio with projects such as creation/maintenance of a SuperUser Program, or help take a larger role in system-wide education efforts such as New Employee Orientations (NEO).

• Get involved in strategic initiatives within your organization or volunteer for pilot programs to showcase your innovative drive.

• Explore other tracks or roles. This is a unique combination that puts you at the cusp of innovation and optimization.

  • Program Manager may fulfill both your aspirations and strengths as you will get to pioneer new technologies and/or processes, while helping teams implement them.

  • Health Tech Support could be a change of pace where you become an expert at a specific device/service and eventually find your growth path in a health tech company

Essential Resources:

• Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard - Great insights and strategies on embracing and facilitating change.

  • Hardcover version

  • Kindle version

• Who Moved My Cheese? - a simple, amusing, yet enlightening read that is referenced to often, especially during times of change.

  • Paperback version

  • Kindle version

• Learning Engineering Toolkit - For a deeper dive on Evidence-based practices from the learning sciences.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

• The Influential Mind - strategies and lessons on how to clearly communicate vision and align multiple disciplines; something you will likely need to get familiar with.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version