The EpicLeap project recently reached an important milestone, with the official start of end user training having begun on Aug. 21. While in-class training sessions provide colleagues with their first glimpse into Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) customized system (eStar) and familiarize them with the new functionality, it is important to remember that live classroom sessions are only one small aspect of a holistic training approach. 
Gaining comfort with eStar happens in stages, with each stage building on the previous to provide a robust training experience:
• eLearnings provide colleagues with basic familiarity of the eStar platform, so that learners can view its foundational elements. While eLearnings are not specific to VUMC, they help to prepare users for a more thorough exploration of our customized system, which occurs in classroom training.
• In-class training sessions begin to show the functionality of our customized eStar system, using custom lesson plans and exercise booklets. This training is delivered based on a colleague’s particular role and responsibilities, so that learners can understand how the new processes will work in relation to their job. Colleagues learn where to execute patient care tasks and how to navigate workflows during their classroom training sessions.
• Practice in the Playground allows learners to practice more specific workflows aligned to their patient care scenarios. This step is necessary and crucial to a deeper understanding of how to navigate the system. The Playground is a safe, non-production environment populated with a wide range of “dummy” patients. These patients have histories, current problems and situations that make them ideal models on whom colleagues may test their new skills.
• Personalization Labs (for clinicians only) allow clinicians to configure tasks, order sets, orders, patient lists, medications, in-baskets, and smart texts in a way that will work most efficiently for their specific needs at Go Live.
• At-the-Elbow support will be provided at Go Live and into the following weeks to ensure there is plenty of help for colleagues who are navigating the system in real patient care encounters.
• Ongoing system support and training teams will offer regular help in ongoing one-on-one or team situations to continue to make the system efficient and effective for VUMC’s employees, patients and families. The central training team will also offer targeted refreshers where they are needed following Go Live.
While in-class training is a crucial step in ensuring colleagues are ready to deliver excellent patient care at Go Live and beyond, time spent practicing in the Playground is even more important, as it cements knowledge of particular patient scenarios and workflows common to what they will experience during the first weeks following Nov. 2.
Colleagues are encouraged to spend at least two hours practicing their new skills in the Playground following their in-class training sessions. They may choose to do this individually, or with the guidance of the Training Team by attending a Cyber Café event.
For more information on accessing the eStar Playground, visit the EpicLeap website.
