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May 03, 2023
Change can be unsettling, but Anya Olenchenko also believed that the transition to digitized care would create a much-needed positive chnage for patient care.
Like many unit clerks, Anya Olenchenko was initially apprehensive about the implementation of MEDITECH Expanse at Eagle Ridge Hospital. She didn’t know what an electronic health record and changing workflows might mean for her role as a casual unit clerk. Change can be unsettling, but Anya also believed that the transition to digitized care would create a much-needed positive change for patient care.
After only a couple of weeks of using MEDITECH Expanse, Anya quickly identified some of the benefits of an electronic medical record. A significant part of a unit clerks' role before implementing MEDITECH Expanse was managing order transcription. “I know transcribing isn’t best practice,” admits Anya, “because it depends on my ability to accurately read a doctor’s handwriting and interpret their orders. Eliminating this task reduces the risk of error and is inevitably safer for patients.”
While an electronic health record system and new workflows shift certain responsibilities managed by unit clerks, such as order transcribing, it in turn saves time and enables more focused attention on other priority tasks. “I no longer have to go searching for the patient’s chart or spend time faxing documents to pharmacy, because patients’ health information is immediately available to the whole care team right in the system. This means I am now spending more time responding to the direct needs of my colleagues on the unit as well as those of our patients and families. I actually feel like the quality of my work has improved.”
Anya appreciates the opportunity MEDITECH Expanse provides for learning, growth and development. “Once you get familiar with the system, you discover that it’s really quite straightforward and easy to navigate.” She admits that with MEDITECH Expanse, she now approaches her day-to-day work with more reassurance that everything is documented and legible and thus has more confidence knowing that the potential for human error is reduced.
While there may still be space to refine workflows for unit clerks in this digital environment, it’s clear to Anya that there continues to be countless logistics that need to be managed in a unit, and there will always be a need for verbal communication between providers, clinicians and unit clerks, which an electronic health record cannot replace. “Units still need unit clerks,” Anya states proudly. “We are here to help and to serve both the care team and our patients. And it’s clear to me that MEDITECH Expanse is going to help us collectively improve the care we provide.”
Anya’s passion for serving is clear. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work at Eagle Ridge Hospital, to be part of the team, and to be part of this pivotal moment of clinical transformation at Fraser Health.”
After only a couple of weeks of using MEDITECH Expanse, Anya quickly identified some of the benefits of an electronic medical record. A significant part of a unit clerks' role before implementing MEDITECH Expanse was managing order transcription. “I know transcribing isn’t best practice,” admits Anya, “because it depends on my ability to accurately read a doctor’s handwriting and interpret their orders. Eliminating this task reduces the risk of error and is inevitably safer for patients.”
While an electronic health record system and new workflows shift certain responsibilities managed by unit clerks, such as order transcribing, it in turn saves time and enables more focused attention on other priority tasks. “I no longer have to go searching for the patient’s chart or spend time faxing documents to pharmacy, because patients’ health information is immediately available to the whole care team right in the system. This means I am now spending more time responding to the direct needs of my colleagues on the unit as well as those of our patients and families. I actually feel like the quality of my work has improved.”
Anya appreciates the opportunity MEDITECH Expanse provides for learning, growth and development. “Once you get familiar with the system, you discover that it’s really quite straightforward and easy to navigate.” She admits that with MEDITECH Expanse, she now approaches her day-to-day work with more reassurance that everything is documented and legible and thus has more confidence knowing that the potential for human error is reduced.
While there may still be space to refine workflows for unit clerks in this digital environment, it’s clear to Anya that there continues to be countless logistics that need to be managed in a unit, and there will always be a need for verbal communication between providers, clinicians and unit clerks, which an electronic health record cannot replace. “Units still need unit clerks,” Anya states proudly. “We are here to help and to serve both the care team and our patients. And it’s clear to me that MEDITECH Expanse is going to help us collectively improve the care we provide.”
Anya’s passion for serving is clear. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work at Eagle Ridge Hospital, to be part of the team, and to be part of this pivotal moment of clinical transformation at Fraser Health.”
