Introducing a principal trainer for Project Odyssey

Much like Project Odyssey itself, Mohannad ‘Mo’ Abusamhadaneh’s journey to becoming an Epic certified principal trainer is one for the ages.

Project Odyssey is Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) two-year venture to implement Epic, a state-of-the-art electronic hospital information system that will keep the organization at the leading edge of health care, research and innovation. Abusamhadaneh is part of the training team working diligently behind-the-scenes to ensure that staff and doctors who will use the new system receive the training they need before go-live on June 4, 2022.

As a principal trainer for Epic’s ClinDoc and Stork applications, Abusamhadaneh will oversee training for hundreds of HHS staff and providers. ClinDoc will be used by all clinical professionals for clinical documentation, and Stork will support maternity care.

The journey from Jordan to Canada

Abusamhadaneh’s career began more than 10 years ago in his home country of Jordan, first as a nurse in the intensive care unit, and later as an educator and application specialist, teaching nurses and physicians about new devices integrated in the hospital system.

“It was at that point that I decided to pursue a career in clinical informatics,” says Abusamhadaneh. “I love nursing, I’m good with technology, and the future of health care is digital. This is where I belong.”

In 2016, Abusamhadaneh and his family moved to Canada, and Abusamhadaneh began working at HHS as a health care aide (HCA). While completing the process to be able to work as a registered nurse in Canada, he started a Master’s degree in digital health at McMaster University, which he completed in 2019.

The path to Epic certification and Project Odyssey

Finding a job after graduation proved to be harder than expected, and Abusamhadaneh’s family was growing, so in 2020, he joined Trillium Health Partners’ (THP) Epic implementation team in a support role prior to their go-live. Abusamhadaneh found that he loved working with Epic and got to know the system very well. When THP’s implementation was over, Abusamhadaneh’s manager at HHS recommended he work at the vaccine clinic, where he became the clinic’s go-to expert on the provincial COVaxON Vaccination Management System.

Word about Abusamhadaneh’s ability to learn and teach new digital systems spread quickly, and it wasn’t long before Project Odyssey’s training team came knocking. “I wasn’t Epic certified,” he says, “but the training manager liked my experience and qualifications and they hired me.”

From there, Abusamhadaneh had to complete additional training to become an Epic certified principal trainer for ClinDoc and Stork. The process was rigorous and included courses, self-study, assignments, self-assessments and a final exam for both applications.

At the time of writing, Abusamhadaneh has been in the principal trainer role for just over five months, and he’s currently working with unit managers on a process called curriculum review boards. “I’m walking them through Epic Canadian foundation workflows and showing them how their staff will be trained,” he explains. “It’s a lot of work, and a steep learning curve, but I love it. I’m so happy to be a part of this project.”

Abusamhadaneh says that his background in nursing and experience working at all HHS sites as an HCA are really paying off. “I understand nursing roles, workflows and terminology, and I already have strong connections with many of the people I’m working with. Since they already know me, they’re not afraid to ask questions. All of this is important for a project as big as Odyssey.”

Looking ahead to the training phase

Abusamhadaneh is excited about Project Odyssey’s training phase, which will begin in March 2022. He hopes that staff and providers will take advantage of every opportunity to learn as much as they can about the system before it goes live next June, including watching e-learnings, attending classroom sessions and practicing in a ‘playground’ environment. “Whatever your role, the training team is ready to help you be successful.”

Project Odyssey will reach its destination when HHS goes live with Epic next year. Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates.