Electronic Health Records: A Graduate Student’s Experience

Abstract

Navigating the use of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system can be a challenging undertaking for health care providers transitioning from paper documentation systems. As EHR systems are becoming more commonplace, today’s graduate students are often introduced to patient recordkeeping in an electronic format. The challenges for trainees are somewhat different than for established psychologists, as trainees are learning basic principles of confidentiality and documentation in systems that document their every move and are sensitive to error. This commentary serves as a narrative of learning EHR systems from the graduate trainee’s perspective and offers suggestions to trainees and trainers alike to help facilitate the learning process.