full image - Repost: "I want to be an Epic analyst" FAQ (from Reddit.com, "I want to be an Epic analyst" FAQ)
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I'm a [job] and thinking of becoming an Epic analyst. Should I?Do you wanna make stuff in Epic? Do you wanna work with hospital leadership, bean counters, and clinicians to build the stuff they want and need in Epic? Do you like problem-solving stuff in computer programs? If you're a clinician, are you OK shuffling your clinical career over to just the occasional weekend or evening shift, or letting it go entirely? Then maybe you should be an Epic analyst. Has anyone ever--Almost certainly yes. Use the search function.I'm in health care and I work with Epic and I wanna be an Epic analyst. What should I do?Your best chance is networking in your current organization. Volunteer for any project having to do with Epic. Become a superuser. Schmooze the Epic analysts and trainers. Consider getting Epic proficiencies. If enough of the Epic analysts and trainers at your job know you and like you and like your work, you'll get told when a job comes up. Alternatively, keep your ear out for health systems that are transitioning to Epic and apply like crazy at those. At the very least, become "the Epic person" in your department so that you have something to talk about in interviews. Certainly apply to any and all external jobs, too! I was an external hire for my first job. But 8/10 of my coworkers were internal hires who'd been superusers or otherwise involved in Epic projects.I'm in health care and I've never worked with Epic and I wanna be an Epic analyst. What should I do?Either get to an employer that uses Epic and then follow the above steps, or follow the above steps with whatever EHR your current employer uses and then get to an employer that uses Epic. Pick whichever one is fastest, easiest, and cheapest. Analyst experience with other EHRs can be marketed to land an Epic job later.I'm in IT and I wanna be an Epic analyst. What should I do?It will help if you've done IT in health care before, so that you have some idea of the kinds of tasks you'll be asked to handle. Play up any experience interacting with customers. You will be at some disadvantage in applications, because a lot of employers prefer people who understand clinical workflows and strongly prefer to hire people with direct work experience in health care. But other employers don't care. I have no experience in health care or IT and I wanna be an Epic analyst. What should I do?You should probably pick something else, given that most entry-level Epic jobs want experience with at least one of those things, if not both. But if you're really hellbent on Epic specifically, your best options are to either try to get in on the business intelligence/data analyst side, or get a job at Epic itself (which will require moving unless you already live in commuting distance to the main campus in Verona, Wisconsin or one of their international hubs).Should I get a master's in HIM so I can get hired as an Epic analyst?No. Only do this if you want to work in health informatics. You do not need a graduate degree to be an Epic analyst.Should I go back to school to be a tech or CNA or RN so I can get clinical experience and then hired as an Epic analyst?No. Only do these things if you want to work as a tech or CNA or RN. If you really want a job that's a stepping stone toward being an Epic analyst, it would be cheaper and similarly useful to get a job in a non-clinical role that uses Epic (front desk, scheduler, billing department, medical records, etc). What does an entry-level Epic analyst job pay? What kind of pay can I make later?There's a huge amount of variation here depending on the state, the city, remote or not, which module, your individual credentials, how seriously the organization invests in its Epic people, etc. In the US, for a first job, on this sub, I'd say most people land somewhere between the mid 60s and the low 80s. At the senior level, pay can hit the low to mid-100s, more if you flip over to consulting. That is less than what I make now and I'm mad about it.Ok. Life is choices -- what do you want, and what are you willing to do to get it?All the job postings prefer or require Epic certifications. How do I get an Epic certification?Your employer needs to be an Epic customer and needs to sponsor you for certification. You enroll in classes at Epic with your employer's assistance. So it's hard to get an Epic analyst job without an Epic cert, but I can't get an Epic cert unless I work for a job that'll sponsor me?Yup. But that's circular and unfair!Yup. Some entry level jobs will still pay for you to get your first cert. A few people here have had success getting certs by offering to pay for it themselves if the organization will sponsor it; if you can spare a few thousand bucks, it's worth a shot. Alternatively, you can work on proficiencies on your own time -- a proficiency covers all the same material as a certification, you just have to study it yourself rather than going to Epic for class. While it's not as valuable to an employer as a cert, it is definitely more valuable than nothing, because it's a strong sign that you are serious, and it's a guarantee that if your org pays the money, you will get the cert (all you have to do to convert a proficiency to a cert is attend the class -- you don't have to redo the projects or exams).I've applied to a lot of jobs and haven't had any interviews or offers, what am I doing wrong?Do your resume and cover letter talk about your experience with Epic, in language that an Epic analyst would use? Do you explain how and why you would be a valuable part of an Epic analyst team, in greater depth than "I'm an experienced user" ? Did you proofread it, use a simple non-gimmicky format, and write clearly and concisely? If no to any of these, fix that. If yes, then you are probably just up against the same shitty numbers game everyone's up against. Keep going.I got offered a job working with Epic but it's not what I was hoping for. Should I take it or hold out for something better?Take it, unless it overtly sucks or you've been rolling in offers. Breaking in is the hardest part. It's much easier to get a job with Epic experience vs. without.Are you, Apprehensive_Bug154, available to personally shepherd me through my journey to become an Epic Analyst?Nah.Why did you write this, then?Cause I still gotta babysit the pager for another couple hours XD
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