Grow With Us: Jessica Benoit

We continue our TidalHealth series “Grow With Us” by featuring Jessica Benoit of the TidalHealth Richard A. Henson Research Institute.

Jessica, an Epic Analyst and front and center in the photo with the TidalHealth Richard A. Henson Research Institute team, first caught our attention when Dr. Bob Joyner shared that she completed her Clinical Research Epic Analyst Certification project in August with an astounding perfect score.

That’s pretty cool stuff, but as you’ll see, that’s only the beginning.

Monthly, we’ll introduce you to team members, like Jessica, who began their career at TidalHealth and advanced in the health system, and/or who have taken their careers to the next level with significant certifications and achievements.

Here’s Jessica’s story and how a career starting as a CNA has led her to become an invaluable asset to the TidalHealth Richard A. Henson Research Institute team.

Thanks, Jessica, for agreeing to be a part of this series. Let’s start with that perfect score on the Clinical Research Epic Analyst Certification project. That’s pretty sweet. Tell us about it.

The Clinical Research Epic Analyst certification consisted of two classes, totaling approximately 10 instructional hours, a project, and an exam. The course focused on advanced clinical setup tools that would allow me the ability to manage advanced clinical programs and to support the department’s research efforts. I independently configured specific features related to the research application. The project tested my ability to configure and troubleshoot Reporting Workbench reports, set up studies for MyChart recruitment, and structure BestPractice Advisory records for study recruitment.

Congrats, again, on that achievement! There’s a bunch more we need to touch on with your Epic work, and trust me we will, but first let’s get to know you better. Where are you from, where did you grow up, go to school, etc.?

I was born and raised in Pocomoke and attended Pocomoke High School. I played field hockey and won a few state championships under the legendary late coach, Susan Pusey. Then, my junior year I attended Worcester Technical High School and obtained my CNA license. This was my introduction into healthcare.

How did you connect with TidalHealth? I know it started on the patient care side of the fence.

In 2014, I began my career at TidalHealth working as a CNA on 5 South. I was eager to gain patient care experience after obtaining my license. In 2019, I moved to the outpatient setting and worked as a medical assistant.

Did you always have an eye on healthcare as a kid and young adult?

I was raised in a single parent household by my mother who worked in healthcare as a CNA and Medication Technician. She worked tirelessly, always picking up extra shifts to support my three siblings and myself.

As a child, I felt I would never work in healthcare due to my mother’s heavy workload. However, as I got older and could appreciate how impactful her career was on her ability to provide for her family, I grew a stronger appreciation for the field. We also talked about the relationships she built with her patients and their families. Ultimately, it was my mom who encouraged me to take the CNA course at Worcester Tech, saying, “Just try it. You may like it.” Thankfully, I listened.

How did that work, bedside, help to prepare you for a career in healthcare now?

Working bedside provided me with firsthand insight into both the patient and provider experience. A large part of my current position is optimizing work flows and processes to improve efficiency and outcomes. This would be much harder without an understanding of current processes. Additionally, my bedside experience reminds me that there are real patients/people who are affected by the work that we do. I know that sounds obvious, but when you’re in front of a computer every day, it’s easy to forget to look beyond the screen. 

I get that. In 2021, you decided to transition to something completely new? What was that and why the change?

Why the change? Two words, Mairen Baunhofer. While working as a medical assistant Mairen, Director of Provider Informatics, approached me about the clinical ambulatory trainer position. She told me that she felt that my broad knowledge of Epic would be beneficial to her training team. I was very apprehensive to say the least, but I figured it was worth a shot.

As a trainer I provided end-user training and support for all clinical support staff, ensured completion of Epic University training tracks, and collaborated with IT-Ambulatory team on implementing new Epic training techniques and approaches.

Working as a Clinical Ambulatory Trainer exposed me to the world of informatics. It opened my eyes to a multitude of career possibilities I hadn’t previously considered.

Before that, though, you had already started working on your bachelor of science degree. Was that always the plan?

I started working on my bachelor of science degree to further my education and to learn about topics I hadn’t previously been exposed to. When I started my degree, I didn’t know what path I would take yet. However, I knew that I wanted to move beyond the bedside and doing so would likely require a bachelor’s degree at some point. I took classes while working as a medical assistant.

And, your educational experiences continue to broaden as you’re now working on your master's degree, right?

That is correct. I am pursuing my master's degree in health information management and technology at University of Maryland Global Campus.

That’s awesome and congratulations! In May of last year, you joined the TidalHealth Richard A. Henson Research Institute. What led you there?

I wanted to learn something new. I had worked in ambulatory setting as a medical assistant, trainer, and as a quality specialist. Research was something new and exciting.

What do you do in support of the outstanding research work being turned out by that team?

Great question! I support the team by utilizing Epic data analytics databases and reporting tools to generate reports. These reports assist the Research Institute in making informed decisions. This includes configuring and maintaining specific research features in Epic and optimizing workflows related to research patients. I also pull data from Epic that is reliable and representative of our patient demographic so we can continue to bring the most beneficial clinical trials to our patients.

So really, your work helps determine how to best optimize our clinical trials and make them most beneficial to our participants. That’s significant.

Yes, a big part of my job is making sure we bring trials to the Eastern Shore that are relevant to the residents in our area. I run reports to ensure we have the patient population to support a study prior to moving forward with a trial.

We mentioned we would circle back and talk more about Epic and your certifications. Tell us about those?

Currently I am certified in four applications EpicCare Ambulatory, Research, Cogito, and Cosmos. We’ve already talked about Ambulatory and Research.

Cogito and Cosmos are certifications that further my ability to support the Research Institute's efforts. Cogito taught me to build dashboards that utilize real-time data and compare long-term trends in Key Performance Indicators (a buzz word in healthcare). Once the dashboards are built, my teammates can use them to run their own reports whenever they need. This increases the teams’ efficiency and self-reliance.

Cosmos is the largest repository of patient data in the world. The certification taught me how to configure our organization’s contribution of de-identified patient data to Cosmos (i.e. what data the repository receives). This is important because Cosmos enables cutting-edge research to take place on a much larger scale than can be done at any single institution. Findings generated from Cosmos lead to improved patient care.

While not degrees, they are essential to being able to do what you do, right?

Definitely! I’m continuously learning new skills to bring back to the research team. I’m still relatively new to the informatics and research world, so there’s more to learn than I think even I realize. I’m excited to see where this position and my education take me over the next few years.

And I know you’re not done. What’s ahead in the Epic world for you?

I plan to acquire the Epic Research Informatics Core certification which will allow me the ability to directly query Epic’s databases broadening my scope of analytical reporting.

You’ve accomplished a lot at a relatively young age and that’s admirable. What advice would you have for others looking to “grow” themselves within TidalHealth?

My advice would be to be open about trying new things because until you try new things, you may never know your true passion, purpose, or power.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”—Neale Donald Walsch