Why Are You Here?
In this series about CalMHSA staff, we offer a profile of our colleagues and why they’ve chosen to contribute to the work we do.
Meet Monique Vera, Training Specialist
Monique Vera’s role at CalMHSA is uniquely situated between a highly technological project — the semi-statewide Electronic Health Record (EHR ) system — and the end users at the 25 counties currently using the EHR. Her job is to help those users understand how to perform tasks and make the most of the EHR for their needs.
“Even though the EHR is more technical, it is a really important piece in the process of making sure things are documented correctly, and making sure our partners at the counties can focus more of their time on getting people the resources they need,” she said.
Monique came to CalMHSA with a background in EHR implementation in medical settings, where she conducted instructional design and trained providers at different clinics. At CalMHSA, her focus is on creating training content for processes and workflows — either in article or video format — for counties to use.
“Monique is passionate about ensuring training materials are clear, effective and presented well,” said Clinical Implementation Coordinator Charla Rowe. “This passion shows in the work she’s done with the website and the LMS courses on CalMHSA Learn. She always goes the extra mile.”
Monique’s enthusiasm for her work comes in large part from her connection to CalMHSA’s mission and the mission of county behavioral health departments.
“I didn’t know how much I was going to fall in love with CalMHSA,” Monique said. “Our focus is toward communities of people who don’t necessarily have a voice, and we try our best, through the counties, to give them a voice.”
In the fall, Monique will begin work toward a master’s degree in organizational communication at UC Irvine. That expertise — she also holds a BA in communications — is important to her skill at understanding what counties need in their training materials when it comes to the EHR.
“When I review and test new workflows, what I’m looking for is what the county end user is going to see. The goal is to make the training easy to follow so it provides a good foundation of knowledge that they can grow from and be able to perform their job well,” she said.
“I really admire the counties for what they do. It’s such an important service to our state and communities, and I just want to say thank you for all that they do.”
June 25, 2024