OSCAR EMR is one of the most widely used electronic medical record systems in Canadian primary care. Transitioning to a new EMR system like OSCAR can be daunting, and there is no single official OSCAR manual to point new staff at — the variant landscape means resources are spread across community manuals, vendor documentation, and a handful of experienced trainers. The list below is the most-used OSCAR training resources for new and experienced clinic staff, drawn from the public OSCAR community and one experienced trainer’s recommendations.
1. World OSCAR Manual
World OSCAR has a substantial knowledge base where the instructions are easy to follow. It has the largest eForms and documentation repository in the world for OSCAR. The search bar makes it convenient to search exactly what you’re looking for.
Best for: clinic staff and providers looking up a specific feature or eForm · Covers: general OSCAR functionality and the eForms library · Last updated: continuously maintained (community wiki) · Gaps: not variant-specific — does not single out OSCAR Pro or Juno UI differences.
2. OSCAR User’s Manual
OSCAR Canada User Society provides a user manual site for users on older OSCAR versions like version 12. Each EMR version is organized in sections which makes it easy to select your EMR version and get guidance of a feature.
Best for: clinics on older OSCAR builds (v11–v15) and anyone needing a version-specific reference · Covers: organized per OSCAR version, all major modules · Last updated: unverified — site has not been refreshed in several years · Gaps: does not cover OSCAR Pro or other modern hosted variants.
3. OSCAR BC Training Manual for New Users
If you’re new to using OSCAR EMR, then this is the manual for you. This training manual gives a basic overview of OSCAR’s tools. From learning how to login into OSCAR to how to create ticklers, this manual provides step by step instructions on how to navigate your EMR.
Best for: brand-new clinic staff in their first week on OSCAR · Covers: login, scheduler, charts, ticklers — the day-one essentials · Last updated: unverified (PDF on oscarbc.ca) · Gaps: no billing, eForms, or variant-specific guidance; screenshots reflect an older OSCAR UI.
4. OSCAR-based EMRs Training Course
This training course lets you learn different versions of OSCAR-based EMRs at your own pace online, with interactive material. The course was designed and is taught by Adrian S., a clinic consultant who wants to make it easier for MOAs, clinic staff, and doctors to learn the EMR in a cost-effective and comprehensive way.
Best for: MOAs, clinic staff, and doctors who want a structured paid course rather than scattered free material · Covers: multiple OSCAR variants, self-paced interactive modules · Last updated: see the course catalog on emrtraining.org for the current version · Gaps: paid (not free), and breadth across variants means less depth on any one variant’s quirks.
5. OSCAR EMR Training for MOAs
If you’re a Medical Office Assistant (MOA) trying to learn how to use your clinic’s OSCAR EMR, you should definitely check out these 6 short training videos that OSCAR created just for MOAs! The videos provide easy to follow lessons on how to create new appointments, adding new patients to the EMR, and how to communicate through OSCAR.
Best for: MOAs in their first week — short, role-focused videos · Covers: appointments, new-patient creation, intra-clinic messaging · Last updated: YouTube upload dates show the playlist is several years old · Gaps: predates OSCAR Pro’s recent UI changes; no billing, eForms, or chart documentation coverage.
6. OSCAR Pro EMR Orientation Videos for Beginners
If you’re a new OSCAR Pro user, you should check out GP Services Committee’s OSCAR EMR orientation videos. They give an overview of the EMR workflow of a patient’s journey. (For more on OSCAR Pro itself — the WELL-Health-backed commercial OSCAR variant — see our OSCAR Pro guide.)
Best for: new OSCAR Pro users who want a guided walk-through of a patient visit · Covers: end-to-end patient-journey workflow on OSCAR Pro · Last updated: unverified — check the GPSC playlist’s upload dates · Gaps: BC-context videos may not reflect every province’s billing or referral conventions.
7. OSCAR EMR Training from an Oscar Developer
John Wilson is an Information Technology Analyst at McMaster University where they provide scripting, testing, and database support to OSCAR EMR. They have a series of different OSCAR training playlists on their YouTube channel that ranges from basic training videos to more advance training videos like how to create flowsheets.
Best for: providers and power users who want a developer’s perspective on OSCAR internals · Covers: basic training through advanced topics like flowsheet creation · Last updated: see individual playlist upload dates on YouTube · Gaps: McMaster open-source OSCAR perspective — does not address OSCAR Pro / Juno UI changes specifically.
OSCAR EMR Training FAQ
Is OSCAR EMR training free?
Many of the best OSCAR EMR training resources are free, including community manuals, the OSCAR Canada User Society documentation, and the OSCAR YouTube training playlists listed above. Some structured courses and provider-led onboarding are paid — but a new user can get a long way without spending anything.
How long does it take to learn OSCAR EMR?
Most clinic staff can handle day-to-day tasks — booking appointments, opening charts, basic documentation — within a few days of hands-on use. Becoming fully comfortable with billing, eForms, and ticklers usually takes a few weeks of regular use. The pace depends on your role and how much time you can dedicate to practice.
Where can I find the OSCAR EMR user manual?
There is no single official OSCAR manual, because OSCAR is open-source with several variants. The OSCAR Canada User Society manual and the World OSCAR knowledge base (both linked above) are the most complete general references. For variant-specific guidance, check with your clinic’s OSCAR service provider.
Beyond the resources above, Cortico’s OSCAR integration automates much of the repetitive manual work in OSCAR — booking, reminders, follow-ups, and patient intake — which can lighten the OSCAR training burden for new staff: there is simply less manual workflow to learn when EMR task automation handles the routine pieces.
The honest trade-off: automation reduces the surface area new staff need to learn, but it does not replace the core OSCAR fluency they still need for clinical documentation — and adopting Cortico is an additional vendor relationship on top of the EMR. For most clinics that is a smaller lift than changing EMRs, and worth weighing alongside the training plan.
