Just like that the openMRS Fellowship journey begins
It was 5.02 AM on 28th January 2023, I got the most exciting email from OpenMRS saying that I got selected for OpenMRS Fellowship program. More specifically OpenMRS Quality Assurance Fellowship program. In this blog, I will be sharing my experience so far. So without further a do let’s get started.
What is OpenMRS Fellowship program?
OpenMRS aims to create a diverse and thriving community where individuals can expand their knowledge and experience through practical opportunities. They often welcome developers and technical writers through mentorship programs like Google Summer of Code. After the program ends, OpenMRS offers a Fellowship Program to help mid-level technical project managers, developers, and quality assurance specialists further enhance their skills in their specific technical areas and become experts in OpenMRS by gaining real-world experience that is in demand by implementers.
You can read more about the fellowship program here.
This year there are three fellows including me. Since I got selected as a QA Fellow my main focus will be improving the quality of the product.
First call with the mentor
During the following week, I had the pleasure of having my first call with my mentor, Jayasanka Weerasinghe. We had a very productive discussion regarding the fellowship plan, including the goals that I am expected to achieve during the course of the program.
Moreover, we took the initiative to schedule weekly calls based on our respective availabilities.
Overall, the first call with my mentor was an excellent start to the fellowship program, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with Jayasanka Weerasinghe to achieve my goals and to become a skilled and knowledgeable OpenMRS Jedi.
Orientation Session
The fellowship orientation session that took place during the second week of February was an incredibly insightful and informative experience for all the fellows. The session provided a comprehensive overview of the OpenMRS Fellowship Program, and all aspects of the program were explained in great detail.
Overall, the fellowship orientation session was an excellent opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding of the program and to have all our questions answered.
Test Automation
My mentor explained the changes that happened lately with the OpenMRS QA framework. Previously OpenMRS used Cypress for E2E testing and all the tests were written in a separate repository. But this had the following issues,
- Developers are not writing tests when the features are developed
- Developers have no idea whether the tests are failing or not
Another issue is OpenMRS had to use playwright to test its offline mode cases because Cypress was not capable of that.
The solution was to use playwright and write tests on the relevant repository itself. We are still early in this process so we have a lot of tests to cover.
Ideas for Google Summer Of Code 2023
As you might know, GSoC 2023 is around the corner. OpenMRS was a mentoring organization from early on and this year also it will be a part of this year’s program as well. In fact, I was a GSoC mentee for OpenMRS last year. You can read about that here.
We were in the process of gathering project ideas for this year and I was able to propose an idea. It’s about Extending E2E Automated Tests for the OpenMRS 3.0 RefApp. You can read more about it here.
Focus for the next couple of weeks
As I mentioned above now we are writing E2E tests with playwright. So currently I’m in the process of getting myself with playwright and its concepts. In the following weeks, I will be focusing on writing covering tests coverage of patient management with the help of my other QA fellow.
As we wrap up the updates for the past weeks, I am filled with excitement and enthusiasm for the journey ahead. The OpenMRS Fellowship Program presents a unique opportunity for me to enhance my skills and knowledge in specific technical areas, and I am eager to take on the challenges that lie ahead.
I appreciate the support and encouragement from the OpenMRS community and my fellow participants. I am confident that we will all achieve our goals and become successful OpenMRS Fellows.
In addition to the updates, I would like to remind everyone to check out my other articles. If you are interested in joining OpenMRS you can start by introducing yourself here.
Finally, as we navigate through these challenging times, I urge everyone to stay safe. I look forward to sharing more updates in the coming weeks. Until then, let’s continue to work together towards building a better and more inclusive OpenMRS community.✌️
Wanna get connected?
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjula-sack/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anjula.shanaka/
Github: https://github.com/anjula-sack
