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Laureen: Alright so Alicia is going to interview Jane onÖ this is just another one of Boydís
great ideas is why donít we highlight students so that prospective people on the call can
hear how they view the CCO programs.
We donít have a picture. She said the only thing she had on Facebook was a picture of
her cat soÖ
Alicia: Jane, letís start out with a little bit of your background.
Jane: Okay, I trained as a nurse and I went ahead, more of as a medical assistant. I had
x-ray and labs and I worked in physicianís offices. And then as life got on, I got married,
started having children. And I realized that a lot of my time was away from my kids and
I didnít like it. So I was always being asked to help in the business office and whatnot.
I also have a degree in business from Portland State and I realized, I like this coding.
I like the insurance part. This looks like fun but itís a lot of work and a lot of time.
And so when I was coding, I just sat and said, ìIím going to start medical coding from
home.î I just kind of laughed at it and well, whatís going to happen? I found in this area,
nursing home providers really needed someone to do their billing and their coding. So I
star doing that form home. I was able to be around my kids which was wonderful and it
just really worked out. And then I thought, ìWell you know, I really should get certified
so I know what Iím doing.î
So I went and I took a course through Portland Community College and that was at the time
when they were just doing online courses and it was not very well planned out. And many
students were frustrated. We finished the course and it felt like we knew what weíre
doing and this was back in 2004.
So I did learn things and I kept doing what I was doing and I would actually get called
to go out to other clinics. They needed someone to fill in and that was fun. It gave me variety
of going to different offices. But I really didnít feel I was doing my best work. And
so I went over and I took the coding at the community college again and they had a lady
who is the head coder for the Oregon Health Sciences and she did a great job. But still,
things were not meshing for me.
And so I was looking toÖ I donít want to have to go through another program but I was
willing to dothat. And online, I found Laureenís Blitz videos. They just made everything clear
and put it together. It was just wonderful.
I had the confidence and I studied and I took my certification test. And of all the little
nuggets of information that came, the pearls of wisdom on how to eliminate certain answers
andÖ it was just fantastic. Because of the Blitz, I justÖ I passed with ease once I
got over being nervous.
Laureen: Yay! And congratulations on that.
Alicia: Jane, youíre doing the Medical Terminology and Anatomy course with us right now, arenít
you?
Jane: I am.
Alicia: And what do you think about that? Do you think thatís going to be beneficial?
Or what made you decide to go ahead and take that since youíre already certified?
Well, Iím justÖ Iím looking ahead to ICD10 and I know theyíre going to be more in depth
of knowing the information and I wanted to brush up. Because itís been over 35 years
when I went through my medical assisting nursing and I just want to be sharp.
So I actually took the course through the AAPC. It was not challenging and I hope nobody
is affiliated with AAPC and I donít mean to hurt your feelings. But my daughter would
laugh because they would be doing their little speech about it and Iíd be up in the kitchen
washing my dishes. And Iíd come back and take my 10 little questions test. It was not
challenging. I wasnít learning.
And again, I saw Laureenís program and thought, ìWell this is going to be worth it.î And
it so is. Itís justÖ itís fun. The games, the way you present it, Laureen. It really
just sticks in your head and you hit highlights. Itís a lot of informaiotn. And even when
you take the test, you got to know whatís in that chapter because the 50 questions can
come from anywhere.
Alicia: Yes.
Jane: You present it, itís justÖ itís wonderful and Iím learning a lot. And I donít get
up and wash the dishes while Iím watching your video. No.
Laureen: Well that means a lot to me because I didnít realize until tonight that you had
a nursing background and youíre taking my Medical Terminology course. So Iím honored
thatÖ
Alicia: Yeah sheís an LPN.
Laureen: Yeah, thatís great.
Alicia: Thatís great to know that youíre enjoying that. You had talked a little bit
before we got started about some of the hints and things to do when you were testing. That
seemed to be very helpful. Can you share some of those?
Jane: Certainly. I feel, of course, youíre going to study hard and get ready for the
test. And youíre going to know your stuff. You go through Laureenís Blitz and you use
these highlights of eliminate certain answers. When you get to take the test, there are going
to be individuals that have not passed it before. Theyíre going to be talking about
it. Theyíre going to know how difficult it is. Itís like when you need to get your wisdom
teeth out and everyone needs to tell you the horror story about the oral surgeon and what
happened to them. So youíll really get freaked out. You got to let that go. When people start
talking about that, just think to yourself, ìWell, that maybe true for them but itís
not for me. I know what Iím doing.î And get in there and take a deep breath and donít
look up at anyone. The last thing you need to do is seeing a lady, biting their erasers
off at the end of her pencil. Youíre going to be fine.
Because my experience, I went in and I had listened to these individuals out there, talking
about how they had failed and this and that. And I was nervous. I actually thought I was
going to have a stroke or something and fall on the ground. I couldnít breathe and just
like, ìBreathe, Jane. Youíre fine.î And then when I start taking an hour into the
test, I realized, I can do this. I have the tools because of Laureen and the Blitz. You
know, this answerís not going to work. This answerís not right. This is the information
I need to extract. And I was fine. And so I went ahead and I finished the test and I
was done. And two additional hours and I went back and I redid the first part. So I was
done in 4 hours and I passed easily.
Alicia: Thatís fantastic.
Jane: Have confidence in yourself.
Alicia: That, I think, helps a lot of people not to hear the negative out there because
that seems to be what the traffic is, the negative and you donít hear as much about
the positive. You also shared with us, before we got started, some information about that
first job, getting your first job and the attitude to have and stuff. Can you share
some of that with us as well?
Jane: Show youíre confident. Believe in yourself. Youíve gone through these problems. You are
smart to get through and when you go for your job, itísÖ they ask, ìWell, do you know
this program? Are you familiar with Epic?î or whatever maybe the medical records or the
way they do things. If you donít know it, tell them. But let them know youíre willing
to learn. Thatís the key. Because, believe it or not, I ran into some individuals whoíll
say, ìWell, I donít know that and I donít have to learn it.î Well, if you want the
job and if you show the people that youíre willing to learn this and even if you donít
get that position, I suggest you go out and research what they were talking about because
the next interview, they may ask you. And if you have more information, let them know
that you are looking into this. It may just be your way into the door.
Alicia: Thatís great. Jane, I really appreciate you coming on the webinar and sharing your
information because I think itís really going to be real helpful to people both that have
been coding and those that are studying to pass their test and those that are getting
ready for ICD 10 like you mentioned and not being scared of ICD 10. Thanks.
Laureen: Thanks so much, Jane.
Jane: Well, Iím so honored. Thank you and the last thing I can leave is have confidence
in yourself. I mean, youíve gone through the programs. You know the information. You
just need to know how to put it out there and Laureenís program will show you.
Laureen: Thanks, Jane and hopefully, youíll get on the discussion board and you can probably
one of ourÖ people that go to for motivation.
Jane: Well, Iím happy because itís an awesome program and Iím so thankful I found you.
I really am.
Laureen: Well, thanks. And she wasÖ Jane was sharing with us earlier that she talks
about us so much at work that they asked if she was related.
Jane: Yeah.
Laureen: So thanks, sis.
Jane: Well, thank you.