Kewanna’s new career path started when she took her future into her own hands. Today, she is a Medical Billing and Coding graduate with a promising new job.
About three to four years at a custodial job, Kewanna thought to herself, “Why don't you go back to school?” She had studied Medical Billing and Coding at another school years ago but could not finish the program. She decided it was time to complete her training.
When looking for a local school that could accommodate her work schedule, Kewanna found HBAS. She appreciated the hybrid format of our Medical Billing & Coding (MBC) Program. Though she prefers learning in the classroom, the option to attend in-person or online allowed her to continue working.
Was it hard going back to school after more than a decade?
“It was easy breezy, because I was ready to do this,” Kewanna replied. “It was awesome. I’m a social butterfly, so it was easy to be social with my classmates and my teachers.”
Not everything was easy during the program. While thriving at school, she was dealing with increasing pressures at work. “We were short-staffed,” she explained. “I didn’t have anyone to assist me, so the weight was coming down on me.”
Kewanna almost reached a breaking point near the end of the MBC program. But she didn’t want to give up on herself. Her daughter had been supporting her along the way, and Kewanna didn’t want to give up on her either. “So, I held on. Before I knew it, I was done.”
Why did she choose an externship?
Once completing the program, Kewanna could have started applying for jobs right away. But she wanted to start with an externship, where local employers give our CTE students real-world training experience.
This path took courage on Kewanna’s part. A month before her externship started, she left her custodial job “on faith.” She added, “I didn’t have another job plan.”
Kewanna laughed when remembering her first day. “At the meet and greet, I practically threw myself on the table, telling them how willing and ready I was.” During her externship, Kewanna was trained well and grasped new concepts quickly.
The externship site wasted no time in offering Kewanna a job. A few days before the externship ended, her supervisor said, “You're a go-getter. I like your charisma, you're the perfect person to be here.” Kewanna was thrilled to accept the offer. Her externship ended on October 9th, and she started her job the very next day.
What’s next for this go-getter?
At her new position, Kewanna is continuing to learn the ropes through a variety of assignments. “I want to know everything about how billing runs.” She might take the medical coding exam down the road, but first she’s taking time to gain experience and make sure it’s what she really wants.
Looking back on her journey, Kewanna shared some powerful words of wisdom for all of us: “When things start getting hard, just don’t give up. With success, there is going to be a struggle. Just reach that finish line.”