In 2004, I became a Tele-Customer Service Representative for the Kaiser Permanente Member Services Call Center in Stockton, CA. I learned about healthcare, health insurance, customer service, and became a part of an awesome work family. Over the years, I earned my way onto a lead team. I participated on a department project. I felt confident to apply for a quality assurance position that would have moved me a step up the career ladder. However, the week I was supposed to find out whether I was hired for that QA position, our Call Center Director announced our department would close.
I was completely devastated.
Although I was completely devastated at the thought of losing my job, I was faced with the opportunity to learn a new career. With only my knowledge and experience of Kaiser Permanente medical insurance, I began to transition into the Medical Coding field.
Fortunately, I retrained into this field due to our department closure. I enrolled in a reputable and rigorous medical coding 6 week course. Then I sat for the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam, 5 hours and 40 mins long. All of those days spent in a conference room learning and then hours sitting in my arm chair at home reading the ICD-9 Guidelines and taking practice tests was grueling! By the time test day came all I could do was pray. I remember finishing the test shaking. I passed on the first try.
Where did I go from here?
After I settled into my new department and career, I decided to invest in my education. Everyone’s education journey is different. Read about our stories of higher education in More Than One Road To College. I share my personal step-by-step story of higher education in Your Mom Goes To College. If you’re not sure where your path begins try my process to Pinpoint Your Purpose.
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