Congratulations to CIH alumnus, Rachel Jones who recently completed Houston Community College’s Medical Office Business Professional Program and HIPAA Class. Rachel had been working as a Certified Medical Assistance but decided that she wanted to transition to a position that was less patient care and more administrative.
As she was working at a Baylor St. Lukes Medical Group clinic, she started to learn more about processing insurance claims and knew this was the right pivot for her. She secured her sponsorship from Capital IDEA Houston and in just 4 months is now qualified for many more jobs in the medical field.
What were things like for you at the start of this journey?
Well, I was previously working at a clinic doing hands-on medical assistance. At our clinic we also have an insurance department which I’ve been interested in, so that's why I went to school for this medical business office professional certificate. I wanted to go back to school to get more education and experience.
Now that I’ve completed this training, I’m starting to look for jobs in this profession. There’s a lot of opportunities available. I think it’d be great to get to work from home for an insurance company. There are a lot of advantages to that. I’m excited to further my career in this profession.
How did you hear about Capital IDEA Houston?
I heard about the program because I was out of work and Workforce Solutions referred me to Capital IDEA Houston so that I could get back into school and train in a different career.
l had been out of work because of COVID, and I thought it was the right time to further my education. I already had the qualifications to work as a medical assistant but was feeling like I needed something else. After I started working as a medical assistant, I began to learn more about the insurance processing.
Right now, I’m just working on getting my license and looking for job opportunities as well. I’m currently working with CIH Career Navigator, Ke’Nean Johnson, to help get my certification exam paid for and I’m looking forward to working with someone on the CIH staff to help me find the position that is right for me.
With the HIPAA and Medical Office Business Professional Certificate, there are quite a lot of jobs that I qualify for already, but I’ve already got my eye on another certification. The next one I’m looking at is the Certificate of Medical Administrative Assistant. This will really open up a lot of different job opportunities for me.
What was it like being in the program?
I took the HIPAA class and the Medical Office Business Professional program at the same time, all within the four-month period. I learned so much during that time.
It feels great to get all these new skills under your belt. I learned so much. It's just been an amazing journey. I'm excited for my future and I just thank Capital IDEA Houston for just giving me that opportunity and for helping me to get into school and for paying for my tuition and exams. It’s been such a blessing.
A couple of weeks after the program, I started working at the clinic as part of the externship program. Everything just started to fall into place. I just couldn’t believe it. Getting the job and going to school was just amazing. I was especially excited about having the new skill of processing insurance claims.
The program really motivated me to learn more. That is what I wanted to know more about, insurance, billing, and getting a strong foundation in this new line of work. I like this better because I love to do paperwork and talking to the insurance companies and having that extra skill of billing and coding.
The program was Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 9:30pm. They have morning classes too and all of it was online. An instructor would explain to us what modules we had to turn in. Everything was done through the portal. We’d log on every day to check for emails and messages about our work and assignments and just make sure that we were on top of everything. You have to maintain your grades. The instructors were great at pushing us and motivating us to do the assignments. Even if you missed an assignment, they would notify you to make sure that you turn in everything on time.
That is what kept me going. Everyone showed genuine concern and cared enough to spend one-on-one time with you. The class, the course, the teachers, everything was A1!
What’s it's been like working with CIH?
Working with CIH has been such a blessing. Ms. Melissa and Mr. Johnson really motivated me as well as all the teachers and all the Capital IDEA staff. They all really pushed me to the limit. They helped me find a place that fit me because I was still trying to figure out my career path. This is what I had been hoping and praying for and so far, everything's been going well.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about going back to school?
If you want to achieve your dreams, I say go for it, don’t let anybody discourage you. Don’t let anyone stop you. Keep on pressing because someone out there is waiting to encourage you. Walk by faith and not by sight, no matter how impossible it seems, just keep your focus. Go back to school and get your education because it's worth it.
You don’t have to be stuck. You can move forward. You can dream big because support is out there for you. Success is out there for you. Dream and believe and it will come to pass. You will surprise yourself and you will be amazed about what you can accomplish.
If you are ready to jump start your livelihood, join us at one of our upcoming virtual info sessions to find out how we’ve helped nearly a thousand students achieve self-sufficiency and get the training they needed with a sponsorship from Capital IDEA Houston: www.capitalideahouston.org/infosession
