From Small Town to Big Dreams: Kayla’s Journey with ANU

For Kayla Spears, community has always been at the heart of everything she does. Growing up in a small town in West Virginia, she knew she wanted a career where she could make a difference. After completing her education in Medical Billing and Coding at a school local to her area, she set out for a fresh start in North Carolina. To continue her career in her new home, she needed the right credentials—so she turned to American National University. With determination and a passion for her field, Kayla has not only earned her certification and completed her program, but has now distinguished herself as a Term Trailblazer for Term 248 in the process!

After years of hardship and uncertainty, Kayla was encouraged by a friend to take control of her future. She began at a community college and even took a leap outside her comfort zone, moving away from home for the first time to work at Disney in Florida. After stepping back to refocus on her career path, a conversation with someone close to her led her to discover that Medical Billing and Coding was exactly where she wanted to be. “You have so many options in it,” she explains about her choice of career. Kayla enrolled in a local institution in West Virginia and worked in the field for a few months before relocating to North Carolina. However, upon moving, she discovered that her original certification didn’t transfer between states—so she needed a nationally recognized certification to continue her career.

While Kayla had the work experience and the education that she needed to test for her certification upon her move, Kayla is a lifelong learner. She valued the opportunity to learn more about her field to fully immerse herself into it. “I was just doing research, and I knew I wanted it to be all online. I didn’t want to go anywhere in person. And so I found ANU,” Kayla explains upon how she found ANU’s program. “I knew I needed my CPC (Certified Professional Coder certification) so I went through [ANU]. I’m glad I did! I like the support I’ve had.”

“Sherry Davis is probably my favorite person. She was my biggest supporter. Like, before my [certification] exam, I was freaking out. And she was like, ‘you got this!’ She was the first person I told [that] I passed… She was just great!”

“I did have a great experience with ANU,” she explained, reflecting back on her diploma program, “I love the Zoom classes, I like being able to talk to people and having my classmates [around].” Even though she’s already gone through a program prior, she still gained a lot of knowledge and support she needed to succeed from ANU. She explains in her career that she now audits codes doctors put in.  “In the place I’m in now, [the doctors] do all of the coding. I just make sure it’s correct!” She says. This kind of work is something she’s been able to achieve with the education she’s had and the experience she has put into her career.

Her future goals, now that she’s earned her CPC certification, are to continue to work her career and to enjoy her life with a flexible career. She hopes one day to work remotely so she can travel the world, “and I want my job to be able to go with me!”

Would she recommend ANU to others looking to get into Medical Billing and Coding? “I would! I like the support I had from my advisors… they always reach out! Any questions I’ve had, they’ve always been answered.” She even goes on to say that her professors have been great. “I’ve enjoyed all of my professors… they’re just willing to help, and they encourage you, and they support you. Especially Sherry Davis!”

She gives advice to her fellow classmates about the journey it may take to get their perfect career.

“[The jobs] are there, they just want people with experience. You get experience by starting somewhere… school will teach you blue, red, pink, yellow, and black. Working in it is going to teach you turquoise, teal, lime green, hot pink, baby pink, sky blue – it’s going to teach you all the shades of colors… schooling [and experience] is so important.”

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