As a mother of three young children working full time as a CNA I didn’t have many options for furthering my education. At the time my children were 9, 7 and 6 – all in elementary school and with me working full time 12 hour shifts that rotate and my husband working full time as well there wasn’t a regular schedule at any of the other local colleges that would have worked for my life, But NTI was the perfect fit. I could drop my kids off at school in the morning and go into to NTI while they were at school on my days off and not miss any of those important times with my young children. At NTI I was enrolled in the Medical Coding and Billing program. I wanted to get into a career that I could have more time with my family on evenings and weekends and once I researched billing and coding I knew that it was made for me.
At NTI the teachers were very helpful and always willing to help me with anything I might have needed extra explanation on. The concept of working at my own pace helped to build my foundation to be a great coder. I was able to work through my problems, learn time management and how to prioritize my days. At NTI I feel like you get what you put into it and if you put in the work you will succeed in your chosen career.
After graduating in 2014 I immediately signed up for my credentialing exam through AAPC and passed on my first try (which is quite a task as it is a very difficult and long exam.) Shortly after I accepted a position in a local hospital organization as a Primary Care Coder and I worked there for 10 years moving up the ranks from coder to lead to Coding Specialist. I am currently employed with another Maine based hospital where I am auditing and educating providers on coding and documentation.
I would not have been able to get to where I am today without NTI. The flexible schedule worked around my family life and provided a great work/school/life balance that I was able to excel in all aspects of my life.
Now fast forward and my oldest son wanted to go to school for HVAC/R – He like me would rather complete a program that gave you hands on training from the get-go and go to a program that provided you with all of the necessary classes to excel in the career without the filler classes. He completed his course in months vs years and left with more certifications than others that completed a 2 year college program. He was able to accept a job right out of NTI and has been working for Daves World in Ellsworth since his graduation.
