Martha Santos

Two years ago I decided to stop working and return to school, in Mexico I studied a three-year technical degree, but unfortunately I did not finish it. So now at this moment I am finishing high school and a program to be able to work in a clinic or hospital. This happened and it was possible because ten years ago I was diagnosed with cancer and from that moment everything in my life changed, I couldn't work with the same efficiency and speed as before, so that's why I stopped working and started looking for places where I was able to study and learn the English language at first it was difficult, but little by little I learned to write, read and understand the language since I am Mexican and my first language is Spanish. Thank God I was able to study high school at the St. Louis Excel Center since a teacher who taught me how to learn English recommended this study center to me. This happened in March 2022, that is, a year 7 months ago.

Now, why did I decide to study the billing and coding program? Every time I go to my medical appointments at Barnes Jewish Hospital I see people working behind a desk, typing on a computer and asking me for the necessary information to enter the doctor's office. It caught my attention and sometimes I imagined myself being one of those people to the point that my heart was beating fast and I felt a pretty strong emotion that I can't explain. So I started researching how to learn, do, and what is required to be able to work there or somewhere else that has that specialty. A few months before finishing high school, I spoke with my coach and asked her about how and what I needed to be able to study the billing and coding program. It was then that she told me that if I really wanted to study that program, she could help me and so she did. . In this same study center I met Miss Katie Reigelsperger and Miss Naomi Willis on a visit that they made and they gave us information about the billing and coding program that they were offering called KLR Medical Certification Training School, that's when I got motivated. more to study this program. I wanted to start from July 31, 2023 but unfortunately I had a few months and credits left to complete and that is why I started in October 2nd, 2023 and I complete on November 24th, 2023.

So here I am now with my high school certificates and as a certified billing and coding specialist. Thank God, my husband, all my Excel Center and KLR instructors for this opportunity and all the support they gave me.

The experience I had with all my instructors in KLR was excellent professionally speaking. They are all quite demanding in punctuality and compliance with tasks, I believe that this is very important since this is part of the responsibility as an instructor and as a student, communication was and is the main basis between instructors and fellow students. What I enjoyed the most were the Kahoo! games, while you have fun you also learn, and work so hard for do my homework.

To conclude, I can only say that I feel completely blessed and grateful to God for everything he has given me. For now I want to visit my family in Mexico, be with them for at least two months, return to this country and look for work based on the certificates and knowledge I have to be able to work in what I like and for which I work so hard. My loving mother has always told me that it is never too late to learn and do something new, so now I can say that with effort and dedication I can achieve everything I set my mind to.

Martha Munoz Santos

Excel Center. St. Louis, Missouri