A graduating student at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) says her college career has also been an education for her daughter.

Kristin Johnson, 33, started classes at GNTC in 2010; she previously earned Phlebotomy Technician and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certifications from GNTC and will graduate in May with her associate degree in Business Healthcare Technology specializing in compliance and reimbursement. She has attended classes on the Walker County Campus in Rock Spring.

“I did this for my 6-year-old daughter to show her it is never too late to complete a goal or to go back to school,” she said.

“I have a long career in healthcare. I worked as a CNA for eight years and as a phlebotomist for two years,” she said, adding that she had originally intended to become a registered nurse, but discovered the career wasn’t the right fit for her while juggling her full-time job and attending CNA classes full-time.

She was working in retail when she lost her job during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her instructors at GNTC pointed out she had a natural aptitude for medical coding, she said. When GNTC Instructor of Business Health Care Technology Gina Stephens told her about a job opening at Comprehensive Medical Solutions Inc. (CompMed), she leapt at the opportunity to work for the medical billing service.

“Medical coding is a much tougher field than many people realize,” Stephens said. “The conventions and guidelines just for diagnostic coding are 150 pages of rather dry reading. In addition, experienced coders must be able to defend their code selections in cases of audits, so communication skills are important.”