February 22, 2025 • 20 mins
Are you lacking confidence as a coder? Do you feel like your skills aren't where they need to be to do your job?
This coding break is for you. Learn the strategies I use to develop winning confidence!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coding-break-with-tam-talk-podcast--4244224/support.
This coding break is for you. Learn the strategies I use to develop winning confidence!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coding-break-with-tam-talk-podcast--4244224/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time to take your cold and break.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hi guys, and welcome back to another episode of the
Code Break podcast with Tam Talk. I am your host
Tam Talk here to talk about all things good, back
and the ugly as it relates to the medical coding industry.
So today I want to answer a question for those
of you who are new to the Coding Break podcast. Again,
(00:29):
we use this platform to talk about the elephants in
the room or to address questions that we're posed and
so perhaps the world would like to hear what's really
you know, how how we answer that question? So again
I have a question from uh, a medical coder. The
question is how do I develop the confidence to I
(00:55):
will say, I want to say, to become a medical
coldor because this person isn't a medical colder, but how
do I develop the confidence to do I would say,
perhaps they have a specific task that they're trying to
do as a medical colder, and they perhaps they may
not have done it before, and so they're trying to
(01:15):
develop the confidence or the confident the confident level that
they need in order to do it well.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
And so.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
As someone who's I guess that I've been in the
industry for a long time.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
I'm not going to state the years because it's been
a long time, because it has.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Trust me, I can I've seen how this industry has
changed or how or how it has evolved. And I
will say that when I first came on the scene
as a medical colder, I did have some some self
lack of self confidence issues that I had to work
through to get to this point where I'm sitting here
(01:52):
talking to you trying to provide tips, practical tips and
strategies on how to become confident as a man colder. Now,
these tips that I'm getting ready to share with you,
these are tips that I still use today, because again
I don't know everything. I don't know a colder who
knows everything there is to know about medical coding. We
(02:15):
only know what we know, and then half the half,
that's half the time, we still don't know what we
think we know. But I'm going to share with you
my practical tips that have that have helped me to
develop confidence, and particularly areas, not in all areas, but
in particular areas that may that may help you develop
your confidence as you journey into your.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Journey.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I guess a medical coding that didn't sound right but
you know it'll help you along the way as you
as you evolve into the successful medical coder that you
want to become. So the first thing is practice makes perfect.
Practice makes perfect, Practice makes perfect. And I'm saying that
(03:02):
over and over again, because you have to practice. Yes,
you are certified, but you still have to practice. You
have to practice in the area in which you want
to pursue as it relates to medical coding, or you
have to practice those jobs, those those those skill sets,
those job functions that that are required of your I
(03:26):
would say of your role as a medical cod as
a medical coding professional.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So practice makes perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
So I would use me as an example because I
love using myself as an example to bring to bring
it home. So I I guess different seasons of me.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I want to be a leader.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I you know, of course, I practice. I want to
be a presenter. I practice. Did I get it right
every time?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
No? I solicited help. I practice.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I practice in front of.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Of my colleagues. I practiced with a m let me
go back.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
My practicing actually involved me actually doing it right.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
So I did I make mistakes? Yes, I made mistakes.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I had the mindset that I again, I'm supposed to
know it all because I'm certified. That means I know
everything there is about coding. I don't know everything there
is about coding.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
That was then and today.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
I can prophetically say, or emphatically stay whatever the right
term is. I don't know everything there is about medical coding.
I don't proclaim to know everything there is about medical coding.
But I will say this, I do know what I know, right,
I do know what I know.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So there's that.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So again, when I wanted to be a presenter, when
I wanted to be a trainer, I had to practice
I which meant I had to get in front of
individuals to present, whether that's through my colleagues, whether that's
through UH provider education. I had to present. And then I,
like I said, I want to be a leader, so
(05:12):
I had to. Of course, I guess presenting here it
was part of being a leader. I had to perfect that, right,
I had to perfect that. I solicited mentors. I practiced.
I practiced in the mirror. I practiced like on the
with recordings or whatever. But I practiced, and then it
(05:33):
became perfect. And sometimes you will be live, right, You
will be live when you're when you're practicing, which means
you have no time to.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Rehearse in the mirror. You have to do it live.
And you're gonna make mistakes.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
You're gonna make mistakes, and which I want to say,
you're going to make mistakes, except the fact that you're
going to make mistakes when you're practicing or when you're
when you're performing the task. You're going to make mistakes.
And that's okay. They're not detrimental because there's the sayings
like d never try to an never answer a question
(06:09):
that you don't know the answer to for sure, because
it can back fire. It it it it It impacts
the confidence or the the the listener or the I
would say the provider, It impacts their confidence level within you.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Okay, I mean that's true.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
But if I'm in the midst of training or educating,
I'm not thinking about that. I mean, I I'm thinking
about it because I'm not in front of the person,
But when I'm in front of the person, I may
not be thinking that.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Or in front of the group.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Now, if I'm definitely unsure I'm sure of the question
of the questions that's being asked, I'm not going to
answer it.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
But if I'm I would say, but if if it's
in more.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Of an intimate, one on one type of thing, and
I will be more comfortable to say that, hey, I
don't know the answer. I have to research that and
I get back with you, or if I don't know,
I'll say I don't know right. But again, you have
to practice. You're gonna make mistakes. You're gonna make mistakes,
and so what you may have given I won't say
(07:19):
incorrect information, not fully incorrect, but somewhat of incorrect information,
but you and you're going back and researching it and
fixing or correcting the mistake you were able to get
it correct. I've speaking of which I've communicated, and I've trained,
(07:41):
and I've coached, and I've educated providers, hundreds and hundreds
of providers, different especialcies, different.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Issues. What have you.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I made mistakes and the providers never I'm gonna say
they I didn't I don't know about it, or they
didn't publicly say I didn't know what I was talking about.
They didn't make me feel weird, They didn't make me
feel like less intelligent. They didn't they didn't make me
(08:15):
feel like I didn't know what I was talking about
and actually some of them have written recommendation letters for
me because I was down to earth, I was honest
about not knowing or I was able to get the
correct information to the provider.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So I said all that to say, and this is
for someone who's again who's trying to be in leadership,
who's trying to be in education where you're you're educating
providers or you're educating team members, colleague staff, like coding staff.
It's okay, and we have to give ourselves grace. And
I would say for someone who is in leadership to
(08:56):
someone else who is in leadership, and so you know
that visual is trying to develop the skills to become
better at presenting, better at public speaking, better in just
whatever area that they're trying to become improve upon, grace,
give them grace because you too, Grasshopper, also had to
(09:19):
learn how.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
To had someone to give you grace. You had to learn.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
So again, you develop confidence because the person that you're
trying to that's working with you, they give you grace
because they too understand that they also had to start
and so on and so on. So yes, so it's okay.
And I think once you know that you have grace
bestowed upon you. It automatically boosts your confidence. Like I said,
(09:48):
the doctors that I have educated, the staff that I
have educated, or what have you, they gave me grace because,
let's if we're honest, public speaking is like the most
fearful thing. People will touch a snake right before they
get behind a microphone. Again, people will touch a snake
(10:10):
before they will get behind a microphone because they are
being judged by their peers. Right, they are being judged
by their peers. No one wants to be judged. No
one wants to be judged. So I say, if your
peers allow or afford it you grace, it's gonna boosht
your confidence level. It is going to boost your confidence level. Again, Remember,
(10:32):
you don't know everything. I don't know everything. Even behind
me on this podcast, I don't know everything. Even me
with my years of experience, I don't know everything.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Even me still.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
What thirty something almost forty, I not not forty but
thirty something years in the game. I still don't know everything.
I I A but I give myself grace. I give
myself grace to know that, hey, I'm not perfect. When
we stop learning, yeah, when we stop learning, when we
(11:08):
stop giving each other each other each other's grace. Then
I pose a question, what are we doing with our life?
What are we doing with our life? Life is supposed
to be an ongoing, evolving change, growth, development situation, right,
(11:29):
but it's also in wraptant grace forgiveness. We understand human,
we understand that people are human, and we have to
allow that for individuals. And I say this again, if
someone will afford us grace, our confidence level will go
(11:50):
through the roof if someone would afford us grace. So
if you can understand that someone, I would say.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Read them.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
You know that they don't allow grace, then those are
not your people. Those are not your people. Find someone
else to mentor you find someone else to coach. You
find someone else who will allow afford you the grace
that you need.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
To make mistakes.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Now, I ain't going out. I ain't saying go out.
They just make mistakes all willingly.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Because you.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Mistakes are bound to occur. Mistakes are bound, they are
going to happen, and it's okay. Just learn from it.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Learn from it. Are you gonna learn it this first time?
After you make it?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
No? But you don't want to keep repeating the same
mistakes over and over and over again, because then that's
a habit, that's a routine.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
This is you, this is who you are. We get that.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
But if this is not who you are, you're gonna
make the adjustments. You're gonna make the correction. You're gonna improve,
you're gonna get better, and you're gonna get on the
microphone like myself, and you're gonna make jokes, you're gonna laugh,
you're gonna teach, you're gonna educate, you're gonna get in
front of providers.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
And you're gonna be confident in your skills.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
And you're gonna and and you're gonna be okay with
saying you don't know, it's okay.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
You know it's okay.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
And so I say all that to say is yes,
practice makes perfect. The next one is give your self grace.
If no one else gives you grace, give your self grace.
You know you're gonna make mistakes. And then again, well,
actually it boils down because you're asking for help with
(13:29):
your mentors.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Ask for help, ask for help. There are people who.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Who probably have practiced more than you, are more confident
you than you. In a particular area, learn to ask
for help. It's okay, it is okay now. I will
say that me asking for help that was a struggle
for me because I not that.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I knew everything.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I just I've ran and countered a lot of people
that did not afford grace.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Right.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
But I've over I'm overcoming that. Like I said, I'm
overcoming that, and so I'm I ask for help. Another
thing that has helped me is I use my strengths
to help me. I understand what my strengths and my
weaknesses are, and so my strengths are.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I again, I love leadership. I have leadership skills.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
But that came again with the practicing and the men
someone mentoring me and teaching me. I also learned that
I don't want to say I hate public speaking. I
hate the old traditional way of public speaking.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
I have no problem public speaking. I'm speaking to you
publicly right now.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
I love, I love, and I thrive off intimate conversational communication,
as in I can do this podcast like I'm talking
to my I would say my girl from my best friend.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
I feel like I bowl overwhelm, my training bowls overwhel
when I have more intimate communication. I don't have to
be dressed up. I don't have to be in front
of an audience. I don't have to be, you know,
skipping over my arms because I am an um girl.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
If you no, I am an um girl. I love it, right.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
But I'm most comfortable when I'm most comfortable. The less
ums you'll hear. Let me repeat that, because that just
hit me. The more confident, the more comfortable I am
in an environment or in a public speaking environment, the
less arms you'll hear.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
So yes, So people usually do.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Ums where they're not prepared or they're uncomfortable. I'm comfortable
in this conversation with you via my podcast, right, So yes.
Then that thing is I know my specialties. I know
what specialties I'm great at, and I also know what
specialties I'm not so good at, like general surgery of course, girl,
(16:15):
everything general surgery.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Right, So I'm comfortable comfortable with that. Do I know
all the codes? So all the general surgery proceisures?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
No. That just means I'm comfortable with it because I've practiced.
I've practiced general surgery coding for years. I'm credential. I
am a credential general surgery coder, So I am comfortable
with it. I know what to look for when I'm
doing general surgery coding. I know how to parlay or
regurgitate the information to my listeners or to my learners
(16:48):
or my students on general surgery coding. I've written a
book on it, not a big book like a novel book,
but I've written a book of practical steps on how
since I set the General operatunve report as released since
general surgery okay and it sells. I've I've trained coders
(17:11):
like as an as an as an auditor.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I've trained I want say I trained surgeons. Shoot, I've
trained surgeons on how to general general surgery coding.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
But I've also trained other coding colleagues on general surgery.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
So I've had experience.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Do we all do all of us agree other surgery coders?
Probably not? But you know I do what works for me,
and I thrive in that. So you have to find
what works for you, whether that is a specialty or
whether that is some other character skills that you may have.
(17:51):
You need to find what works for you and if
it works for you or you're thriving in that, run
with that, and the universe will bring things that are
in alignment with your strengths and allow you to be successful.
Now when I say that, now, we still have our weaknesses.
We are still developing, and we're still working on those things.
(18:14):
And eventually some of your weaknesses will become your strengths
once you have practiced and have perfected that. But until then,
you want to make sure you play to your strengths.
How do you like presenting? Are you a want intimate
communicator like myself or you? Or you for the crowds
or you for the streets as the culture will say,
(18:36):
I'm for the streets. I need to be in a
large group. If that's you, then you need to focus
on that. You need to work on the focus on
the things let me go back, Focus on the things
that are your strength that you're great at, and then
allow room to work on those things that.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
That you're not so great at.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Again, being a certified medical coder doesn't mean that you
know everything there is.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
About medical coding. You won't. You don't.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
You will forever be learning and I s and I
cringe when I said that, because I am ones like
you don't need a.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Whole lot of certifications.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I mean you don't, I mean you can read up
on it, you can research it, you can you can
take a course, a webinar on different areas especially, but
you don't have to become a certified in.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
It, not unless you want to. I choose not to.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Become certified in a whole lot of specialties. But that
doesn't mean I don't know them. That doesn't mean I
don't know. So yes, so let's recap. Have you know, like,
have grace for yourself. Definitely have grace for yourself. Practice, practice, practice,
and practice some more. Understand what your strengths and your
(19:52):
weaknesses are. Operate in your strengths, but at the same time,
continue to develop your weaknesses.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
There you have it.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
So that's it for the coded breok. I think we're
running over on our coding break.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
But there you have it.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
So again, how do you develop confidence as a medical coder?
And also I've dropped a blog post on this topic
as well, because some of us like to read and
some of us like to listen. And I'll probably do
a video showing my face so that you can see me.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Talk to you about this as well.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
So that's it for the coding break, and as always,
remembered to code on until the next time.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Toodles,
Time to take your cold and break.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hi guys, and welcome back to another episode of the
Code Break podcast with Tam Talk. I am your host
Tam Talk here to talk about all things good, back
and the ugly as it relates to the medical coding industry.
So today I want to answer a question for those
of you who are new to the Coding Break podcast. Again,
(00:29):
we use this platform to talk about the elephants in
the room or to address questions that we're posed and
so perhaps the world would like to hear what's really
you know, how how we answer that question? So again
I have a question from uh, a medical coder. The
question is how do I develop the confidence to I
(00:55):
will say, I want to say, to become a medical
coldor because this person isn't a medical colder, but how
do I develop the confidence to do I would say,
perhaps they have a specific task that they're trying to
do as a medical colder, and they perhaps they may
not have done it before, and so they're trying to
(01:15):
develop the confidence or the confident the confident level that
they need in order to do it well.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
And so.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
As someone who's I guess that I've been in the
industry for a long time.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
I'm not going to state the years because it's been
a long time, because it has.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Trust me, I can I've seen how this industry has
changed or how or how it has evolved. And I
will say that when I first came on the scene
as a medical colder, I did have some some self
lack of self confidence issues that I had to work
through to get to this point where I'm sitting here
(01:52):
talking to you trying to provide tips, practical tips and
strategies on how to become confident as a man colder. Now,
these tips that I'm getting ready to share with you,
these are tips that I still use today, because again
I don't know everything. I don't know a colder who
knows everything there is to know about medical coding. We
(02:15):
only know what we know, and then half the half,
that's half the time, we still don't know what we
think we know. But I'm going to share with you
my practical tips that have that have helped me to
develop confidence, and particularly areas, not in all areas, but
in particular areas that may that may help you develop
your confidence as you journey into your.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Journey.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I guess a medical coding that didn't sound right but
you know it'll help you along the way as you
as you evolve into the successful medical coder that you
want to become. So the first thing is practice makes perfect.
Practice makes perfect, Practice makes perfect. And I'm saying that
(03:02):
over and over again, because you have to practice. Yes,
you are certified, but you still have to practice. You
have to practice in the area in which you want
to pursue as it relates to medical coding, or you
have to practice those jobs, those those those skill sets,
those job functions that that are required of your I
(03:26):
would say of your role as a medical cod as
a medical coding professional.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So practice makes perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
So I would use me as an example because I
love using myself as an example to bring to bring
it home. So I I guess different seasons of me.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I want to be a leader.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I you know, of course, I practice. I want to
be a presenter. I practice. Did I get it right
every time?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
No? I solicited help. I practice.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I practice in front of.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Of my colleagues. I practiced with a m let me
go back.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
My practicing actually involved me actually doing it right.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
So I did I make mistakes? Yes, I made mistakes.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I had the mindset that I again, I'm supposed to
know it all because I'm certified. That means I know
everything there is about coding. I don't know everything there
is about coding.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
That was then and today.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
I can prophetically say, or emphatically stay whatever the right
term is. I don't know everything there is about medical coding.
I don't proclaim to know everything there is about medical coding.
But I will say this, I do know what I know, right,
I do know what I know.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So there's that.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
So again, when I wanted to be a presenter, when
I wanted to be a trainer, I had to practice
I which meant I had to get in front of
individuals to present, whether that's through my colleagues, whether that's
through UH provider education. I had to present. And then I,
like I said, I want to be a leader, so
(05:12):
I had to. Of course, I guess presenting here it
was part of being a leader. I had to perfect that, right,
I had to perfect that. I solicited mentors. I practiced.
I practiced in the mirror. I practiced like on the
with recordings or whatever. But I practiced, and then it
(05:33):
became perfect. And sometimes you will be live, right, You
will be live when you're when you're practicing, which means
you have no time to.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Rehearse in the mirror. You have to do it live.
And you're gonna make mistakes.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
You're gonna make mistakes, and which I want to say,
you're going to make mistakes, except the fact that you're
going to make mistakes when you're practicing or when you're
when you're performing the task. You're going to make mistakes.
And that's okay. They're not detrimental because there's the sayings
like d never try to an never answer a question
(06:09):
that you don't know the answer to for sure, because
it can back fire. It it it it It impacts
the confidence or the the the listener or the I
would say the provider, It impacts their confidence level within you.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Okay, I mean that's true.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
But if I'm in the midst of training or educating,
I'm not thinking about that. I mean, I I'm thinking
about it because I'm not in front of the person,
But when I'm in front of the person, I may
not be thinking that.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Or in front of the group.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Now, if I'm definitely unsure I'm sure of the question
of the questions that's being asked, I'm not going to
answer it.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
But if I'm I would say, but if if it's
in more.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Of an intimate, one on one type of thing, and
I will be more comfortable to say that, hey, I
don't know the answer. I have to research that and
I get back with you, or if I don't know,
I'll say I don't know right. But again, you have
to practice. You're gonna make mistakes. You're gonna make mistakes,
and so what you may have given I won't say
(07:19):
incorrect information, not fully incorrect, but somewhat of incorrect information,
but you and you're going back and researching it and
fixing or correcting the mistake you were able to get
it correct. I've speaking of which I've communicated, and I've trained,
(07:41):
and I've coached, and I've educated providers, hundreds and hundreds
of providers, different especialcies, different.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Issues. What have you.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I made mistakes and the providers never I'm gonna say
they I didn't I don't know about it, or they
didn't publicly say I didn't know what I was talking about.
They didn't make me feel weird, They didn't make me
feel like less intelligent. They didn't they didn't make me
(08:15):
feel like I didn't know what I was talking about
and actually some of them have written recommendation letters for
me because I was down to earth, I was honest
about not knowing or I was able to get the
correct information to the provider.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So I said all that to say, and this is
for someone who's again who's trying to be in leadership,
who's trying to be in education where you're you're educating
providers or you're educating team members, colleague staff, like coding staff.
It's okay, and we have to give ourselves grace. And
I would say for someone who is in leadership to
(08:56):
someone else who is in leadership, and so you know
that visual is trying to develop the skills to become
better at presenting, better at public speaking, better in just
whatever area that they're trying to become improve upon, grace,
give them grace because you too, Grasshopper, also had to
(09:19):
learn how.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
To had someone to give you grace. You had to learn.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
So again, you develop confidence because the person that you're
trying to that's working with you, they give you grace
because they too understand that they also had to start
and so on and so on. So yes, so it's okay.
And I think once you know that you have grace
bestowed upon you. It automatically boosts your confidence. Like I said,
(09:48):
the doctors that I have educated, the staff that I
have educated, or what have you, they gave me grace because,
let's if we're honest, public speaking is like the most
fearful thing. People will touch a snake right before they
get behind a microphone. Again, people will touch a snake
(10:10):
before they will get behind a microphone because they are
being judged by their peers. Right, they are being judged
by their peers. No one wants to be judged. No
one wants to be judged. So I say, if your
peers allow or afford it you grace, it's gonna boosht
your confidence level. It is going to boost your confidence level. Again, Remember,
(10:32):
you don't know everything. I don't know everything. Even behind
me on this podcast, I don't know everything. Even me
with my years of experience, I don't know everything.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Even me still.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
What thirty something almost forty, I not not forty but
thirty something years in the game. I still don't know everything.
I I A but I give myself grace. I give
myself grace to know that, hey, I'm not perfect. When
we stop learning, yeah, when we stop learning, when we
(11:08):
stop giving each other each other each other's grace. Then
I pose a question, what are we doing with our life?
What are we doing with our life? Life is supposed
to be an ongoing, evolving change, growth, development situation, right,
(11:29):
but it's also in wraptant grace forgiveness. We understand human,
we understand that people are human, and we have to
allow that for individuals. And I say this again, if
someone will afford us grace, our confidence level will go
(11:50):
through the roof if someone would afford us grace. So
if you can understand that someone, I would say.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Read them.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
You know that they don't allow grace, then those are
not your people. Those are not your people. Find someone
else to mentor you find someone else to coach. You
find someone else who will allow afford you the grace
that you need.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
To make mistakes.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Now, I ain't going out. I ain't saying go out.
They just make mistakes all willingly.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Because you.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Mistakes are bound to occur. Mistakes are bound, they are
going to happen, and it's okay. Just learn from it.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Learn from it. Are you gonna learn it this first time?
After you make it?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
No? But you don't want to keep repeating the same
mistakes over and over and over again, because then that's
a habit, that's a routine.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
This is you, this is who you are. We get that.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
But if this is not who you are, you're gonna
make the adjustments. You're gonna make the correction. You're gonna improve,
you're gonna get better, and you're gonna get on the
microphone like myself, and you're gonna make jokes, you're gonna laugh,
you're gonna teach, you're gonna educate, you're gonna get in
front of providers.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
And you're gonna be confident in your skills.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
And you're gonna and and you're gonna be okay with
saying you don't know, it's okay.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
You know it's okay.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
And so I say all that to say is yes,
practice makes perfect. The next one is give your self grace.
If no one else gives you grace, give your self grace.
You know you're gonna make mistakes. And then again, well,
actually it boils down because you're asking for help with
(13:29):
your mentors.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Ask for help, ask for help. There are people who.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Who probably have practiced more than you, are more confident
you than you. In a particular area, learn to ask
for help. It's okay, it is okay now. I will
say that me asking for help that was a struggle
for me because I not that.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I knew everything.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I just I've ran and countered a lot of people
that did not afford grace.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Right.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
But I've over I'm overcoming that. Like I said, I'm
overcoming that, and so I'm I ask for help. Another
thing that has helped me is I use my strengths
to help me. I understand what my strengths and my
weaknesses are, and so my strengths are.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I again, I love leadership. I have leadership skills.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
But that came again with the practicing and the men
someone mentoring me and teaching me. I also learned that
I don't want to say I hate public speaking. I
hate the old traditional way of public speaking.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
I have no problem public speaking. I'm speaking to you
publicly right now.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
I love, I love, and I thrive off intimate conversational communication,
as in I can do this podcast like I'm talking
to my I would say my girl from my best friend.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
I feel like I bowl overwhelm, my training bowls overwhel
when I have more intimate communication. I don't have to
be dressed up. I don't have to be in front
of an audience. I don't have to be, you know,
skipping over my arms because I am an um girl.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
If you no, I am an um girl. I love it, right.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
But I'm most comfortable when I'm most comfortable. The less
ums you'll hear. Let me repeat that, because that just
hit me. The more confident, the more comfortable I am
in an environment or in a public speaking environment, the
less arms you'll hear.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
So yes, So people usually do.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Ums where they're not prepared or they're uncomfortable. I'm comfortable
in this conversation with you via my podcast, right, So yes.
Then that thing is I know my specialties. I know
what specialties I'm great at, and I also know what
specialties I'm not so good at, like general surgery of course, girl,
(16:15):
everything general surgery.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Right, So I'm comfortable comfortable with that. Do I know
all the codes? So all the general surgery proceisures?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
No. That just means I'm comfortable with it because I've practiced.
I've practiced general surgery coding for years. I'm credential. I
am a credential general surgery coder, So I am comfortable
with it. I know what to look for when I'm
doing general surgery coding. I know how to parlay or
regurgitate the information to my listeners or to my learners
(16:48):
or my students on general surgery coding. I've written a
book on it, not a big book like a novel book,
but I've written a book of practical steps on how
since I set the General operatunve report as released since
general surgery okay and it sells. I've I've trained coders
(17:11):
like as an as an as an auditor.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I've trained I want say I trained surgeons. Shoot, I've
trained surgeons on how to general general surgery coding.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
But I've also trained other coding colleagues on general surgery.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
So I've had experience.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Do we all do all of us agree other surgery coders?
Probably not? But you know I do what works for me,
and I thrive in that. So you have to find
what works for you, whether that is a specialty or
whether that is some other character skills that you may have.
(17:51):
You need to find what works for you and if
it works for you or you're thriving in that, run
with that, and the universe will bring things that are
in alignment with your strengths and allow you to be successful.
Now when I say that, now, we still have our weaknesses.
We are still developing, and we're still working on those things.
(18:14):
And eventually some of your weaknesses will become your strengths
once you have practiced and have perfected that. But until then,
you want to make sure you play to your strengths.
How do you like presenting? Are you a want intimate
communicator like myself or you? Or you for the crowds
or you for the streets as the culture will say,
(18:36):
I'm for the streets. I need to be in a
large group. If that's you, then you need to focus
on that. You need to work on the focus on
the things let me go back, Focus on the things
that are your strength that you're great at, and then
allow room to work on those things that.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
That you're not so great at.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Again, being a certified medical coder doesn't mean that you
know everything there is.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
About medical coding. You won't. You don't.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
You will forever be learning and I s and I
cringe when I said that, because I am ones like
you don't need a.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Whole lot of certifications.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I mean you don't, I mean you can read up
on it, you can research it, you can you can
take a course, a webinar on different areas especially, but
you don't have to become a certified in.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
It, not unless you want to. I choose not to.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Become certified in a whole lot of specialties. But that
doesn't mean I don't know them. That doesn't mean I
don't know. So yes, so let's recap. Have you know, like,
have grace for yourself. Definitely have grace for yourself. Practice, practice, practice,
and practice some more. Understand what your strengths and your
(19:52):
weaknesses are. Operate in your strengths, but at the same time,
continue to develop your weaknesses.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
There you have it.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
So that's it for the coded breok. I think we're
running over on our coding break.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
But there you have it.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
So again, how do you develop confidence as a medical coder?
And also I've dropped a blog post on this topic
as well, because some of us like to read and
some of us like to listen. And I'll probably do
a video showing my face so that you can see me.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Talk to you about this as well.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
So that's it for the coding break, and as always,
remembered to code on until the next time.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Toodles,
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