In this post: Work, baby, work!
Tuesday, April 29: Pam from Adecco called and said, “Are you ready to start work on Monday?”
GAH!
Very relieved to be official about it, that the background check is done and so quickly, but also freaking out that it is now real. Really, really happening. Am going to work in a medical billing office. Really.
Oh dear!!
GAH!
Very relieved to be official about it, that the background check is done and so quickly, but also freaking out that it is now real. Really, really happening. Am going to work in a medical billing office. Really.
Oh dear!!
Wednesday, April 30: Have just decided to not worry about it. Thinking “Can I do it? Will I like it? How will I interact with so many new people? Will it be as horrible as I think?” just not productive or helpful. I will focus on one thing at a time. This task, this person, this room, this moment. That feels very grounded and doable. And it is just a job, not the defining moment of my life (if there is such a thing). Go in, work well and smile, get the paycheck and don’t fuss. Feeling much calmer and okay with it all.
Thursday, May 1: Happy May Day! Yay, it's finally May!
Friday, May 2: Doing errands to have lots of food ready, trying to think of everything I might need--am so out of the habit of planning for a work week.
Still not very familiar with Auburn, and the more I drive around, the more confused I get. It's definitely not laid out on a grid; there are so many curving, diagonal, odd one-way streets (there is even a street downtown that goes one way for a bit and then completely changes directions! Too weird!) and the river and a large tributary--yes, don't use the river as a guide, as you might actually be focused on a different river than you think! And there are some serious hills! There's one downtown that makes me think of pictures of hills I've seen in San Francisco, that just seems to go straight up and up and up. I've had some nervous moments in Philips's pick-up truck, which has a manual transmission, when I've suddenly had to stop at rather steep intersections. But then other parts of the city are quite gently hilly or flat for long stretches. It's quite a hodge-podge!
Still not very familiar with Auburn, and the more I drive around, the more confused I get. It's definitely not laid out on a grid; there are so many curving, diagonal, odd one-way streets (there is even a street downtown that goes one way for a bit and then completely changes directions! Too weird!) and the river and a large tributary--yes, don't use the river as a guide, as you might actually be focused on a different river than you think! And there are some serious hills! There's one downtown that makes me think of pictures of hills I've seen in San Francisco, that just seems to go straight up and up and up. I've had some nervous moments in Philips's pick-up truck, which has a manual transmission, when I've suddenly had to stop at rather steep intersections. But then other parts of the city are quite gently hilly or flat for long stretches. It's quite a hodge-podge!
Sunday, May 4: Am so, so sad. I don’t want to go to work tomorrow. I want to write, and now all my time will be about a day job. Doing the day job, recovering from the day job, getting ready for the day job, hurrying to get everything done on the weekends… I’m really worried about how to do this, how to not burn myself out like I did when I was working full time before. And I’m regretting all the things that I could have gotten done and didn’t get done. It’s all kind of depressing.
Also, eating Cheerios all day probably not helpful.
However, am so very thankful that spring is here—it makes such a difference. It’s like in the Wizard of Oz, everything starts out in black and white, and then suddenly it’s all in color! Chartreuse willow, bright green grass, azure sky, crimson tulips; yellow, green, blue, red—the world has come back to life!
Monday, May 5: GASP!….can’t speak…brain overload….can’t think….aaahhhhrrrgggg....thud.
Tuesday, May 6: Whew, not so intense today! Yay!
Monday was training all day, a whole manual of medical billing introduction, HIPPA, compliance, etc….I was glad that I had a lot of HIPPA stuff at my last job and that I had always taken care of my own insurance stuff—every little bit I brought in was me was helpful--felt like my brain would collapse.
The company, by the way, is McKesson, which is an international (although mostly USA) company that does medical equipment distribution and medical billing, with some dabbling in medical robotics. The Lewiston location where I am working (Lewiston is the city across the river from Auburn) is the medical billing headquarters for the company, a two-story building housing a maze of gray-blue cubicles and offices/conference rooms. There are around 450 people who work here, most all of them women (the 2nd floor doesn’t even have a men’s room, just two women’s rooms). I'm in a very small department of nine people, cubicled in the midst of the other departments that service specific clients. On the either side of my desk, I can hear people handling calls.
There are picnic tables outside the breakroom, and the whole area is quiet, away from traffic. And a lot of people walk! I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to go walk on breaks—this place is on serious lockdown and we aren’t supposed to leave the grounds except at lunch, and wouldn’t it look odd for someone to be wandering around the parking lot? But there is a health initiative to walk (pedometers, discounts on insurance, that sort of thing) and many people are out there going around and around the building and parking area. So, seriously big yay for that! After sitting for a couple of hours, I’m like a wind-up spring that has to be unwound or I’m going to pop!
Monday was training all day, a whole manual of medical billing introduction, HIPPA, compliance, etc….I was glad that I had a lot of HIPPA stuff at my last job and that I had always taken care of my own insurance stuff—every little bit I brought in was me was helpful--felt like my brain would collapse.
The company, by the way, is McKesson, which is an international (although mostly USA) company that does medical equipment distribution and medical billing, with some dabbling in medical robotics. The Lewiston location where I am working (Lewiston is the city across the river from Auburn) is the medical billing headquarters for the company, a two-story building housing a maze of gray-blue cubicles and offices/conference rooms. There are around 450 people who work here, most all of them women (the 2nd floor doesn’t even have a men’s room, just two women’s rooms). I'm in a very small department of nine people, cubicled in the midst of the other departments that service specific clients. On the either side of my desk, I can hear people handling calls.
There are picnic tables outside the breakroom, and the whole area is quiet, away from traffic. And a lot of people walk! I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to go walk on breaks—this place is on serious lockdown and we aren’t supposed to leave the grounds except at lunch, and wouldn’t it look odd for someone to be wandering around the parking lot? But there is a health initiative to walk (pedometers, discounts on insurance, that sort of thing) and many people are out there going around and around the building and parking area. So, seriously big yay for that! After sitting for a couple of hours, I’m like a wind-up spring that has to be unwound or I’m going to pop!
Business Professional much? Ohhhh, check out that lanyard!!
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Why, sure, I can do that! Am now corporate working super woman!
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Shoot! Too much time taking selfies...am late for work....!!!!!!!!
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One SUPER, FANTASTIC, AMAZING, WONDERFUL thing about this new office: casual dress code!!!!!! So, so relieved about that, as am so not “business professional” person, and on top of everything else, don’t want to use so much energy trying to be. However, am not at all comfortable wearing sneakers and jeans (yet?), and do have a business (ish) wardrobe, so might as well use it. Also, since I will not be sitting at a phone all day but will be meeting with new hires every week probably better to dress a bit up over down. My boss--who, by the way, is super nice--says it's fine to be casual, but I'm following her lead, and she doesn't wear t-shirts and jeans like some of the phone reps do. So.
Entering the large cafeteria is like high school or something—who do I sit by?? Will I make friends, and with whom?? Cliques and groups…it’s very odd…I spend all my breaks walking anyway, to counteract all the sitting and clear my head of insurance terms…so no issue there (I do eat--while I walk! Not enough time to do sit and eat--MUST WALK!) It was so funny today to enter the cafeteria and have one of my new coworkers call my name to come sit with her group--seriously, it feels like high school!
Starting to feel overwhelmed at times, but really did well sticking to the “just focus on the moment” kind of thinking, especially when I started to worry whether or not I will like the job or have enough motivation/interest to create presentations and teach them. Feeling grounded overall, just tired and brain-overloaded!
After I got home, spent some time just meandering down by the woods. There are so many fiddle-heads around here; so cute, like little groups of families or friends.
Entering the large cafeteria is like high school or something—who do I sit by?? Will I make friends, and with whom?? Cliques and groups…it’s very odd…I spend all my breaks walking anyway, to counteract all the sitting and clear my head of insurance terms…so no issue there (I do eat--while I walk! Not enough time to do sit and eat--MUST WALK!) It was so funny today to enter the cafeteria and have one of my new coworkers call my name to come sit with her group--seriously, it feels like high school!
Starting to feel overwhelmed at times, but really did well sticking to the “just focus on the moment” kind of thinking, especially when I started to worry whether or not I will like the job or have enough motivation/interest to create presentations and teach them. Feeling grounded overall, just tired and brain-overloaded!
After I got home, spent some time just meandering down by the woods. There are so many fiddle-heads around here; so cute, like little groups of families or friends.
Wednesday, May 7: Brother Philip driving me to work and picking me up all week, as the car he’s working on to sell (and let me use for awhile and maybe I will buy it?) still needs an “Inspection Sticker” which all cars in Maine have to have. Every car must be inspected once a year and everything the mechanic finds wrong has to be fixed in order for the car to be legal to drive. Philip fixed everything that one mechanic told him, but then when he took it in for its final inspection, a different (pickier) mechanic gave him a new list of stuff to do. So. Philip is being super about it, even getting up much earlier than he usually would…what a nice brother!!
At work, spent much of the day observing and reading, reading, reading…piles and piles of rules, regulations, pathways…so very nice to get home and enjoy the gorgeous weather, sunny and warmish. Went down and took more pics of the fern babies. Met up with little Haru, kitty friend from next door. He likes to roll around in the sandy pebbles, getting dusty and sparkling with mica.
Thursday, May 8: Am starting to like co-workers, very relieved by this. Am sandwiched between the two other trainers, and honestly wasn’t sure what to think of them at first--it's a bit hard to love someone who is leading a class that is frustrating you to pieces! But everyone has been very nice and helpful and welcoming.
Am starting to see patterns and learn things and so everything isn’t so uncomfortable and confusing. All the acronyms, though! A conversation or lesson can have a bunch of them peppered in, and if you don’t know one of them, then…the whole thing is lost.
For example (And I'm making this up--no idea if it makes sense or not): “No, see the CPT codes don’t match the ICD-9 codes, and that will get caught in the edit, but it doesn’t matter anyway because the MRN is wrong and so it will get sent back and we’ll have to NRP it.”
Seriously! This is how medical billers talk!!
I’ll be thinking “CPT…CPT, okay that’s..um…Current Procedural Terminology—I think” and my brain will try to place where, how, why that’s used, but then I’ve lost the other stuff being said, and might fall back into the conversation to hear “NRP it” and cannot for the life of me remember what NRP is. Or how it can possibly be used as a verb.
And I am supposed to teach this!
One thing that I’m relieved about is that does seem to be more interesting than I thought it would be. I just wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t find sufficient enthusiasm to want to learn or teach it...that would be beyond tedious. I don’t know how long this interest will hold, but I’ll take it for now. The other trainers LOVE medical billing…and I wonder, isn’t it an odd thing to love? But they like the puzzle of it, and I’m beginning to see why that’s appealing…I just don’t ever plan to apply the word “love” to any of this….but! I have also learned not to think that I know what’s going to happen next, because I hope that I have really learned by now that I really don’t!!!!
Am starting to see patterns and learn things and so everything isn’t so uncomfortable and confusing. All the acronyms, though! A conversation or lesson can have a bunch of them peppered in, and if you don’t know one of them, then…the whole thing is lost.
For example (And I'm making this up--no idea if it makes sense or not): “No, see the CPT codes don’t match the ICD-9 codes, and that will get caught in the edit, but it doesn’t matter anyway because the MRN is wrong and so it will get sent back and we’ll have to NRP it.”
Seriously! This is how medical billers talk!!
I’ll be thinking “CPT…CPT, okay that’s..um…Current Procedural Terminology—I think” and my brain will try to place where, how, why that’s used, but then I’ve lost the other stuff being said, and might fall back into the conversation to hear “NRP it” and cannot for the life of me remember what NRP is. Or how it can possibly be used as a verb.
And I am supposed to teach this!
One thing that I’m relieved about is that does seem to be more interesting than I thought it would be. I just wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t find sufficient enthusiasm to want to learn or teach it...that would be beyond tedious. I don’t know how long this interest will hold, but I’ll take it for now. The other trainers LOVE medical billing…and I wonder, isn’t it an odd thing to love? But they like the puzzle of it, and I’m beginning to see why that’s appealing…I just don’t ever plan to apply the word “love” to any of this….but! I have also learned not to think that I know what’s going to happen next, because I hope that I have really learned by now that I really don’t!!!!
Friday, May 9: WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!! I made it through the whole week!
Am so wiped out!
All I can say is, glad I get a rest for two days, and I’m planning to go back next week and take it one day at a time again!
Am so wiped out!
All I can say is, glad I get a rest for two days, and I’m planning to go back next week and take it one day at a time again!
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