One of our students was reading some of the messages from others about how scary a certain section of the course was. She convinced herself that if it was that hard for them, she wouldn't be able to do it. Finally, after delaying as long as possible, paralyzed by fear, she started working on it and found that it wasn't hard for her at all.
We're all different. What is difficult for one person may not be for another.
Don't let yourself be paralyzed by fear just because others say a section is very difficult. Talk to your instructor about it and get some guidance through the difficult parts. That's why they are there.
This advice is excellent. Not coming from the medical field, I was a little apprehension about the course in general. It also helps to step away from what you are doing for a day or two. In Module 1, when I reached the coding part, I felt like I had hit a brick wall. I stepped away and when I came back, it looked very different.
It ALWAYS looks horrifying when you see it the first time! Even now, if I don't use something much, it looks horrifying when I go back to it!
I know, though, that when I start plowing through it, it will begin to look better. It's never as awful as I think it will be.
Valynda, you're absolutely correct about stepping away from it! Taking a break is invaluable. Sleeping is even better! Our brains are able to work things out all on their own while we're sleeping. Never underestimate the power of a good nap!
Also, go back and read the instructions, in detail, out loud. Even type or write them out. Sometimes you'll have a real 'Aha!' moment as one of our students did recently and many of you probably have done as well. Her problem was, she hadn't read the instructions carefully enough yet. When she did, there was no problem. POOF!
Do you remember thinking: "This is too hard. Impossible! Only someone with a heavy medical background could do it, so...I quit!." In probably more than a few cases Glenda has asked the student to read the instructions. When he/she did, the problem didn't even exist! The instructions said, "Don't do this part until the advanced modules of the course." Sound familiar? I'm pretty sure quite a few of you did that and said that toward the beginning of the course.
It's amazing how we (I myself in particular) make things harder than they really are. SMH. Yes, I sure do. :)
I love this post....heres an experience I had on my first exam in Module II. I thought I had to find the actual codes for the procedures but really all I needed to code for was the anesthesia. I struggled with the exam for 3 weeks and wondered why everything seemed so over my head. I kept procrastinating my studies because I felt anxious every time I sat down with my coding books. When I was about to submit my test (with all of the wrong answers) I finally realized that I had overcomplicated the whole thing by A LOT. I did the test over again and finished in 20 minutes....got a 90%. Asking questions would have saved a ton of time.....also....reading exam instructions helps. : ) My advice to other anxious students is to relax and remember that this program really does break things down into baby steps.
That's great advice, Amy! Yes, when you experience anxiety, that's the clue that tells you to ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR!!!
Another famous anxiety experience in Module II is E/M codes. When you see what the textbook goes on about, you'll have some misgivings, but it is just telling you a lot of things that you aren't going to need right now. You definitely don't need YouTube videos to explain them if you don't need them at all!