Occasionally you'll hit a really tough part of your course and you'll want to have a mini-meltdown.
1. Send an e-mail with your question(s) and then keep moving forward with the next thing. Review the guidelines still one more time. Read them out loud. Even type them out. You may have an 'aha!' moment.
2. Get your calendar and make a note 3 weeks from today. Let's pretend, for the sake of our discussion, that your mini-meltdown is related to MENTAL DISORDERS or NEOPLASMS (for coding students) and LABORATORY REPORTS (for medical transcription students). Your note should say something like, "If I am still having trouble with [insert topic of mini-meltdown], send more follow-up questions to my instructor and explain that I've had this problem for 3 weeks now and it's still bothering me." Even put a frowny face on there if it helps. Then, move forward with the next thing.
Most of the time when I ask students how they are doing on those horrible problems, they say, "What problem? I'm not having any problem." I remind them, "The problem with Neoplasms." They usually say, "Oh that! Something just 'clicked' and I'm not having a problem with it now.
Also remember that you are learning at the professional level, the level that experienced coders are at on the job, not the introductory level taught in most courses. That means that it IS difficult, but it's worth doing.
Try the calendar technique. Why? Once you've written the note, that energy you were wasting on how to respond to that problem is now released so you can move forward in a more productive way. You can wait and take action in 3 weeks if it's still a problem. You don't have to lose sleep about it.
I love this! Thanks, Linda! I've had my moments! :)
Thank you Linda! I just finished my Kuehn review and it was tough!! I'm still trying to grasp E/M, but little by little it is making more sense to me. I know you told me that I would get to that wanting to scream (or cry) part, and it definitely hit me when I hit E/M! I'm finishing module 2 today though and it's a great feeling! I can do this! Thanks for all your encouragement!
Such great advice. I, too, have felt like throwing the books out the window and thought I would never get something. It is amazing when you close the books, get up and walk away and come back the next day how much clearer everything is. The trick is to know when to get up and walk away instead of sitting there frustrating yourself.
And where was this information when I was having my meltdowns... :)
You can also call me up at the office in these cases! I may not be able to help much with the specific topic you're having trouble with, but in many cases I can at least help you get your thoughts in order to be able to send that email with questions for your instructor, or I can give a pep talk if that's what you're needing instead. As long as you aren't actually screaming on the phone, I'm happy to play sounding board and/or cheerleader for you!
**If you can't get hold of me on the phone, I promise I'm not avoiding you - I'm probably just already on the line with someone else, answering questions or providing assistance. Send me an email to let me know you're trying to get hold of me, and I can either arrange a meeting by phone with you where you're guaranteed my time or get back to you as soon as I'm available again, whichever you prefer.
Glenda is a wonderful person to talk you off the cliff . LOL
I have had some medical challenges the past 3 months and get so mad at myself when I do well on the assignments then push to do the test and make silly mistakes ( notice I said silly not dumb ) I have learned to the assignments, take a break then do the test the next day. seems to work for me.
Also remember that our courses teach at the professional level, the level required to pass credentials exams, the level required to pass employment tests. That means it HAS to be difficult, but it is certainly do-able if you power through the hard parts. Our courses are definitely not wimpy old "Introduction to" courses. We're teaching marketable skills, not just handing you a fish, but teaching you how to fish. We'll keep working with you as long as you are working with us toward that goal.
Knowing this is taught at a professional level makes me feel better, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and lost at this point! I'm in Module III, Section 3 and working on the CCW exercises. I didn't do as well as I had hoped on the coding exam in section 2, 89%, or the Kuehn review, 83%, and I just feel like I need to go back and re-learn everything again because, even though I know I learned it before, I feel like I can't remember it! It worries me because I see others talking about how hard the next coding exams in Module III are, and I'm having trouble with the first couple. I did pretty well up until near the end of Module II and feel like I hit a brick wall when I hit E/M and the Kuehn review and then the CCW exercises. I'm determined to do this though and will keep moving forward! I'm glad we are all here to encourage each other!
Cynthia, it might shock you to know that the grade is not the most important thing in this course. The important thing is if you learned the concepts that were being taught, even the ones you missed. If you just glanced at your errors and went on, that would be terrible! The system is set up so you can't do that though.
By the way, if other students and graduates were talking to you, they would say that Modules I and II were hard! Almost everyone feels the same way you do.
You said you hit a brick wall in E/M? You know what? I think E/M should be outlawed. Okay, maybe not that extreme but it IS hard, maybe the hardest of all for me personally. I have to be able to relate to any topic I'm studying, and for some reason it was difficult for me to relate to E/M. I thought that whoever invented it must have been on hallucinatory drugs. However, there is a time when one must come to the realization that it's there and we have to deal with it. So, we POWER THROUGH, as you are doing. You can do this!
Great way of putting it, Linda!! I feel just like you, about E/M! I still hate it, but have to deal with it, because it's a part of the total coding ball of wax! It does help to analyze our errors, and I agree with you on that one too!
Cynthia, I'm in section 8 of Module III and I'm feeling much the same way you are, so know you're not alone! However, anything worth obtaining, is going to take effort, time and maybe tears and lots of frustration in the process of achieving it!! Keep on going!!
Linda,
Thank you so much for your reply! It did shock me about the grades not being the most important thing! You really made me feel better, and I'm glad you told me to relax a bit about the grades and to focus on why I got the answer wrong and learn from my errors. It kind of takes the pressure off, and I will concentrate on just learning from now on.
It does help to know that others are also going through this and it's not that my brain suddenly quit functioning! :)
I'm so glad you felt the same way about E/M and I absolutely love how you described it! I keep thinking I have it, then I don't... I know it will eventually really click in solid one of these days, and I will keep powering through!
I'm excited to be past the halfway point and really looking forward to my future career in coding, and I know I will get there! Thank you to you and your staff for being so supportive! It really helps!
Cynthia
Hi Sara, Thank you so much for your encouragement! It does help to know that I am not alone and others have also struggled with the same things I'm going through.
Great job in getting to section 8! I can't wait to be there too!
You are right, it is definitely worth all the effort! Good luck in the rest of the course to you too! We have coding careers waiting for us! :)