Recent VGCC grad found success in college’s Medical Office Administration program

Melanie Slaton of Henderson graduated from Vance-Granville Community College in the spring, and her education quickly led to a successful career start. She recently reflected on her experience.

“My journey at Vance-Granville started in 2017 when I began my junior year of high school,” Slaton recalled. She enrolled in classes through the Career & College Promise program, which provides opportunities for qualified high school students to take certain courses, tuition-free. “During the two years in this program, I realized that this was where I wanted to attend college when I graduated from high school,” Slaton said. She then enrolled in the college’s Medical Office Administration degree program, with a focus on medical coding, starting with the fall semester of 2019.

“My next two years at Vance-Granville were made full by the amazing classes and fun activities that I was able to participate in,” Slaton said. “My classes were difficult, but they were made fun and easy to understand by the amazing teachers that I had, such as Mrs. Christal Thomas and Mrs. Hollie Garrett. My first semester in the MOA program, they invited me and the other students in the program to dinner so that we could get to know each other, and they talked to us about everything we could expect from the classes.”

Slaton recalled that her instructors provided her with tips for success and information about job searching, which turned out to be essential once she graduated. Along the way, she also participated in extracurricular activities like the VGCC Ambassador program and the Community Band.

“I then graduated in May of 2021 with my degree in MOA and with my name on the VGCC Dean’s list and President’s list,” Slaton said. Now, she was ready to search for a job with her newly-acquired skills.

With help from her VGCC coding certification prep class she had previously completed, Melanie sat for the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) test in March of 2021 and became a Certified Professional Coding Apprentice (CPC-A).

“Once I graduated, I applied to many different organizations through Indeed and after only two days, Recruiting Solutions contacted me about working with them and VBO (Virtual Business Office) as a third-party contractor for PWC,” Slaton said. “I interviewed over the phone and after two more days, I had the job. I am now working as a medical invoice auditor while working toward moving up into medical coding.”

Slaton concluded, “I loved my time at Vance-Granville, and if I ever decide to take more college classes, I know where I am going.”

The Medical Office Administration program prepares individuals for employment in medical and other health-care related offices. Course work will include medical terminology; information systems; office management; medical coding, billing and insurance; legal and ethical issues; and formatting and word processing. For more information, contact Candy Parker at (252) 738-3627 or parkerc@vgcc.edu .