After over 20 years in the healthcare industry, Tara Broadie felt knowledgeable and experienced enough to continue tackling her career without a glitch. But one day, she had an epiphany. Tara started interviewing and hiring team members who had master’s degrees and, at this point in her life, Tara only held a few medical coding certifications. This is when she knew it was time to head back to school.
Tara decided to seek out a college which would cater to all her needs, so once she finally made the leap of faith to head back to school as a working adult, it would fit her life. This is when she found Peirce College. “I was in search of a program that was flexible and which would allow me to have the credentials necessary to progress,” explained Tara, “Peirce had it all – catered to working adults, accelerated classes and CAHIIM-accredited, so I was eligible to sit for both the RHIT and RHIA certification exams after obtaining my degrees.”
“Peirce had it all – catered to working adults, accelerated classes and CAHIIM-accredited”
Starting Her Journey
Tara started her Peirce journey in May 2015 by chasing her Associate in Science in Health Information Technology (HIT). As of June 2017, Tara was proudly taking her first walk across the commencement stage. But she wasn’t done yet.
After gaining growth in her career, she found a management position that was exactly what she had been looking for, but there was one catch, “I qualified for the supervisor role with my associate degree, but I knew I was overqualified and I really wanted the managerial position offered. But, in order to obtain my dream career, I needed my bachelor’s degree,” said Tara.
So, keeping with her educational journey, she transitioned flawlessly from the HIT program to the Health Information Administration program at Peirce. During her time in the program, Tara said, “I gained a lot more confidence in my current role and for my future role. I developed necessary skills, knowledge and resources I never would have obtained without Peirce.”
Even after all her experience in the healthcare industry prior to coming to Peirce, Tara explained how she was, “grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow. I have been in this profession for so long and I started to think I knew everything and there was nothing else to learn, but then I came to Peirce and learned and gained more than I could have imagined.”
It Was All Worth It
After countless hours of hard work, Tara finally had her Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration conferred in December 2017. By January 2018, Tara received a call about her dream career she had been fighting for for so long. Tara said, “I would not have been able to qualify for this role if it weren’t for my degree. As soon as my degree was set, I got the job!”
Tara is now the Coding Manager for the Emergency Department, Outpatient Surgery and Observation at Johns Hopkins Health System.
Not only has Tara successfully completed two degrees and landed her dream position, but she also was the first at Peirce College to sit and successfully pass the RHIA exam. Additionally, Tara was awarded the Alumni Association Raymond L. Palzer ’52 Academic Leadership Award at the 153rd Commencement Ceremony.
As Tara reflects back on all her astounding accomplishments and achievements over the past few years, she shared how the Peirce community really helped get her here, “Peirce is a family. You spend so much time with your classmates, professors, advisor and staff members that you become a family. When you have things happen in your life, they support you and help to keep you going. You are not just a number at Peirce; you are an individual with people surrounding you who want to see you succeed.”