Tara Butler always knew she wanted to earn her degree, but the timing was not quite right immediately after high school. After entering the workforce and getting years of experience under her belt in an industry where she found her passion, Tara was finally ready to return to school.
Discovering Peirce College
As an employee of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) at the time, Tara discovered there were a few colleges CHOP had agreements with that granted her a tuition discount in addition to her tuition assistance opportunities. After doing her research, Tara discovered Peirce College had what she was looking for.
Tara explained, “From the very first day I contacted Peirce the staff helped me with everything. They made it easy to transfer the credits I had from two different institutions. The tuition was affordable and I loved that I could complete my entire course requirements online.” Additionally, Tara found Peirce was set up in a way that fit her life as a wife, mother and full-time employee. She said, “I needed a program with flexibility and Peirce gave that to me.”
“When you are a student at Peirce you feel like you can do anything.”
A Passion for Health Information
After finding her niche at Peirce, she enrolled in the summer of 2014 in the Health Information Technology associate degree program due to her vast experience in coding and her desire to get more involved in the health information field.
Once her associate’s journey was coming to an end, Tara decided she wasn’t done yet. “Towards the end of my degree completion I thought about continuing for my bachelor’s degree,” explained Tara. “I found out that I only had about 10-12 classes left in order to get my bachelor’s degree in Health Information Administration. Why stop now? It was the perfect choice for me.”
So, moving right into the next step, Tara enrolled in Peirce’s Health Information Administration program eager to continue learning and growing in her field of interest.
After working hard and dedicating herself to her studies, Tara Butler proudly graduated (for the second time) with a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration in June of 2019. Tara, additionally, now holds certifications as a Registered Health Information Technician, Certified Professional Coder and Certified Professional Medical Auditor. She is an active member of the AAPC and AHIMA and she volunteers with the AHIMA Foundation Student Merit Scholarship Committee.
In addition to all of these memberships and certifications, Tara currently holds the position as an Audit Revenue Cycle Coordinator at Penn Medicine where she can incorporate her knowledge from her two new degrees. Tara hopes to continue to advance within the industry and land a managerial position focused on health information.
Looking Back
As Tara reflects back on her time at Peirce, she thinks of all she has gained as a student and now alumna. “Peirce helped me to become a better student, employee and professional. I learned a lot from my time at Peirce. I approach obstacles differently; I don’t run away when things get hard or when things don’t go my way; and I am constantly looking for more opportunities to learn and better myself,” Tara said. “When you are a student at Peirce you feel like you can do anything.”
As a two-time Peirce graduate, Tara has some advice for other working adults who may be considering returning to school, “Don’t wait! I made excuses why it wasn’t the right time to go back to school. It doesn’t matter if you can only take 1 or 2 classes a semester you have to start somewhere.”
Congratulations to Tara on all of her accomplishments! Peirce College wishes her nothing but the best as she continues to chase her dreams.