Medical Office Administration student applies real-life skills to BCCC Degree | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    As an employee in the Claims Integrity Office of Vidant Medical Group LLC, Kelly Sharron is charged with helping verify insurance claims submitted by over 200 medical offices in eastern North Carolina.

    Sharron recently decided to return to school to pursue an associate's degree in Medical Office Administration from Beaufort County Community College in hopes that the degree will enable her to move up in the company.

    But with over 20 years' experience in the medical office field, she was already performing some of the workplace tasks she would be going to school to learn.

    That's when her instructors - Debra Baker and Michele Mayo - and Stephen Smith, director of BCCC's Cooperative Program - stepped in and developed a plan that would allow Sharron to earn class credits for work that she does for Vidant Medical.

    This is the first in what Smith and others at the college hope will be an expanded Co-operative Program at the college that will enable students in business programs to earn academic credit for on-the-job experience.

    BCCC has offered Cooperative Education for students enrolled in industrial technology programs - including Automotive Systems Technology, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technology, Heavy Equipment and Transport Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology and Welding - and Human Services Technology for many years.

    These opportunities have provided BCCC students with valuable training and preparation for the workforce - which is why BCCC President Barbara Tansey wants similar opportunities available for students in other programs.

    "Cooperative education can be as valuable as the classroom in preparing our students for challenges they face in the workforce," said Dr. Tansey. "That's why I am pleased that BCCC is taking the first steps in expanding these opportunities for our students."

    Before offering cooperative education to her students, Baker worked with Smith and fellow instructor Mayo to review the Medical Office Administration curriculum to find a good fit for the program's first Co-Op.

    They wanted to ensure that Co-Op participants would receive the requisite training and maintain the program's high standards that have made its graduates so attractive to employers.

    "It's extremely important that we maintain our creditable reputation among local health care providers," said Baker. "But at the same time, we want our students to have this opportunity."

    Given Sharron's experience with medical records, they decided she would be the perfect candidate to pilot it and that the Records Management Class would be a good curriculum choice.

    To fill in one gap they found in the coursework, Sharron has been required to complete a research project that she will present to the class.

    Baker said she has been pleased with Sharron's work and commitment as a student and as the Medical Office Administration's first Co-Op participant.

    "Having a student of her caliber as the first one is an important first step," said Baker.

    The Medical Office Administration/Office Administration faculty in the Business and Industrial Technology Division at BCCC is working with Smith to develop other Cooperative Education opportunities for other students in the program and sees it as one way to encourage students already in the workforce to capitalize on their workplace knowledge.

    "It would be a big motivation for someone to come back to school with the knowledge they already have and receive credits towards earning a degree," Baker said. "Plus, by offering more Cooperative Education, we are building relationships with employers to have a pool of qualified applicants for jobs."
Pictured above, left, Lead Medical Office and Office Administration Instructor Debra Baker, reviews the curriculum with Kelly Sharron, the first Medical Office Administration student at BCCC to earn course credit in the program through Cooperative Education.


    Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.