
Janica Thompson is a clinical customer service representative and is currently in the Revenue Cycle Management Academy.
I’ve always wanted to work for Johns Hopkins and began applying when I was in high school.
I’ve had a lot of family over the years work at Hopkins, including my mom, my aunt and cousins. My biggest role model is my brother, Edward McKay Jr., who’s worked here for over 20 years. He started in environmental services and worked his way up to becoming a surgical tech under Ben Carson.
Once The Johns Hopkins Hospital opened its Zayed building, my brother told me to apply because the building was new and the hospital would need workers. I applied for the environmental services position in February of 2012 and was hired in April.
I wanted my foot in the door and I thought this was the perfect place to start.
I worked for about four years in an office area. I enjoyed the relationships I built with everyone but I felt limited in that position.
With the encouragement and a great letter of recommendation from my manager, I got a new job as a unit associate (UA). My role was to ensure the unit runs smoothly. Dealing with equipment, helping nurses, pharmacy runs, having everything stocked, taking patients downstairs for discharge, etc.
Within my first two weeks of being a UA, I experienced a code blue, which is cardiac/respiratory arrest, in my unit. This was my first time really experiencing hospital culture.
Nurses would always tell me that I would be a good clinical customer service representative (CCSR) and that I should apply for that position. After serving as a UA for nine month, I obtained my current role: clinical customer service representative. I am the center for the whole unit. I sit at the front desk and deal with patients, doctors and nurses. I’m here to answer their questions and to assist them.
It was a natural transition from being a UA to a CCSR. Unit associates always covered the desk for CCSRs during their breaks, so I already knew the job a little bit.
I’ve been a clinical customer service representative since February of 2017, so next year will be two years for me.
I try to be that person that helps with anything. Nurses get busy and I try to keep things running smooth. It used to be challenging in the beginning because you have to juggle everything at once. You might have this person asking you to do something, you have a phone ringing, a patient is calling. I always push through it and prioritize.
I just got into the Revenue Cycle Management Academy. I have been interested, and my manager felt like I would be a good candidate for this program. It’s 12 weeks of training about how the hospital’s finances work.
With this, I’m leaning more toward finance, health care administration or business administration as a job in my future.
A lot of people feel like they are at a standstill in a position they don’t want to be in. Get out there and look into your resources. The possibilities at Hopkins are endless.
--As told to Sarah McCormick
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