Kelly Lane of Goldsboro sees her current job as the best of both worlds.

As a graduate of Wayne Community College’s Medical Office Administration program with a love for the medical field, she thrives as an administrative assistant at UNC Health Wayne for the Department of Corporate, School, and WISH [Wayne Initiative for School Health].

Lane became a certified nursing assistant through WCC after graduating from high school in 2017.

She enjoyed working in a hospital setting at UNC Health Wayne and considered attending nursing school, but she became interested in the College’s Medical Office Administration program after speaking with LaRose Brock, department chair of the program.

A program with vast opportunities
WCC’s Medical Office Administration program prepares students to work as administrative assistants in a variety of medical settings.

It offers an associate in applied science degree, diploma, and several related certificates. Medical administrative assistants are always in demand and can earn an average salary of $38,860 in North Carolina.

“I love the medical field, but this career allowed me to work at a desk, which I like as well,” Lane said.

Medical Office Administration students can complete the program online, in an in-person classroom setting, or through a combination of both.

“I had a couple classes in person, but an online setting works better for me,” Lane shared. “The teachers were great. I just really enjoyed my experience.”

Overcoming challenges
The program’s online classes were especially beneficial to Lane as she is hard of hearing, but she received support in her traditional seated classes as well.

“The College offered as many resources as I needed,” Lane said. “The teachers made the effort to write their notes on the board and print out their lecture notes to let me read them. They really went out of their way to make me feel comfortable.”

Another challenge Lane faced was working and attending school while expecting a baby; however, she pushed through the obstacles to complete her goal.

“The hospital works very well with WCC, so they were able to fit my schedule around my classes. There were days where it was hard,” she admitted. “But, I knew this was something I wanted to do.”

Using the degree
Lane graduated with her associate’s degree and several of the program’s certifications in 2021.

Last year, she began her current administrative assistant role at UNC Health Wayne’s Department of Corporate, School, and WISH.

Lane handles the administrative tasks for nurses in schools and corporate settings, including payroll, billing corporate clients, ordering office supplies, creating the nurses’ schedules for the week, and conducting contract reviews.

Lane said she learned “so many different things” at WCC that help her in her job, like the process for billing clients, budgeting, filing and organizing, maintaining spreadsheets, and understanding medical terminology.

“This is really where I’ve been using my degree,” she said.

Setting an example
As the mother of a five-year-old daughter, Lane said the transition to an office setting provided a better schedule for her to care for her family. “I wanted to be able to take my daughter to school and pick her up, and this job allows me to do that,” she said. “It gives me enough balance as a mom to be there for her and for every milestone.”

Lane is looking into pursuing a bachelor’s degree in office administration, but she’s also still considering attending nursing school in the future. Whichever path she chooses, she wants to set an example of hard work and perseverance for her daughter.

“If you have the mindset to earn a degree, anybody can do it,” Lane said.