Finishing What She Started: Dallas Student Completes Decade-Old Goal at UEI
lma Guajardo didn’t expect to be starting over. After years of working as a property manager, loan secretary, and personal banker, she believed she had built a stable career path. But when a job situation left her feeling undervalued, she made the difficult decision to walk away.
For a short time, she drove for Uber while trying to figure out her next move. “I just didn’t know what to do or make of my life,” Alma said.
Eventually, she decided to circle back to a goal she had set a decade earlier, when she fell just short of making a significant career change. At that time, Alma had completed coursework in Electronic Health Records but didn’t take the certification exam. Now, as a mother of four sons—three of whom are adults—she saw a chance to finish what she started.
This led to her enrollment in the Medical Billing and Insurance Coding (MBIC) program at United Education Institute’s (UEI) Dallas campus, where she is determined to build a more flexible future for herself and her family.
Why Medical Billing?
Alma said her interest in healthcare administration wasn’t random. In many ways, it aligned with the professional experience she already possessed.
“As a property manager, loan secretary, and personal banker, the roles all fall under similar guidelines and rules,” she said. “MBIC feels right along those same lines.”
The structure, compliance requirements, and financial accuracy involved in billing and coding appealed to her analytical side. More importantly, the field offered something she hadn’t always had: flexibility.
“When my kids were younger, they were in sports and ceremonies, and I didn’t have time for it,” Alma said. “Working as a personal banker, I couldn’t always get time off.”
She wanted a career that would allow her to work from home or create a schedule that fit her life, especially now that her youngest is 14 and she has a grandson she hopes to spend more time with.
UEI stood out to her for practical reasons as well. The Dallas campus is about 15 minutes from her home, making it much more convenient than other schools located in downtown Dallas. “It was just more suitable for me,” she said.
Interested In Our Medical Billing & Insurance Coding Program? CLICK HERE >
Building Confidence Through Support
Alma credits UEI’s instructors and staff with helping her stay focused and confident. Although her class experienced instructor changes early on, she felt the various viewpoints actually strengthened her understanding.
“Each teacher put their own personal experiences into the lessons,” she said. “That helped us understand it in different ways.”
She especially appreciated the detailed explanations of CPT codes, HIPAA regulations, and insurance processes.
Alma noted that instructor Darilyn Johnson stood out by breaking down complex information in a way that truly made sense. “They go above and beyond to help you understand,” she said. “They make sure you’re knowledgeable and ready for pretty much any situation.”
Alma recently completed her coursework and is set to begin her externship at a psychiatric clinic. She looks forward to the hands-on experience of verifying insurance, posting payments, and processing denied claims.
“It’s different when you’re actually doing it,” she said. “By working on the back end, I’ll learn exactly how to process a claim when it’s denied and how to collect insurance information properly.”
By the end of her externship, Alma is confident she’ll be ready to step into a permanent role—an opportunity that has already been presented to her by the clinic.
It’s Never Too Late
For Alma, returning to school was about employment, but it was also about proving something to herself.
“Ten years ago, I was scared to take that leap of faith,” she said. “Now that my kids are older, I felt it was time.”
Her advice to others considering the MBIC program is straightforward: commit to the process and ask questions. “The teachers are detailed. If you put in the effort, you’ll get it.”
She added that staying focused on your “why” is the most important part of the journey. “My kids and my boyfriend have been everything to me,” Alma said. “They’ve been so supportive through all this, and that’s helped me keep going and finish my education.”
