Nicole Haynes is the Biller for the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater St. Louis (VNA), where she got her first job out of school. Nicole is a great example of somebody at VNA who operates behind the scenes, is integral to the running of the organization and is passionate about doing it.
Nicole developed her interest in finances and billing while in high school, first taking courses in accounting. Her teacher encouraged her to explore jobs in the medical field, and after finding it to be a good fit for her interests and skills, she decided to attend the St. Louis College of Health Careers. Her degree was in Medical Billing & Coding.
While at St. Louis College of Health Careers, Nicole was paired with VNA for an internship. She started doing billing for the flu program, but transitioned to hospice as that was more closely related to her degree. She appreciated the opportunity to get a feel for what billing was like at a small organization like VNA, so much so that she accepted a job there upon graduating.
“I hadn’t heard of VNA before I started working there,” says Nicole. “But once I started working with them, everyone was so friendly. I loved the people, and they made it easy to learn.”
As a behind-the-scenes employee, Nicole doesn’t always get to work directly with patients, but when she does, she is happy to answer their questions. “Whenever [patients or caregivers] do call with a question, being able to answer them and give them a little bit of ease is really my favorite part.”
Nicole has also seen VNA’s mission in action firsthand as VNA nurses took care of her grandmother. Her experience exposed a lot about the depth of commitment VNA has for their patients. “They actually do help and they care about the community and care about the people and the way they help,” says Nicole. “They took care of her when nobody else could. I see them do that for a lot of patients.”
Nicole has been a consistent and important part of the VNA team, and she is happy to be a part of it. “I’m most proud of being able to be a helping hand in the bigger picture of making sure everyone is taken care of.”
To learn more about our devoted staff, visit our blog to read their profiles.
