Note from the CCDS Coordinator: Do you know where you’re going?
By Penny Richards
From the “Oh, no!” files, here’s a story about a Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) exam candidate who missed the exam because he went to the wrong address.
The candidate scheduled his test in a large city that just happens to have two H&R Block offices on the same street. He went to the wrong office.
The nice people in the wrong office gave him a note that explained he had arrived on time, albeit to the wrong office. He got into his car and headed up (down?) the same street to the correct office, but arrived late. Exam policy states that late candidates are not permitted to enter and the H&R Block staff had to abide by that policy.
Now we are busy trying to help this candidate reschedule his exam, but this unfortunate scenario begs the question; do you know where you’re going? What are the chances H&R Block would have two offices on the same street in a large city? Who knows.
It can be easy to mix up an address when you’re anxious about something as important as a certification exam. Is it 10th Street or 104th? Elm Street or Walnut Avenue? Exit 52 or 54? East Main Street or West Main Street?
The bottom line is you need to know where you are going and how to get there. It’s a good idea to know an alternate route, too, in case you run into traffic or a road closure.
Allow yourself more than plenty of time to arrive on time. It’s better to sit and wait a bit before your test. Relax with a cup of tea or get your game on with a double shot of expresso.
You’ve worked hard to get to this moment on your CCDS journey. Don’t let a missed appointment derail your success.
Editor’s note: Richards is the CCDS Coordinator at ACDIS. Contact her at prichards@acdis.org. For tips about what to expect on the day of your CCDS exam, click here.