Wanda Charnock

I attribute my success to true family values. My grandmother always said nothing's ever given, it's earned, and nothing worth having is that you don't have to work hard for. I've always taken that to heart throughout my career. When I started out, I began working as a candy striper, then moved to registration staff, and worked my way up from the bottom. I didn't start at the top. I think we lose that sometimes. So many times I hear young people say they want to make more money but don't necessarily want to work for it. But I believe in earning everything through hard work and starting from the ground up to truly understand the work.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is that nothing is ever simply given—it is earned, and anything truly worth having requires hard work. My grandmother shared this wisdom with me, and it has guided my entire career. It continues to shape how I approach my responsibilities, decisions, and professional growth.

The advice I would give to young women entering my industry is to start by building a strong understanding of the fundamentals, because you cannot effectively do the work without knowing how each part fits together. This includes accurate patient registration, correct demographic and insurance data entry, and understanding payer rules and billing structures, such as primary versus secondary coverage and how situations like motor vehicle accidents affect billing order. Just as important as the technical knowledge is maintaining compassion—no matter how busy the process becomes, we must remember that each case represents a person who deserves to be heard, respected, and supported.

The biggest opportunity I see is making a change for the better for rural hospitals and rural communities. This includes helping to teach people how to choose the right Medicare Advantage plan or Medicaid coverage. So many hospitals don't sit with their patients during open enrollment and have those important conversations, even though they know best what medications that patient is on and what care they need. Hospitals should be having these conversations with their patients because they have the knowledge to guide them to the right coverage. This is where I want to focus my efforts in the next five years, helping rural communities and keeping rural hospital doors open, since they are the backbone of small communities.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are family, hard work, compassion, and community. I believe nothing is given—it is earned—and I apply that mindset in everything I do. In my work, I prioritize compassion, clear communication, and truly listening to patients, even in busy environments. In my personal life, I stay grounded through strong family values, including regular family time, active involvement in my children’s lives, and engagement in my church and community. Overall, I strive to live a life centered on responsibility, service, and meaningful connection with others.