Staff Spotlight: April Raber

NWWC Staff Spotlight

Name: April Raber

Role: Patient Care Coordinator (PCC)

Joined NWWC: July 2013

Personal Life: April was born in Yakima and grew up on the Eastside suburbs of Seattle before settling in the Snohomish area. She has two children: her artistic adult daughter, Tessa, and her recent high school graduate son, Talon. Her 2 sisters and 4 brothers are spread throughout Oregon, Idaho, and Washington and she just welcomed her newest niece, Maizie, on July 28^th.

Life Before NWWC: April has had many roles in the service industry including medical records management, childcare, restaurant hostess, and supporting an ophthalmologist. She became a certified medical assistant (CMA) in 2002 and was the lead CMA in a pediatric office in Mill Creek for 9 years. She joined our team as a CMA and transitioned into the PCC role in March 2018.

A Day in Her Job: As a PCC, April primarily supports Dr. Chock and Dr. Montgomery’s patients in navigating their preoperative journey. She attends information seminars to greet new patients, meets with patients during their surgical consults, schedules their appointments, ensures they are completing the insurance and program requirements, and works closely with the insurance team for submission. She acknowledges that the pre-op process can be overwhelming for patients. “I tell patients that anytime they get scared, I’m a phone call away. No question is silly.”

She compares her job to gardening. “You take a seed and tend to it, water it, and pluck weeds, such as anxious or negative thoughts patients might be having. Sometimes it’s painful and messy but it grows into something beautiful and adds to this garden. I love seeing my patients after surgery as they start blossoming.”

What Else to Know about April:

• She overcame a major phobia of needles to become a CMA. When she looked at needles, her ears would ring and she’d have tunnel vision. She and her friend Kim joined a CMA program together and Kim supported her to overcome her fear. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.” When she was faced with doing her first blood draw, she almost passed out, but she did it! It took 8 weeks of practice before she stopped having bodily reactions. In overcoming her fear, April was inspired to improve her phlebotomy skills to put other people with needle phobias at ease. “I wanted to be so soft-handed that you wouldn’t feel the needle.”
• In preparation to become an empty nester, she decided to pursue some hobbies. She had started learning to play guitar from her dad before he passed away. In June, she started professional lessons and is learning to play “Shallow” and “Broken Halos”. She has also thought about putting her medical skills to use in travel abroad missions. “I have not been brave enough to take the jump yet.”
• She loves hiking and camping in the Cascades and would spend even more time in the wilderness if she found an experienced backpacking buddy. “I love exploring new areas and saying, ‘Look where we get to stay tonight!’” If you want to be April’s backpacking buddy, let her know! She’ll bring the guitar to serenade you around the campfire. 🙂