Health Occupations Center Instructors/Helen Ryno

Ms. Ryno has been involved in the healthcare industry since 1953, following graduation from the University of Washington, with graduate work in Occupational Therapy Theory at San Jose State. Initially she was an occupational therapist in the Army Medical Corps, then in the Mental Health Program for the State of California, and finally as Director of the Occupational Therapy Department of Children’s Hospital for several years.

Subsequently, Helen retired from that field and stayed home to raise a son. She returned to the healthcare industry in l975, working as a Medical Assistant for a group of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons. She became a certified Medical Assistant/Administrative and was very active in the Medical Assistant Association serving as both a local and State President of that organization. She began teaching at the Adult School in 1980.

Ms. Ryno also became a Certified Professional Coder through the American Academy of Professional coders. In addition to Adult Ed Teaching, she is a Coding Consultant, Seminar Lecturer, and provides coding, billing, and reimbursement training to local physician’s offices and billing facilities.

In addition to teaching at the Adult School, Ms. Ryno works as an independent medical consultant, a PMCC instructor, an seminar presenter for Procedure Coders Institute, and an instructor at UCSD for “Basic Coding for Physician’s Offices.”