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#101770 - 06/26/08 12:53 PM
MT or Coding?
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mshershey
New Member
Registered: 06/17/08
Posts: 7
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I am hoping to take one of these courses through Andrews School sometime in the near future.
I was hoping maybe some of you can offer your opinion on which career would be the most tangible and have the most longevity. I realize no one can predict the future, I’m just asking for opinions.
A little background. I am 45 years old and have 23 years work experience in furniture manufacturing administration. Due to the decline in furniture I am looking to change careers. I view the medical field to be a fairly stable market and hope the transfer to this field will keep me employed to retirement.
Of course I’m like everyone else and would love to work from home, but I realize that those jobs are hard to come by and I need to get in house training first. I would really like to do one of these careers part-time to begin with while I am still employed full time in furniture. Then when I get my experience, move to full-time. Is this even a feasible idea?
Seven years ago I purchased the MT course through At Home Professions. Well, as you all know that was a mistake. After I enrolled I found this board and realized what a mistake I made. I got half way through the course got discouraged and quit. I don’t want to make that mistake again.
I look forward to your replies and am excited about starting a new chapter in my life.
Tracy
Edited by mshershey (06/26/08 12:54 PM)
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#101788 - 06/26/08 01:36 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: mshershey]
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baldymom
Member
Registered: 02/26/04
Posts: 628
Loc: Hampton Roads - Va
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I'll give my short answer and then someone can come along and correct me or elaborate.
Coding is more stable. That's definitely not going anywhere. But there are little to no at-home coding jobs. Those are in-house. At least right now.
MT you can do from home, and certainly from the start with Andrews. You would not have to work in-house to gain your experience if you graduated from that course. Of course there is a lot of talk about decreasing wages and speech recognition and editing those instead of straight transcription, plus overseas competition...things like that. But honestly, I don't think transcription is going anywhere any time soon.
As for part-time, that is easy to find. Many companies hire part-time, either as employee or as an IC. And I do not recommend hospital acute care accounts for new graduates if you plan to make more than minimum wage any time in the first two years you are a working MT. Others may have a different view.
Maybe some will come along and fill in any blanks in my tale.
_________________________
What would you do with a brain if you had one? -- Dorothy -- Wizard of Oz
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#101794 - 06/26/08 02:00 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: baldymom]
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eschar
New Member
Registered: 11/08/07
Posts: 7
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I have been working as a full-time MT for a year now (graduated spring of last year from a local community college program), and others have told me that my experience is far from the norm, but for what it's worth, the largest merit for me to MT is the production-based pay with quality incentives(if you go with a company that pays this way). I love the fact that if you really excel at your output and accuracy you can make far above average pay at this profession. However, on the other hand, if you don't get any work done, you don't get paid. As long as your company's compensation rates for production are fair and you use every tool to enhance production at your disposal (expanders, independent research, etc.), get a solid education, apply yourself, and have a natural talent for the profession (staying focused, good grammar and spelling skills, strong typing, etc.), you can really make a good living.
But that's just my opinion. I don't post a lot, but I just wanted to say that the same problems with MT can be positives and that there is something very rewarding (at least psychologically for me) about really earning my pay.
Edited by eschar (06/26/08 02:02 PM)
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#101995 - 06/27/08 10:28 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: eschar]
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TJill
Junior Member
Registered: 04/03/08
Posts: 26
Loc: New York, NY
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If you want either of these careers, my advice would be to go for MT. I researched coding and found that compared to MT:
1. There are much fewer jobs for coders. Even in NYC there are only a tiny handful of jobs and they want a bare minimum of 2-3 years of experience, one or more certifications, and sometimes a BSN in Nursing on top of that. (I just looked on monster.com for NYC (+30 mile radius) and only found 8 jobs for medical coders, located in either NY or NJ.) Say you live in a much smaller place, you might literally have to wait years for someone to retire and then with no experience, who knows if you will even get an interview. At least with MT, you are on track with a school that has a rep for getting new grads a job. I have read many, many complaints from people who took coding (even taking classes from the very same places that give the all important certification tests, not bogus schools), even taking and passing the entry level certification that is available for people with no experience. These people never got a job because they have no experience, not because their education lacked or because they couldn't pass the tests. As for the work at home jobs, it seems only a lucky few who already have a lot of experience get their employers to let them work at home in coding, while in MT, it's become an industry standard.
2. I looked into the offshore aspect of coding, and of course offshore rears its head with their firms very busy trying to take American jobs, rather than focusing on developing opportunities in their own countries, and I found out that people in other countries can take the certification exams too. Also, if the USA finally catches up to the rest of the world and institutes ICD-10, the offshore coders will have a very big advantage because all the schools here teach is ICD-9 (since that's what the USA is using). I have heard that it is much harder for the foreigners to become good MTs because it takes a more varied skillset and that there will always be a place for quality American MTs (which frankly I didn't believe for awhile due to offshoring).
I think with MT your desire to start out p/t and transition into f/t would work out. I think you have a lot more chances to get a job in MT, especially without experience (due to the good school you are choosing), than in coding. Coding is already being performed offshore and may very well be more successfully done by foreigners (as it is much more structured) than their performance has been as MTs, especially if the USA institutes ICD-10 because most other countries are using it, so the experience (and possibly quality factor) will be in the favor of offshore coding companies.
Edited by TJill (06/27/08 10:30 PM)
_________________________
TJill
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#102046 - 06/28/08 12:50 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: TJill]
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Linda Andrews CMT
Moderator-Andrews School
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 4950
Loc: Oklahoma City, OK US
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You've already received some good answers. I just have a second, but I'll add a couple of comments.
Our coding graduates, like our transcription graduates, have done very well, possibly because they take certification exams and pass them as soon as they are able after graduation. A few have become certified while they were in the last part of our coding course, before they officially graduated. That works too.
The employment part of it amazes me because they find their own jobs, usually for local hospitals. Nobody asks me for job placement assistance. One person did, years ago, and before I had a chance to answer her e-mail that day, she had taken a position with a local teaching hospital, with one of our graduates from years past. Most of the time our graduates do on-site coding for several months or maybe even a couple of years before they are sent home to code. Being sent home to code is happening more often now than it used to be.
I can't speak to the possibility of part-time coding jobs. I thought I was right when I said it would be nearly impossible to find part-time medical transcription jobs. {shrug} Now I know that our graduates do that all the time. They just never mentioned it to me because I never asked! Yes, it somewhat limits the number of job options a transcriptionists has to choose from, but those part-time options exist. The most popular way to do it is to take a full-time MT job with commitment to do a certain amount of work. As the MT gets faster and more experienced, they can do that amount of work in fewer hours, meaning they now have a part-time job. They can add more work if they want, but many don't. We haven't graduated enough coders who WANT to work doing part-time coding for me to say whether part-time coding jobs are easy or impossible to find. I just don't know the answer to that question.
ICD-10, which was supposed to happen 'for sure' 10 years ago and any school that wasn't teaching it was far behind, {grin} has not yet happened here. We are ready though and in fact, we've taught ICD-10 to several students who live outside the United States. That was several years ago. We now teach only students from the United States and Canada, but we are geared up and ready to go with ICD-10. We'll probably offer an update course on ICD-10 for those who graduated before the switch. All of the important things will be the same. The more A&P, terms, disease processes, pharmacology, etc., that one knows, the better. Those things don't change much. Understanding how each of those relates to coding will still be important. Those who know ICD-9 will be ahead of the game.
Overseas outsourcing is definitely a possibility, and if that happens we'll see the same problems that we've seen with MT. There will be an enormous amount of talk about it, companies will come and go, a few will stay, and others will 'experiment' around with it 'till the cows come home. The 'hype' about it will be a lot more dramatic than the actual facts. Those who have the best skills will have the most options when changes happen.
I've gone and done it again! I said it would be a short note. Typically for me, it isn't. 
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#102085 - 06/28/08 05:57 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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Redpen
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 914
Loc: Virtual Oklahoma!
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It might appear that there are fewer job openings in coding if you are looking on monster.com or in the newspaper. Most coding jobs announcements are placed in locations where people in the coding industry will see them, i.e., in trade publications, through local organizations, and by word of mouth.
I know of one facility that was looking for 10 outpatient coders about 6 months ago, and they were willing to take a certified coder who had no experience. I know of another that is currently looking for 7, and I hear of 2 or 3 a week from local organizations.
Any switch to ICD-10 isn't going to spur a mass exodus overseas. At that point, coding schools in the US will have been teaching ICD-10 and existing coderS will simply adapt to ICD-10.
It is a misconception that the entire knowledge base of today's coders will become defunct in the face of ICD-10! That's not how coding works. Probably 90% of the coder's skill set involves the ability to read, comprehend, make rational decisions, and juggle conflicting requirements. Assigning the code number, regardless of what code set it is, is the least of their worries.
Yes, much of the rest of the world has been using ICD-10, but they have been using it with medical care systems that are not much like those in the United States. Being already familiar with ICD-10 isn't much of an advantage if you have no familiarity with the type of payment systems we have here. The legal responsibility of the coder for what they code also tends to deter interest in offshoring--kind of difficult to hold someone responsible if you can't get at them.
_________________________
Redpen
(The Andrews School)
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#102142 - 06/29/08 03:36 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: mshershey]
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casagrandeMT
Member
Registered: 12/05/04
Posts: 1216
Loc: Casa Grande, AZ
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If I was starting out now, I would choose billing/coding.
This is not a good time to start MT as a career, IMHO.
Both MT and B/C require experience to start, but if you choose the correct school that helps in job placement, that should not be a problem.
Just my  .
_________________________
Casagrande ex-MT
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#102165 - 06/29/08 05:37 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: casagrandeMT]
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mshershey
New Member
Registered: 06/17/08
Posts: 7
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate it.
I see there are differing opinions. I'm still not sure what to do.
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#102187 - 06/29/08 07:58 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: mshershey]
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Redpen
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 914
Loc: Virtual Oklahoma!
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If you're interested in part-time employment to begin with, I think it will be easier to find a job in MT than in coding.
You also seem to be viewing this as an either/or choice--EITHER coding or MT. I'm not sure it has to be one OR the other. There is no finality to this decision. Most people shift from one focus to another every so often. We don't necessarily stay in the same, exact job. Jobs change and we change, too. We should always be learning something new so that we can advance and adapt.
Both coding and MT have a basis in the medical sciences. You need that for both of them. Every bit of MT training is transferrable to coding, so you won't "waste" any time studying MT. MTs make excellent coders, in fact, because of their familiarity with medical reports. Everything in coding just makes sense to them, they have well-developed research skills, and they can understand what they are reading.
You can do the MT program, start working as an MT, and then when you get comfortable with it, you can start thinking about learning some coding.
You appear to write well. That is a good sign for MT. If you type effortlessly and have the stamina to keep it up, then MT might be something to try.
_________________________
Redpen
(The Andrews School)
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#102214 - 06/30/08 08:11 AM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: Redpen]
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mshershey
New Member
Registered: 06/17/08
Posts: 7
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Redpen, thank you so much for that suggestion. That is a great idea! I would love to have knowledge and skills in both fields. Make myself more marketable. I think I will proceed with mt first.
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#102282 - 06/30/08 06:55 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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TJill
Junior Member
Registered: 04/03/08
Posts: 26
Loc: New York, NY
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Overseas outsourcing is definitely a possibility, and if that happens we'll see the same problems that we've seen with MT.
Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but overseas outsourcing is already happening in coding. I googled "medical coding offshore" and got 92,000 hits. I also went to several messageboards about coding and found people offshore (India, Pakistan, etc.) who are doing medical coding for US accounts and some of whom also have the same certifications available to US coders.
_________________________
TJill
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#102287 - 06/30/08 07:04 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: Redpen]
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TJill
Junior Member
Registered: 04/03/08
Posts: 26
Loc: New York, NY
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It might appear that there are fewer job openings in coding if you are looking on monster.com or in the newspaper. Most coding jobs announcements are placed in locations where people in the coding industry will see them, i.e., in trade publications, through local organizations, and by word of mouth.
That's good to know!
It is a misconception that the entire knowledge base of today's coders will become defunct in the face of ICD-10! That's not how coding works. Probably 90% of the coder's skill set involves the ability to read, comprehend, make rational decisions, and juggle conflicting requirements. Assigning the code number, regardless of what code set it is, is the least of their worries.
Yes I figured ICD-10 is not so different than ICD-9 that a person experienced with coding would have to relearn everything.
Yes, much of the rest of the world has been using ICD-10, but they have been using it with medical care systems that are not much like those in the United States. Being already familiar with ICD-10 isn't much of an advantage if you have no familiarity with the type of payment systems we have here.
Do you think that since the payment systems in the US are so different than what they are using with ICD-10 in other countries, that it may be that the US will just stay with ICD-9 and not switch? Kind of like we have inches and feet and everyone else has the metric system? Or like we have 8-1/2 x 11 paper and everyone else uses A4?
The legal responsibility of the coder for what they code also tends to deter interest in offshoring--kind of difficult to hold someone responsible if you can't get at them.
This statement is very intriquing to me. Is the legal responsibility of a coder higher than that of an MT? For example, do coders require malpractice insurance like doctors and nurses?
I ask this because it was assumed they wouldn't want to offshore MT either because individual MTs who reside on foreign soil are not able to be prosecuted by the US, yet you can see how much those who offshored MT jobs care about that.
I would say US coders might have this advantage: since what they do is so connected to what the doctors and hospitals EARN, the powers that be may not want it offshored so it can be supervised more carefully. However, with that being said, offshore outsourcing is now going on with coding just like with MT ...
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TJill
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#102291 - 06/30/08 07:06 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: casagrandeMT]
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TJill
Junior Member
Registered: 04/03/08
Posts: 26
Loc: New York, NY
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If I was starting out now, I would choose billing/coding. This is not a good time to start MT as a career, IMHO. Both MT and B/C require experience to start, but if you choose the correct school that helps in job placement, that should not be a problem. Just my .
Your tagline says "ex-MT" ... out of curiosity, what do you do now?
_________________________
TJill
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#102308 - 06/30/08 09:54 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: Redpen]
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mshershey
New Member
Registered: 06/17/08
Posts: 7
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Ok, I have a question but I'm not sure if I can word it right. So please bear with me.
I've been hearing from our overseas customers that they are just loving the imports that they are getting from the US right now. Since the value of the dollar is down their profit margin is up. So my question is, will the overseas mt companies attempt to cut rates even further? Based on the above analogy it would seem that their profit margin would be greater and they would have room to cut rates. As a result, a flood of mt jobs would go overseas. Does anyone see this as a valid threat? I hope I was able to communicate my concern in an understandable way.
As I've stated before, when I was enrolled with a cheap course in 2002 everyone was concerned about VR and outsourcing. As a result of all the negativity that I read and the course that I was taking, I quit. Now I see that there are still mt jobs available but the negativity regarding the future of mt has not changed. Why is this? Why are their so many doomsday prophets that are so vocal?
I understand that rates have been cut, but they have been in other industries too. For 10 years I was paid a set salary regardless of how many hours worked. At the beginning of this year, all salary personel were moved to hourly. We made our same pay as long as we worked 40 hours. However, with the decline of the economy we are now working 32 hours a week. So yea, my pay has been reduced by 20% and I can relate to pay cuts. It's not fun.
I fully anticipiate my employer to close in the relatively near future. I just do not see how they can survive this economy. To find new employment I'm sure I will have to make a career change. I'm sure with an entry level job in a new career that I wouldn't begin at anymore than $8 - $9 per hour at best. I live in a rural area and I would have to commute 25 miles one way for that wage. Not to mention that I would have to purchase a newer vehicle since my current one is 12 years old. So from my perspective, getting trained in mt and getting some experience under my belt and getting to work at home seems like a wise career move. Who knows though, I could be completely setting myself up for failure. God I hope not!
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#102312 - 06/30/08 10:25 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: mshershey]
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14tonks
Member
Registered: 10/25/01
Posts: 5931
Loc: Only 3rd world country in US
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You've got things exactly backwards. The dollar is weak and getting weaker. That means things made in the US are cheaper overseas; however, things made overseas are either more expensive in the US or the producer is living with a shrinking profit margin.
Overseas MT companies are producing their product offshore and are generally paid by contracts denominated in US dollars which are worth less these days against their local currency. That means they are either being paid less now or are having to raise their rates--and/or their central banks are throwing huge piles of US money reserves in their possession at the problem. (That seems to be the current case with India. There was an initial dramatic slide in the dollar against the rupee last year in which the Indian central bank refused to intervene because of concerns about inflation within India itself. Since then, they seem to have unlocked the vault and are now flinging boxcars of their dollar reserves into holding the current exchange rate. How long that will work is a question, of course.) In any case, a weak dollar puts upwards pressure on offshore rates, which will tend to make US MTs more competitive, not less.
If you think MT is the career for you in your circumstances, then my best advice to you is to get training from M-Tec or Andrews, which will at least guarantee you job offers in return for your hard work on the course. What you make then depends on where you go to work and how fast you climb the learning curve. From the sounds of other job opportunities in your area, MT may still be a very decent choice for you if you have the necessary language skills and are willing to invest in a good education.
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#102313 - 06/30/08 11:00 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: 14tonks]
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mshershey
New Member
Registered: 06/17/08
Posts: 7
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Boy! I say was I ever confused! I am so glad that the weak dollar could be in our favor!
Yes, after I get my finances in order I plan to take the mt course in a few weeks. That is the burning question right now. Should it be M-Tec or Andrews. What does each company have to offer that would make me want to choose one over the other?
M-Tec has a visible message forum, but Andrews does not. Why is this?
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#102334 - 07/01/08 09:02 AM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: TJill]
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casagrandeMT
Member
Registered: 12/05/04
Posts: 1216
Loc: Casa Grande, AZ
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Your tagline says "ex-MT" ... out of curiosity, what do you do now?
I am the Graduation Specialist at a community college.
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Casagrande ex-MT
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#102375 - 07/01/08 03:29 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: mshershey]
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Linda Andrews CMT
Moderator-Andrews School
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 4950
Loc: Oklahoma City, OK US
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but Andrews does not. Why is this?
My students and graduates requested that the school message boards continue to be kept private. I had considered opening them up and was leaning that direction. They presented a very excellent case for keeping them private amd I honored their very strong request. Also, since our boards at the school are intended to be instructional, keeping them private seems to work best for student/instructor interaction. Some of our students and a number of our graduates enjoy coming here too, although they tell me they don't have much time because they are focused on their work. The students are busy studying and the graduates are busy with brand new jobs, or not-so-new jobs.
All of the schools are so different from one another that there is no one way that is always best for all schools.
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#102407 - 07/01/08 05:55 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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viola33
Junior Member
Registered: 12/06/06
Posts: 34
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My students and graduates requested that the school message boards continue to be kept private. I had considered opening them up and was leaning that direction. They presented a very excellent case for keeping them private amd I honored their very strong request.
Interesting. I have been frequenting those boards for some time, and I have no memory of that conversation. I would not have requested that.
I have no information about coding.
Regarding what you might or might not like about Andrews:
- As I am sure you have found on this board, the academic training at Andrews is excellent, and its reputation speaks for itself among many employers. Informal discussion at other transcription forums also acknowledges this.
- There are supplemental materials available to Andrews grads who remain involved with the school.
- There is a definite, if unofficial, Christian orientation to this school that is very manifest on the message boards where most of the interaction occurs.
- Because the boards are closed and very tightly monitored and moderated, there is a 'clubhouse' feel to them. Some people apparently find this comfortable and safe. Others find it exactly the opposite.
- The technical support and training that are advertised at M-Tec are not provided at Andrews, and in contradiction to what is on the website, there isn't - unless it has been added very recently - "training" on expanders. I received a book on them.
Overall, in my opinion, the program earns its reputation for excellence. Had I the choice to make over again, I would probably have opted for M-Tec.
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#102438 - 07/01/08 10:09 PM
Re: MT or Coding?
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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mshershey
New Member
Registered: 06/17/08
Posts: 7
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Linda,
Thanks for clarifying this. I understand wanting to keep things private. Also, it is very encouraging to hear that graduates are too busy working to spend a lot of time on message boards.
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Moderator: Annie
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