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#12957 - 01/16/06 03:55 PM
Question for Newbies that came from another industry
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Wannabe
New Member
Registered: 01/16/06
Posts: 5
Loc: Houston, TX
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Hi Everyone..first off-
WOW what a great forum. I'm so glad so many people are willing to share. I've learned so much from so many people.
My question is mainly geared to newbies who came from a completely different industry that have never ever had any exposure to the health industry...
what kind of research did you do, to know if this is the right job (coding and billing) and field (health) choice for you, without actually trying it out? How did you know that this might be a good fit for you?
I come from the airline/travel industry (13years) so this is all VERY foreign and SCARY to me. I've researched and read just about everything on the net about medical coding,and know this is a good choice for a career change. My biggest concern is -since I've never had any exposure to the health field ....how do I know if this is a is a good fit or me? I went to cosmotology school (1500 hrs) and passed the state board exam to be a licensed cosmotologist. Went to work and found out two years later that it wasn't for me and had to quit. I wasted two years of my life and $6,000. I don't have time or money to make another costly mistake again, so I'm really scared this time and anxious about my decision.
I don't know a single person who works in the health field and I've tried calling hospitals,HR and staffing services to see if I can get some first hand exposure to coding, but haven't had any luck. It seems like most people don't want to talk to you if you are just looking for information.
I went to Barns and Noble to look at some coding books today, and left feeling so discouraged. Coding looks soooooo hard and complicated! I'm wondering if I might be getting in way over my head with this?.... 
Did anyone out there feel this way?
Thanks ahead of time for any comments or replies.
Sincerely- Dazed and Confused
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#12958 - 01/17/06 08:31 AM
Re: Question for Newbies that came from another industry
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Linda Andrews CMT
Moderator-Andrews School
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 5006
Loc: Oklahoma City, OK US
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This is such a great question! I know that many people feel the same way you do. Most of our coding students have no background in the medical industry at all. Our course is intense, but students without a medical background are able to do very well with it.
I hope others will add their own experiences here because this is such a good question. Thanks for asking it.
Personal note: I LOVE coding! I hate numbers and math, but coding makes me feel like Sherlock Holmes. Challenging but rewarding. There is an answer and a path to get there. If I had to do it the way people do it who don't know how to code though, just look up a number in the book and hope it's right, it would not be something I would enjoy at all. Years ago I did it that way because back then people in doctors' offices and clnics didn't know better. It meant we didn't get paid appropriately for the work we did, but nobody told us that. 
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#12959 - 01/17/06 09:20 PM
Re: Question for Newbies that came from another industry
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Wannabe
New Member
Registered: 01/16/06
Posts: 5
Loc: Houston, TX
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Thanks Linda- I'm so relieved to know that others have done well w/o any medical background...whew! That's really encouraging and exactly what I needed and wanted to hear 
Like you said, I hope others will share their experiences too.
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#12960 - 01/22/06 04:51 PM
Re: Question for Newbies that came from another industry
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TerriCA
Junior Member
Registered: 02/23/04
Posts: 75
Loc: California
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Hi there!
I think I fit your mold so to speak. I worked for Ma Bell for 15 years before being bought out. Since I was considered a displaced worker, the company and government paid for retraining and I went to school for medical transcription. You know, I had the 'work-at-home' dream. After school, I started working at one of the local hospitals. It was actually a subsidiary that the hospital owned. Well, the hospital decided that the company wasn't making them enough money and decided to shut it down. Right around the same time, a doctor close to where I lived was looking for a transcriptionist. He was an ESL doctor (India), so I was a bit nervous. I was his transcriptionist for ten years.
Notice I said was? He's a GP and sees on average 68 patients a day, so he was my only account. His brother (office manager) talked me into coming into the office two days a week to do coding in addition to doing the transcription. This is something that I knew nothing about and was trained on the job. The two days a week ended up becoming three days a week. They then begged be to come aboard on a full-time basis, which I did starting in July 2005. The most difficult thing was trying to find someone to do the transcription.
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#12961 - 01/27/06 07:18 AM
Re: Question for Newbies that came from another industry
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Redpen
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 932
Loc: Virtual Oklahoma!
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Quote:
I don't know a single person who works in the health field and I've tried calling hospitals,HR and staffing services to see if I can get some first hand exposure to coding, but haven't had any luck. It seems like most people don't want to talk to you if you are just looking for information.
You may be calling the wrong people. Staffing agencies and hospitals in general don't know anything about coding, so the people you are talking to wouldn't be able to help you even if they wanted to.
The majority of directors of medical records departments would be very, very happy to talk to you about coding. Try going through the medical records departments at hospitals near you. You need to talk to the RHIA or RHIT in charge of the department, not human resources.
Your best bet, though, would be to find your local branch of the American Association of Professional Coders. They will have any number of people who want to talk to you about coding. You can attend their local meeting, in fact. Go to their website at www.aapc.com and look for the chapter in your area. If you cannot find it, email them and ask if they can assist you.
Your own doctor's office or clinic may have their own coder/biller, especially if it is a large office. Try asking there. They may be able to refer you to someone, too.
There is a question-and-answer board for coding at www.advanceforhim.com. You can read through the postings there to see the sort of things coders deal with every day.
Coding isn't accounting and it's not boring at all. It is more along the lines of sleuthing. If you enjoy reading, if you are highly detail-oriented and have a natural desire and ability to work completely accurately (slobs don't do well in coding!), enjoy working alone and without close supervision (coding involves little socializing), have a high tolerance for change and uncertainty, enjoy figuring things out, and enjoy learning about medicine and human disease conditions, then you'll probably enjoy coding.
And, yes, the code books are scary when you first see them. However, that's why you take a coding course! In that course, you'll be introduced to the books and taught how to use them. They won't look scary at all after that!
_________________________
Redpen
(The Andrews School)
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#12962 - 06/09/06 02:22 PM
Re: Question for Newbies that came from another industry
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JESSL
New Member
Registered: 06/09/06
Posts: 3
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HI. I have just finished my medical reception and transcription course in college and took medical coding 2 years. I looked for a job in coding and no matter what was turned down. Not that I didn't have excellent grades or I didn't know how to code. I was one of the top students in my class, I loved coding but it was because I had to experience. I have never worked anywhere. I am 24 years old and have been in college for one thing or another ever since high school. I take a course and finish and go back. Now that I am ready for a career and I can't find one. Is there any advice you have for a job in the medical coding field?
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#12963 - 09/18/06 03:16 PM
We sell Cheap Viagra ($1.41) and Cialis ($2.65) *DELETED*
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med_master
New Member
Registered: 09/18/06
Posts: 1
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Post deleted by Annie
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#12964 - 09/18/06 04:50 PM
SPAM ALERT
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haggis
Member
Registered: 04/29/04
Posts: 2631
Loc: Left Coast, FL
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When did MBs become the new playground for spammers?
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#12965 - 09/19/06 08:54 PM
Re: SPAM ALERT
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Mikaela
Member
Registered: 07/02/06
Posts: 721
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Aahhh....thanks Annie! There's the Angel I was looking for! Thank you so much! You've helped someone out there tonight, namely me!
I'm just gonna swallow the rest of my words and go on to take that bath! I promise this time! Not another peep out of me!
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#66656 - 04/06/07 10:06 PM
Re: Question for Newbies that came from another industry
[Re: Wannabe]
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guitarzan
Junior Member
Registered: 03/22/07
Posts: 44
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Wannabe, I'm a former trucker so I feel your pain. Like you I'm a newbie and I've been doing my homework on this field. Coding doesn't look all that difficult, but you do have to know how to use your reference sources. Other than that, you should be ok.
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Moderator: Linda Andrews CMT
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