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#85085 - 11/12/07 04:54 PM
New Grad-Certified-New Job!
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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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I'm pleased to announce to you our recent graduate who also is newly credentialed AND has her first coding job.That's almost unheard of for graduates of most schools, but our graduates are making it a habit. I love it!!! It's a very intense course. Surviving it should be worthy of a "I survived The Andrews School Coding Course" t-shirt. Hmmmm. I'll put that on my "To-Do" list.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! 
I won't reveal even her first name here, but she is welcome to do that if she wishes.
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#85142 - 11/13/07 04:22 PM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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Granny MT
Junior Member
Registered: 01/21/07
Posts: 60
Loc: North Carolina
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THIS IS SOMETHING TO BE VERY PROUD OF AND I BET SHE IS.... CONGRATS FROM ME.
_________________________
Life comes at ya fast, be ready!
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#85143 - 11/13/07 04:24 PM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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dlk091
New Member
Registered: 03/03/05
Posts: 10
Loc: PA
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That's great!
What certification did she receive and from where?
Did she have to wait before graduating to test for the certification?
Did she have any prior experience before testing or was this only after graduating from your school?
Is her job online or at an actual office?
I am considering this field and find your news to be outstanding.
Thanks,
Deb
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#85145 - 11/13/07 05:07 PM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: dlk091]
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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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I'll answer this with information about how two of our students did it, because it will be more helpful.
One student got one or both her CCS and her CPC-A right before graduating.
The student referred to in my original message got her CPC two months after graduating.
Both have accepted hospital positions which will be remote (work-from-home) positions after orientation.
As far as my records show, neither student had previous medical education or experience. Most of our students don't, although medical coding is an excellent career for those who do. Previous medical experience is not always so helpful in medical transcription, but it certainly can be in medical coding.
After reviewing my notes of students and their credentials, I feel like I am drowning in alphabet soup! CCS, CCS-P, CCA, CPC, etc. We have graduates with so many initials after their names they soon won't be able to fit them on an envelope. Their instructors also have that problem. Not a bad problem to have!
I'm having fun celebrating about this. Can you tell?!
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#85156 - 11/13/07 06:37 PM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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Barbara_J
New Member
Registered: 11/12/07
Posts: 1
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Celebration is in order. I had such great instructors who prepared me for my CPC-A. I also had confidence in my skills,
when I went to the interview.
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#85157 - 11/13/07 06:42 PM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: Barbara_J]
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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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Congratulations, Barbara!
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#85188 - 11/14/07 08:09 AM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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dlk091
New Member
Registered: 03/03/05
Posts: 10
Loc: PA
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Thanks for the information and have fun celebrating!!
Deb
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#85198 - 11/14/07 09:38 AM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: dlk091]
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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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Recently we're hearing from more and more hospitals across the country who are working to get credentialed coders in their departments. I'm excited about the potential for our students in meeting their needs.
In addition, some hospitals, especially in smaller communities, are sending people to our coding program (and other programs as well, I'm sure) because they can't recruit credentialed coders from their area. They have to be proactive and produce the coders they need. They take employees who work for the hospital either in coding or unrelated positions and send them to us so we can prepare them for not just a coding career, but coding certification. Our program is ideal for this purpose because it's designed to help students get the training they need to be prepared for coding certification exams. We've had excellent success with that. We're not perfect, but our coding graduates are making us look really good.
I've been enthusiastic about medical transcription for years. That continues to be the case. Our MT graduates tend to get a number of good job offers when they graduate. Now I'm seeing exciting things happen with coding. That means that potential students who just aren't suited for transcription can also train for a career in which they may eventually be able to work from home. Some are doing that already. {sigh} Even though I would rather stay here and talk about the coding program because that's where my mind is right now, I'd better take my enthusiasm back to my e-mail and get some work done. Thanks everyone for allowing me to bubble over with enthusiasm. Those of you who know me know that I am passionate about my work. Those of you who don't know me, please ignore and forgive. 
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#85477 - 11/18/07 12:03 PM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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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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One of my graduates just wrote this to the other students on our private, instructional message board. I asked her if I could post it here and she said I could. It describes the course in just a few short words. I like the way she did that. Here it is.
"Andrews provides an education that teaches not only the fundamentals but the discipline needed to achieve goals of certification. I know others who have taken the classes at a community college. My experience with Andrews meant everyday I had to work on my studies. My friends were Faye Brown and Carol Buck.[These are books.] The medical terminology, A&P and pharmacology were intense. I respected my instructors. had a relationship with them and knew that a "B" wasn't good enough. The instructors were thorough and helped me learn from my mistakes.The boards are a support group."
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#86191 - 12/01/07 11:25 AM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: Linda Andrews CMT]
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MoinSF
New Member
Registered: 12/01/07
Posts: 1
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I am due to graduate in 2 weeks with an AS in HIT and plan to take the RHIT exam. The subject of getting the CCS credential ASAP has been one of great debate. I have spoken with many coders and as you would expect have gotten different opinions regarding this. I was also told it was better to get your CCS after you have been on the job for a while. I am extremely interested in getting your opinion. I have been doing my internship and completing GE classes this semester. Even though I am completing the HIT program I still plan to attend to school as I would eventually like to get a BS and in order to accomodate that would like to continue to have the flexibility I have now as I work remotely as a QA editor. I want to work if at all possible from home.
Here are my questions: If I want to take the CCS exam are there any books you would recommend to use for review? We used Carol Buck for my CPT class. Should I purchase the latest edition of Faye Brown as it has been over a year since I was in coding class? What do you think of the Clinical Coding Workout book? Should I review the coding clinics?
I have been a MT for 20 years and thought my background would help secure a job, however, I have heard that most places want 2-3 years experience.
Thank you in advance for any help in this regard.
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#86236 - 12/01/07 05:30 PM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: MoinSF]
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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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I can only speak for our graduates, but I like for them to go for certification as soon as possible. One reason to work for a time first would be if the course were limited in some way and work experience would fill in where the course left off.
Obviously, any coding graduate is going to be smarter and have better skills after they have worked for a while. It may be more difficult to find a job though without that certification.
While work experience is always going to be different from class experience, we have made our course as close to the on-the-job experience as possible. Yours may have done that too. Most, on the other hand, are just textbook study with very little practical application. Ours is very heavy on practical application. I think that's a big difference. You'll know whether yours provided enough practical application that you feel confident about sitting for the certification exam.
In the same way, some courses will make graduates work-ready and others will not. Since our students are being instructed by someone who gives them very close to the same experience new coders get from her on her other job, there isn't a reason for them to wait. Without that, the on-the-job work experience would definitely be helpful before sitting for the CCS exam.
As far as the books are concerned, I would probably recommend that you review the ones you used in school. Others might have a different opinion about that and I don't mind a bit if they would like to post here disagreeing with me.
I'm answering this question with an enormous amount of noise and distraction in the background. I hope I haven't confused you more than helped. If so, please write again and I'll try again.
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#87433 - 12/26/07 10:22 PM
Re: New Grad-Certified-New Job!
[Re: MoinSF]
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Redpen
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 914
Loc: Virtual Oklahoma!
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I am due to graduate in 2 weeks with an AS in HIT and plan to take the RHIT exam. The subject of getting the CCS credential ASAP has been one of great debate. I have spoken with many coders and as you would expect have gotten different opinions regarding this. I was also told it was better to get your CCS after you have been on the job for a while. I am extremely interested in getting your opinion. I have been doing my internship and completing GE classes this semester. Even though I am completing the HIT program I still plan to attend to school as I would eventually like to get a BS and in order to accomodate that would like to continue to have the flexibility I have now as I work remotely as a QA editor. I want to work if at all possible from home.
Here are my questions: If I want to take the CCS exam are there any books you would recommend to use for review? We used Carol Buck for my CPT class. Should I purchase the latest edition of Faye Brown as it has been over a year since I was in coding class? What do you think of the Clinical Coding Workout book? Should I review the coding clinics?
The reason you are advised to get 2 years' experience prior to taking a coding certification exam is that, historically, grads of both 2 and 4-year health information programs do not pass coding certification exams right away. The RHIT and RHIA exams, according to AHIMA, demonstrate entry-level skill in coding, while the coding exams demonstrate mastery-level skill.
Take the RHIT and see how you do. Then, start working on preparing for the coding exams. Be clear about which one you want to take. The CCS tests INPATIENT coding skills. Most ICD-9 coding courses mix up inpatient and outpatient coding, so students end up a bit confused. (One reason they can't pass the coding exams.) You probably had more class time working on outpatient coding--that's what Carol Buck's CPT material teaches. (Check the test content on the AHIMA website.)
You might be better off starting with the CCS-P. See how you do on the coding portion of the RHIT exam. The AAPC's CPC exam is also outpatient coding, but they require 2 years of experience before they will give you the full credential.
If you have not already done Clinical Coding Workout, you should. Marsha Diamond's Medical Coding Practice and Review is also very good. Doing both of them wouldn't hurt. In fact, if you have not been in a coding class for more than a year, you NEED to do both of them.
Traditionally, coders have been advised to review Coding Clinic prior to testing. Texts like Faye Brown, though, tend to include the critical information from Coding Clinic. You might want to get a new Faye Brown if yours is a 2005 or 2006. The Ingenix code update books are handy, too. They will tell you the details on new codes for each year.
_________________________
Redpen
(The Andrews School)
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Moderator: Linda Andrews CMT
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