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Am I too old to start a career in medical coding - Suzie

Posted: Jan 30, 2013

Dear Friends:

I am 56 and I am a medical transcriptionists of 11 years and I am very interested in broadening my career and pursuing a career in medical coding. I am interested in the Andrew's School.

I have two questions. My first is what is the future of medical coding, i.e., will it be done offshore in the future like transcription and will it be replaced by the EMR.

The second question is am I tool old for training to become a medical coder.

Thanks for taking the time for answering my questions.

Fondly,

Suzie

CODING - gltrgrami

[ In Reply To ..]
Your never too old, and certainly 56 is not too old. As far as a career in coding, at this point, I think it's a better choice than transcription. The only hurdle you will be facing is getting employment once you finish school and get certified. Most places want at least 2 years of coding experience. Who knows if it will be outsourced? I'm sure M*M is working on that too! Good luck to you ;-)

that's my biggest concern - not offshoring

[ In Reply To ..]
but I have read so many here and elsewhere saying they couldn't find a job once they finished the training. I can believe it, because I know we never hired MTs without experience either. Most of the students they sent over from the schools for clinicals were just not ready.

All employers prefer experienced applicants - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Employers prefer experienced applicants. This has always been the case in EVERY field.

Inexperienced applicants typically have to work their way into and up in a career field. This may involve taking jobs near to, if not exactly what, you aspire to. It might involve taking developmental or "OJT" positions.

There isn't anything wrong with that. You don't expect to STAY in those jobs, after all. You learn and move on, either moving up in that organization or into another one.

Yes, you do see a lot written by people who couldn't finish the job once they finished the training. What you do not see are the people who GOT a job--they are't disgruntled, so they don't complain on internet sites.

I know lots of coders who were once inexperienced, but they found jobs and leveraged them. I once had no experience in coding, either, but I took a we'll-train-you position at a hospital where I worked in something else, used my MT training to good advantage, and ended up getting higher level training than I would have otherwise, moved into higher positions quickly, and now I'm posting annoying stuff on the internet.

Several other people here were successful. One, in particular, had no MT or medical background at all, so she really began from scratch.

A lot of school programs do not prepare students well for working. That is true regardless of the field. You have to choose your coding program carefully in order to maximize your preparation so that you have enough to pass certification exams, pass employment tests, and make a good impression.

Not all coding programs are alike. The fact that they are called "coding" or have "coding" in the name does not mean that they teach the same thing. Some programs teach medical front office, not coding. Employers will not hire you into a coding position with that, but you might get a job behind a front desk in a doctor's office. Some teach only outpatient physician-services coding, which would enable you to get a job doing that, but would not prepare you for inpatient hospital coding. So, you have to be aware of what you're signing up for and, if you want to maximize your job potential, you have to choose the school accordingly.

Check to be sure that there are jobs available in your area. You need a lot of medical providers to support coding. Remote areas aren't really good for finding coding jobs, especially since remote work isn't all that common yet.

This is going to be just like everything else . . . you will need to really work at getting a job. It isn't hopeless, though, and I think that coding is perhaps better off than other careers right now.

There's definitely at least a few years left in it. - MT ''naysayer''

[ In Reply To ..]
If anything, I'd say it would be a better career choice for an older person than a younger one because of the likely eventuality of more offshoring in the hopefully far distant future. As has been said, getting your foot in the door would probably be the main issue, but that's going to be true of just about anything at our ages.

Reply - Amber

[ In Reply To ..]

No, of course not! You're not too old and I would very much encourage you to explore your options. You might want to look into getting ICD 10 coding training because as of October 1, 2014, the ICD 10 coding system will replace the ICD 9. So it's best to get a headstart while you're still ahead and get the training you need. :)

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