A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Coding Schools - where did YOU go? - InfoGetter

Posted: Jun 01, 2010

Okay, here we go again.....if anyone has attended a coding school in the last year, is attending a coding school, could you please post your thoughts (was it worth the money, quality, etc)? I know several people are still on the fence as to whether to pay the large sum to go to a private school (Andrews, DeVry) or attend community colleges in preparation to take their credentials in coding. I've been reading posts saying the education from all is basically the same, of course it is what you make of it, but I would like to hear from people who have/are actually going through the schooling. Thanks!

Community College is BEST. - end of story

[ In Reply To ..]
The for profit colleges on line are a rip off and your not going to learn anything better or faster. Beware of for profit colleges, and beware of short programs that promise you can code right after their program. A good coding program should last 18 months to 2 years, AT LEAST.

Community College - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Community colleges offer good programs and many of them have job placement assistance. I chose Career Step and am happy with my choice. It is the same curriculum that is taught by my community college of choice but by going with CS I do not have to be a full-time student and can work at my own pace. I work full-time as an MT so that is what is best for me. A coding program CAN last 18 months to 2 years if you take the math classes, keyboarding, computer basics, Excel and the anatomy and physiology labs. I already had keyboarding, computer basics, math and Excel so was just looking for the coding, the anatomy is included in my program but without the labs.

Why do you put Andrews in with DeVry? - Did the math

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm surprised that you would make a statement that Andrews is "a very large sum" and say it in the same breath with DeVry.

Do you know how much Andrews costs? Do you know what that includes? Have you actually tallied up the costs of these schools? Or are you assuming that a community college will be nearly free?

Someone below broke down the costs of Santa Barbara College, which is one of the less expensive ones. It came out to thousands more than Andrews.

Andrews is not even close to being the most expensive school out there. It just has a "reputation" on this board for being pricey, but when you consider that everything is included in that price it turns out to be very reasonable.

No school is best for everyone, but Andrews is a good choice for some students. You do the STUDENTS a disservice when you make statements equating them with DeVry in cost. Hearing that, they might not even consider Andrews.

Do the responsible thing and check your facts before posting. If you can't explain what those schools cost and what is included, you have no business posting that they're expensive.

Did the math - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with you on this. We had this discussion before and I didn't understand the reasoning. Someone was saying that they thought AHIMA and Andrews were too expensive but for some reason it was justifiable to spend thousands more for SBCC or other colleges' coding programs. If a person were to seriously compare the curricula offered by each school without the extra courses they add to stretch out the time, they would see that the education is very similar. Maybe it is because grants are available from certain schools and not others that the private programs are considered too expensive.

thats because the those colleges accept AID - -- so they cant afford 3000 grand outa pocket

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree 3000 is not that expensive for what you get with Andrews, but some of us do not have 3000 grand lying around, and must rely on financial aid to go back to school. in this scenario, it would only make SENSE, to seek out colleges like santa barbara who would accept the aid for the student.

make sense?

Works for me - No message - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

Did the Math - InfoGetter

[ In Reply To ..]
You know, I'm done posting to these boards. There is always at least one or two people who have to get nasty and attack the poster. All I was asking for is information on coding schools, good/bad/ugly. I have done a lot of research on all the coding schools but wanted to hear from people who have actually gone to them before making a decision. I didn't lump Andrews in with Devry on purpose, I know Devry is way more expensive. Its just obvious that a community college is going to be much less expensive than any other private college, whoever they may be. Okay facts police, happy now???

It is not obvious that comm colleges are the least expensive - way to learn coding.

[ In Reply To ..]
Sorry if you were upset, but if you are investigating school options, it might be important to get the right information.

It is not obvious that community colleges are the least expensive option. They might be less expensive than a private college, but it is not necessary to attend a college to learn coding. For some, it might not even be best to attend a college, because they can learn faster and get a job sooner with a less rigid program. Some people might be unable to even get into a college or might not have computer access good enough for it. Maybe they want to start now and the cheap colleges have big waiting lists.

You have to total all the costs involved in any program. When you add all the hidden costs in, the amount may shock you. Books alone may exceed $2000. And guess what happens when your program drags on over a year or two? You have to buy all the code books again because they change yearly.

You also have to put a cost on the time it takes to complete a college program. Going part time, it can take 2 to 3 years to complete a 36-hour coding certificate at a college. If a flexible, noncollege program can cover that same material in 12-18 months, you need to add the cost of not working in coding for a year or two to the cost of that college program.

if you attend COLLEGE, the coding part comes LAST - so the books would not be outdated

[ In Reply To ..]
FYI

Books - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Coding comes last in my program too; they don't send the books until you are ready to begin so that you have the most current info.

thats right, what this all really sounds like is - everyone trying to convince themself if what they

[ In Reply To ..]
my shoe dont fit YOUR foot, and her shoe dont fit MY foot.

I say we all drink our cup of tea here and wear shoes that fit!

Thanks

Shoes that fit - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I am wearing shoes that fit. Wish I could go to college but I would have to commute 150 miles one way to get the classes I want. I work full time so had to choose a distance learning program that would let me work at my own pace. I mentioned the coding books and coding being presented at the end of my program only to show that colleges are not the only ones who present it in that manner, I wasn't trying to convince anyone that one thing was better than anything else.

i know that, no pun was intended to your post - me

[ In Reply To ..]
i was just trying to point out that we ALL may go about things (coding) differently and that expense, etc., will all fit each of us individually.

seriously no pun intended. Sorry if you thought that.

college and got a degree to boot - Happy

[ In Reply To ..]
therefore I am not limited to ONLY coding JOBS, but I can do coding just as well as anyone who took ONLY coding.

Good for you - see message - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
What is your degree in, and what are you doing in addition to coding?

You wouldn't be limited to only coding jobs even if you - took only coding.

[ In Reply To ..]
1. Coding pays better than those other jobs.

2. Coders qualify for those jobs, too. They have almost the same training with their coding programs, but even if they had nothing, they'd still qualify for those jobs because in most places those jobs, at entry level, are filled by people with no training or experience. Which is why the pay is so poor. Here, it's just above minimum wage and nowhere is it better than bottom-rung.

3. Few coders ever want one of those other jobs because they're miserable--filing, photocopying, and nagging doctors to sign things.

hrm - drakeroid

[ In Reply To ..]
well arent we the brightest crayon in the box?

This isn't obvious to - everyone.

[ In Reply To ..]
I pointed that out because there are some schools which "sell" prospective students on their longer, more expensive HIT program by telling them that if coding doesn't work out, they can fall back on other jobs in medical records. This is deceptive, because coding is the desirable job, not HIT.

Some schools also promote their HIT programs by telling students that they will be qualified to go straight into management. That isn't likely to happen. There is a reason those programs are called health information technology instead of health information management.

only half the story - cj

[ In Reply To ..]
I have to jump in here. Some hospitals do use RHITs in management positions or supervisory positions, depends on the size and often geographic location of the facility. Those RHITs can also qualify for jobs in cancer registry and other areas of the HIM departments. Generally speaking, the RHIT is not the file clerk or assembler. I think perhaps some of you don't really understand the full spectrum of employment opportunities available under the HIT umbrella. Coding is not the only desired end result for everyone. Many people pursue HIT programs with other end results in mind.

I hadn't thought about that. - Thanks and Keep Posting

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for clarifying.

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