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

From MT to GT to Coder - Finally Know

Posted: May 10, 2015

Just saying hi, and I really appreciate this board. I've been lurking for a while. I went to Career Step for medical transcription, but soon after graduating, I found the quick turn around time for MT just didn't work for my toddler and homeschooler, so I switched to GT.

Now, 5 years later, it's time to switch things up again, and I've always been interested in the behind the scenes medical paperwork (as nerdy as that sounds!). So feeling kind of lost, I decided to take several personality tests to really define my interests, and they all pointed to coding (among other personality-similar type jobs). I researched the coding field heavily and realized it's exactly what I've been needing for my brain, and I decided to go for it! I researched several schools including CS, Andrews, 3 local community colleges and 2 bachelor programs. I talked to the directors at a few of them that intrigued me the most and I decided to go for my associates degree in HIT/HIM to become an RHIT and focus on coding. This school even lets you decide to do your internships in coding or HIT/HIM, and of course I'm choosing coding. (I already had all the AS prereqs completed except 3, which I'm completing this summer.)

From my research, I knew how to really weed through the programs and the one I decided on had a long-standing program and said the magic words! I asked her how soon does she think I can test for the CCA once I complete my degree. She said, "No, we don't do that. We prepare you so that before you graduate or right afterwards, you can pass your CCS." Boom! That's what I wanted to hear. She further explained why a CCA was worthless in getting a coding job.

So, enough rambling! After much prayer and research, I'm excited and am so satisfied in the choice I've made for myself and my family! My long-term goal is to be a coding auditor working from home.

In case no one mentioned it ... - more advice.

[ In Reply To ..]
Sounds like a momentous decision, so congratulations on that. There are some colleges that go for the CCS, but they are few and far between. Which one is this?

In case the school did not mention it, at-home jobs in HIM are also few and far between. There are some in coding, but they usually require on-site experience, and, some, like the HIM staffing companies you will be looking toward as an RHIT, may require 3 to 5 years of it.

Turnaround times and jobs in coding are not any more flexible than than MT, so coding will not accommodate children and homeschooling any better. If anything, it will be worse ... we typically have high productivity requirements, along with a lot of time spent on our own keeping up with changes. Your personal learning time will be high if you want to move ahead into auditing, CDI, etc.

That might not be a problem, though, because it will take you so long to complete school that you might not be homeschooling any longer.

Make sure that your RHIT program courses, including the AS general subjects, will transfer to an RHIA program of your choice. When you finish the RHIT, you will probably want to continue, since the RHIA is actually preferred over the RHIT, especially for auditing at HIM staffing companies. That means RHIAs will get the job first, all things being equal. A 4-year degree trumps all and the higher you go, the more it trumps. Note the timeframe for transferring, too, because you do not want to spend 3 or 4 years part time on the RHIT, 2 to 3 years taking a break while working full time, and then discover that you have to do it all over because the school has a 5-year limit on transfer credits. (That is often what keeps RHITs stuck as RHITs.)

I am sure you thought to visit a hospital coding unit to see what they do. Given the cost and time involved in a college program, you really need to make sure you are truly in love with and suited for coding. I don't trust job screening tests ... they rarely seem to really understand what is involved in a job. Especially since coding is so obscure, I think they lump it in with filing medical records.

I'm thorough, covered all bases. - Finally Know

[ In Reply To ..]

Thanks for this. Yes, I've actually covered all of this! Thanks or taking the time to post. I appreciate it, and I look forward to joining in discussions as my education progresses.

Sounds like a momentous decision, so congratulations on that. There are some colleges that go for the CCS, but they are few and far between. Which one is this? ------ I didn't provide the name for privacy online.

In case the school did not mention it, at-home jobs in HIM are also few and far between. There are some in coding, but they usually require on-site experience, and, some, like the HIM staffing companies you will be looking toward as an RHIT, may require 3 to 5 years of it. ------ I don't expect to work from home as a coder for 1-3 years. Per my director, onsite hospital will give me the best foundation for my long-term goal.

Turnaround times and jobs in coding are not any more flexible than than MT, so coding will not accommodate children and homeschooling any better. If anything, it will be worse ... we typically have high productivity requirements, along with a lot of time spent on our own keeping up with changes. Your personal learning time will be high if you want to move ahead into auditing, CDI, etc.

That might not be a problem, though, because it will take you so long to complete school that you might not be homeschooling any longer. ------ No longer an issue.

Make sure that your RHIT program courses, including the AS general subjects, will transfer to an RHIA program of your choice. When you finish the RHIT, you will probably want to continue, since the RHIA is actually preferred over the RHIT, especially for auditing at HIM staffing companies. That means RHIAs will get the job first, all things being equal. A 4-year degree trumps all and the higher you go, the more it trumps. Note the timeframe for transferring, too, because you do not want to spend 3 or 4 years part time on the RHIT, 2 to 3 years taking a break while working full time, and then discover that you have to do it all over because the school has a 5-year limit on transfer credits. (That is often what keeps RHITs stuck as RHITs.) ------ Yes, my program transfers to the bachelors for RHIA.

I am sure you thought to visit a hospital coding unit to see what they do. Given the cost and time involved in a college program, you really need to make sure you are truly in love with and suited for coding. I don't trust job screening tests ... they rarely seem to really understand what is involved in a job. Especially since coding is so obscure, I think they lump it in with filing medical records. ------ Yes, visit already complete. The personality assesments served to confirm what I already knew about myself, not open my eyes to my personality - rather open my eyes to careers that fit my personality.

May I ask what personality tests you took and - where you found them?

[ In Reply To ..]
I took an MMPI years and years ago, and it cost a bundle, and I never really got a good interpretation of the results. I'd appreciate any help you could give me. I'd like to get an idea about it.

personality/career tests - Finally Know

[ In Reply To ..]
I used a few. No charge
typefinder.com
truity.com
humanmetrics.com

There are a lot available online. I used others, but I can't recall the names.

It is "medical information," not "medical paperwork." - Informaticist

[ In Reply To ..]
That is a very common misperception about HIA, that it is "medical paperwork." Hopefully, your course will show you that it is more correctly "medical information." It is acquiring, analyzing, and processing digital and traditional information related to patient care. Information, data, data analysis, data storage, data protection, data movement, data, data, data. (Good with advanced financial math and statistics?)

It is no more "paperwork" than pharmacy is the labelling of pill bottles.

No misperceptions here - Finally Know

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks. I am 100% aware of all of that. Please don't mistaken what you may view as a misnomer as me being misinformed of what health information involves. If I wasn't fully aware, then it would not make sense that I'm on the path for RHIT (and have delved into RHIA) rather than just a coding certificate.

OK, if you understand, then you should know why you - should not use it.

[ In Reply To ..]
It is inaccurate, but it also misrepresents the career field. On the internet, that misrepresentation is forever. UI don't want anyone thinking my job is clerical work. Not now, not ever.

You also might want to practice more diplomacy in referring to others' credentials and career preparation. You would not like an RHIA saying you are "just an RHIT," so don't be too quick to say "just a coding certificate."

Frankly, right now you aren't any of those things. You haven't even started, but you are carrying on here as though wishing makes it so.

Insecurities - Finally Know

[ In Reply To ..]
OMG! Your insecurities are shining through. Stop projecting. You seemed determined to nitpick or find offence in anything I write about MY career goals.

MY insecurities??? I just value my income. - ???

[ In Reply To ..]
Insecurities? Why would you say that?

Just what do you think I am?

please, just - stop it. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
It's embarrassing.

What is a GT? - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Nobody knows but the OP possibly - No idea what that is

[ In Reply To ..]
I have no idea.

general transcriptionist - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Transcribes meetings, etc., no medical terminology.

Yes, general transcriptionist - Finally Know

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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