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

How did you get your first coding job? - Penny

Posted: Aug 14, 2012

I passed the CCS and CPC exam 8 months ago but have yet to find a job :(. I busted my bu** to become a certified coder, and now that I am one, no one will hire me without experience. I live in a small town. We have one hospital. I applied and was flat out told they cannot hire coders without minimum 2 years experience. I asked if I could volunteer or job shadow and they said no. No jobs there in HIM at all. Our local medical clinic has a coding company that does their coding for them as well as transcription. I applied to a few local physicians here but was again told they couldn't hire me because I have no experience. I even look on a national website and have applied to multiple jobs and have been told no. I was an MT for 10 years, before that I did billing. So, I'm not sure what these companies, hospitals, clinics are looking for. How do I get 2 years of experience if no one will hire me? I'm in tears and ready to give up!

Penny - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
First of all, I am so sorry you are in tears and having such a hard time finding a job. Second, where did you go to school? The reason I ask is because I recently enrolled at Andrews and that is one of my biggest concerns - how am I going to find a job without experience?

Also, congratulations on passing the CCS and CPC exams! I'm hoping you get some replies from experienced coders here and I look forward to reading them. I wish you the best of luck!

That is one of my fears about changing - meggy

[ In Reply To ..]
from MT to coding, although now that my job is going from straight transcription to voice wreck, I think I'm going to just have to take a leap of faith and hope I can get a job somewhere. We have three major medical centers here and some of my acquaintances are doctors, so I may luck out. I hope you do, too!

first job - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I am just finishing up and have the same fear as you do. I am in a larger area with more opportunities, but I am still afraid it will be VERY hard to get that first job. Someone else posted to learn Excel, which I have a basic knowledge of now, and to try temp jobs. Those often can turn into full time jobs if they like you, even if it is just in another area of medical records, but you will have your foot in the door. Good luck!

What I did - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I got a job at the hospital as a clerk. When a job came open in coding, I applied for it. It was a coding trainee position, too, but I was happy to have it.

One barrier for you is just the lack of jobs in your area. There aren't a lot of coding jobs. The hospital in your town might have 1 or 2. That is something everyone needs to consider before going into a new field. If there are only 5 jobs and they are filled, you cannot expect to take one of them.

My suggestion is to stop focusing on getting a coding position straight out. Get a job in billing, where you have experience, and use that to work your way into coding. Take the first office job you can find, regardless of what it is.

Studies are showing that you have to be employed to get a job. Nobody wants to hire the unemployed. MT can appear to be unemployment, too.

As for the mandatory 2 years of experience, I find it difficult to believe that everyone requires it. I would expect some to require MORE.

You have a disadvantage in that your community is small, but there are job-hunting tricks you do not seem to have tried. You might try a social service or government agency that will provide assistance with resumes and applications. Some even provide incentives for employers to hire you. They can determine if something is wrong with your appearance or approach.

Another suggestion would be a temp agency. Ask them to put you in any medical job just so you can get exposure. And then do a superb job, share your knowledge of coding, and hope for the best.

Unemployed? - On site MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Why would MT "appear to be unemployment"? Just "any medical job" will not give you exposure to coding, it needs to be in HIM or billing. 2 years of experience seems to be the standard requirement for coding positions. Just as no one wants to hire inexperienced MTs, very few employers want inexperienced coders.

Interesting - Employed Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
How interesting . . . an employed coder offers suggestions - and to someone else - and you, a noncredentialed individual who has been unsuccessful in finding a coding job, become hostile and confrontational. You seem to have perceived that entire post as a personal attack.

That kind of looks like your standard response, too, so I might wonder if part of your job woes are due to that.

You might try reading more carefully. You misconstrue things and blow them out of proportion on a fairly consistent basis.

Nobody in any field wants inexperienced applicants, but you are no grasping that EVERY employed coder was once in your shoes and somehow managed to find a job without experience.

What? - On site MT

[ In Reply To ..]
You're the one coming across as confrontational. If you don't want people commenting on what you write, choose your words more carefully. I still don't know why being an MT would be considered being unemployed. I have no problem with reading comprehension, that is what it says. The OP is the one who has 2 credentials and no experience and can't get a job, so get off my case.

Advice on making yourself look appealing to - Employers

[ In Reply To ..]
You do seem to come back with negativity and to interpret advice as a personal attack. You are quick to tell others why it won't work.

That post above suggested temping in a medical office as a way to gain EXPOSURE, and you came right back saying it would not give you experience. You missed the point.

You are wrong that coders must have experience to get a job. Coders get jobs every day without experience. Every working coder you see once had no experience. They got jobs by convincing employers that they cannot live without them.

Something like 30% of coding jobs sit empty because the employer cannot find anyone to fill them. They will take the right kind of coder, with or without experience.

Getting exposure in medical offices can be very helpful. If they like you and you do a great job, it can lead to something else. Knowing people is half the battle. Networking is very helpful in finding a job. Temp jobs can help you network.

Self-employed workers in general have difficulty getting jobs as employees. Employers want to see recent employee history. IC and self-employment do not provide much evidence that the person can work well as an employee. They almost communicate the opposite.

A lot of HIM coder employers contract out their MT. They may have negative feelings about MTs or no feelings. They may think of them as difficult workers. They may associate them with nightmare contracts, MTSOs, and error-filled work they can't get fixed.

Whether you agree with this or not, and you might not understand it because you are an on-site MT, these are things MTs will need to consider. These are things you have to overcome.

A big part of job hunting involves overcoming employers's reluctance to take a risk on the unknown.

Yes, employers do prefer experience. Who wouldn't? You have to do something to get experience or look so good that they want to hire you anyway. It can be done.

Um, she's right - you did say it

[ In Reply To ..]
better go back and reread your original post.

You have been deflected from the - main point.

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, the statement is there. I meant what I said . . . MTs can appear "unemployed" to employers. That can have a detrimental effect on their success in the job market.

If you don't understand something, an appropriate response is "I am not sure I understand. Can you explain further?" An appropriate response acknowledges that writers may not have explained things fully enough for you and allows that there is no reason they should be expected to.

Instead of taking offense, perhaps you should evaluate the statement in context. In the job search context, it explains a lot about why so many MTs cannot get hired outside MT.

Self-employed people can have difficulty because they are not employed by someone else. They do work for others, but they are not employees. Employers want to see an employment history because they need someone who can work under direction. They do not want someone who is used to running the show. They also associate it with working irregularly, working when you feel like it, working in your spare time, and they sometimes think you got into it because something makes you unable to keep a "real job."

They also see the same ads on TV for schools that teach typing at home for doctors, and that is all they think of when you say that is what you have been doing for the last 10 or 20 years.

They may not know what an MTSO is. They may think all MT is done by MTSOs. They may know but think all MTs are ICs. They may not understand that you are an employee of the MTSO (if you are). They may not have a clue what you do and many of them think you are one stamp removed from stuffing envelopes at home.
Boys who mow lawns may rank higher.

I did not say this to insult anyone. I was an MT once, too, and I had to overcome this twice when going from MT to a non-MT job. There is a stigma attached to MT that is so severe it affects me more than a decade later. I disguise it on my resume because nearly everyone who sees it seems to think I had some kind of problem during those years that kept me from doing real work.

The exception to this is doctors themselves. They are invariably impressed. They recognize your knowledge and appreciate how hard you work.

If you are looking for a job, be careful how you present your MT career. Do not call yourself an IC if you are an employee. If you are an IC, emphasize woking for others. Recognize that you have a lot to offer doctors and that can be marketed into employment. Once they know you, they can offer more. Recognize that medical records supervisors in hospitals may loathe MTSOs, MTs, and anything to do with MT. They may have hated dealing with MT employees or may have never seen one. Some may be insanely jealous of MTs because MTs used to make more than other HIM employees, including the supervisor in her early years. Office managers who have experienced a long line of incompetent typists may loathe MTs, too.

All of these people fear hiring another dud coder. that is why they want experience . . . so they have some assurance that you are not a dud.

You have to overcome all of this to get a job. I am not making this up. Th

Can you tell us how you got your first coding job? - Thanks

[ In Reply To ..]
P

I already told you. - Read the thread

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Sorry, I got lost in all the unnecessary bickering - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
and I see that you actually did give an answer pertaining to the OP's question.

"I am not sure I understand. Can you explain further?" - mind blown

[ In Reply To ..]
You've written a dissertation here and I still don't follow you. I've been continuously employed as an MT since 1979 and that's considered unemployed. Well then I guess I'm in big trouble when I go job hunting huh?

had a boyfriend once said it was not a real job - guess he was right nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Mind blown - On Site MT

[ In Reply To ..]
It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who found that statement a little bizarre and in fact rather arrogant. I've worked at this as long as you have. Someone needs to tell my employers that they haven't been paying me to do "real work" all this time.

It seems - There is

[ In Reply To ..]
a tinge of strange indeed.

sounds like you need to travel - CTMT

[ In Reply To ..]
If you sign up with a temp agency and tell them your skills in billing and passing the CCS and CPC, they will put you in an office where you can get experience. Sounds like you will need to travel to your closest city, no way will you get anything in a small town.

This is why I'm leery of going back to school to learn - ANYthing.. all the ads want - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
at the very least 1-2 years' experience. Doesn't matter whether it's a job as a coder, a secretary (they want experience in THAT business sector, not just being a secretary), or even a dog-walker in some cases. Have tried to land a vet receptionist job, but can't touch one without the prerequisite "2 years' experience". Even grocery checkout and shelf-stocking jobs want actual grocery store experience.

What ever happened to entry-level jobs? And by the extinction of jobs that allow you to at least partially train on-the-job, they've cut themselves off from a highly skilled (even if not 100% in THAT field) and motivated (by hunger!) workforce.

The headlines tell us that jobs are scarce right now - that's a fact we have to deal with - Tough For Everyone

[ In Reply To ..]
We're in a very tough economy. There are very few jobs anywhere. We have to stay strong and keep trying, just as our ancestors did before us when times were tough.

Why there is an experience requirement for nearly - All jobs

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, everybody has an experience requirement now. They would like to have that experience, but the main reason they need it is to avoid accusations of discrimination when they cannot or do not wish to hire someone.

Another reason is that they do not want to be stuck with an employee who cannot do the work. They are reluctant to hire someone FIRST and find out that the employee requires expensive training while they produce next to nothing.

Many HIM employers know that their local HIT program produces graduates who cannot code. They need an excuse for not hiring you, so they use the experience requirement.

Inexperienced coders get jobs every day. They get credentialed as a way to overcome the experience requirement.

being a TEMP worker if you shine will often translate to a job - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Just repeating what was written above, take a TEMP job in any kind of office setting, but if transitioning from MT it will show you can shine in an office setting and you can PROVE your skills. Many employers use temp jobs without risk to see what kind of employee you are. Be sure you are prompt, do a thorough, complete job no matter what the job is, be available and offer to assist in any extra activities. I got a job this way, first in medical records and then in coding a year later. My niece, a new graduate in HR, landed a GREAT job, but it took a year temping at various jobs.

Temps - Used to be On Site MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Good advice but I live in a small town and there are only 1 or 2 temp agencies and very few opportunits to do clerical work, although sometimes I've thought it would be fun to do. Benefits are an issue as well as not knowing when you'll get called to work. Some part time and temp jobs do work into fuul time, that's very cool that you got a coding job. Some employment and temp agencies will take their fee out of your first paycheck if you get hired full time but I don't know if all of them are that way. I think it would be perfect for someone with a second income in their household who already has benefits. Thanks for the suggestion.

correct me if I am wrong but I think temp agencies - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
get their money fromthe employers. Also, you are considered an employee of the temp agency and some do offer benefits as well as you get your paycheck from the temp agency not the place where you are employed. This has been my experience at least with temp agencies. Also it is the perfect way to get a permanent position by, as previous posters stated, proving yourself. When I went this route I was offered many different positions (in other fields,not coding) by working hard and proving myself. The ONLY reason I did not take the positions is because I liked the flexibility (and pay/benefits) of the agency I worked for. So I think this is very good advice and since I recently passed the CPC-H, I am considering this route to get more experience.

Yes, you are correct - temp agencies - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Temp agencies of that type get their fees from the employer, not from the employee.

That post was mostly just another of On Site MT's "yes, but" justifications for why she can't get a job as a coder. If it isn't the small town, it's something else, and if it isn't that, well, it's the temp agency fees, and the next time someone posts, she'll come up with some other excuse. If I had to guess why her own former hospital wouldn't hire her to code, it would be because they are sick to death of her negativity.

Speak not what you know not of - On site MT

[ In Reply To ..]
You witch

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