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

I am too old to start The Andrew's School for Medical Coding - Suzie

Posted: Feb 07, 2012

Dear Friends:

I am 55 and I am a transcriptionist of almost 11 years and I want to switch carreers and am choosing medical coding and want to enroll in the Andrew's School. Do you think I am too old to start a new career? I do not think so, but I would like some thoughts. I am healthy and I know I can do it. Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

Fondly,

Suzie

Suzie - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
You are not too old. At 70, I am beginning a new venture. Don't but into the baloney sausage that is ageism. You can do whatever you want to do.

Well, in this new economy, you might have to keep working for 20+more years. - me

[ In Reply To ..]
And I think it's a good idea to prepare for a new career.

No! I do not think you are too old. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
You're definitely not too old to start a new career. If nothing else, learning something new is good for our brains. We never get too old to learn. It keeps us younger and smarter.

You are never too old to learn something - Old MT

[ In Reply To ..]
new. I have been an MT for 37 years, was laid off, and am currently 61 and started a coding class. Your knowledge from being a medical transcriptionist will help you immensely with this course.

Are You Too Old - Not Me

[ In Reply To ..]
Only you can answer that question. You're the only one in possession of all the pertinent facts. For myself the answer would be, "Heck, no". I did not take the Andrews course (though now I do wish I had). At age 59 (after 6 years of being an MT--which by the way, I learned and started after early retirement from a totally different career),I enrolled in health information management classes at my local community college. I took only 2 or 3 classes each term. I finished the course in December. Because I don't feel confident that my community college course adequately prepared me, I am now doing an independent review and preparing to take the CCS exam in April. I'm 61 years young now and still working full time as an MT, but not for long! Everyday brings me more proof that going back to school and getting into position to get out of transcription and into coding was the best thing to do (for me). Hope this helps you decide

They have no age limit ;-) - Sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Maturity tends to be respected in coding. It is a highly responsible job.

Coding is intellectually challenging, so it should help you keep your smarts. An article I read a few days ago said that computer games were being developed to keep memory intact longer. The problem is that they only work for a few monhs. As soon as you figure it out, you have to move to something new. Coding is always changing, so when I read that I thought that it would be the perfect brain-training game.

Where I work, we have more than 30 coders. We nearly all have trouble with microscopic print in the code books. We sent back an entire order of code books a few years back because we couldn't read them. Our encoder has a magnifying function. We have to be sure to use a larger font on training PowerPoints, too.

Maybe 3 are under 40. Most are 50s to 60s and we have one in her 70s. They are all very stable, sensible people.

I think the AAPC might have figures on coder ages. It definitely is not a young group. Meetings are full of mature people. I don't think you develop the patience and fortitude to do it until you are older.

I think you are a fine age to learn coding. You will need to be or become able to present a distinguished appearance, but I don't think you should think twice about your age.

Heck, no. You're younger than me, and - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm enrolling later this month. Go for it.

andrews - anne

[ In Reply To ..]
I started January 2, and I am 57! I am in great health and figure I will be working at least another 10 years, God willing! I am continuing to work as an MT and studying when I am done with work and on days off. Loving it so far, go for it!

The Andrew's School - Suzie

[ In Reply To ..]
Dear Anne:

I am going to start the Andrew's School medical coding in April or May. Right now are you studying medical terminology and pharmocology? if so, do you feel that your medical transcriptionist background is helping? I would love to keep in touch with you since you are a transcriptionist and you are studying at the school I am going to attend. Let me know if that is okay. thanks.

Fondly,

Suzanne

Suzie I e-mailed you my contact info - anne

[ In Reply To ..]
See your e-mail!

Me too! - Sue

[ In Reply To ..]
Hey guys, I'd love to keep in touch too. I have been doing MT for about 17 years and really want to start Andrews but can't get myself to do it. I am 46 and think it's a good time to take the plunge.

Taking the plunge - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
You might want to examine your reluctance to see what is behind it. What is holding you back?

Inertia? Actual fear of change? Those are normal responses, but might not be in your best interest with this.

Do you fear that learning something new will commit you to doing a new job? Why? What is wrong with learning something new for the sake of learning? Don't you want to keep your mind active? Studies are showing that it prevents cognitive decline.

Are you afraid of the cost? My guess is that you have enough unused or little-used items around your house to put a dent in the deposit. You probably spend enough on things you can eliminate to put another big dent in it. Total up what you spend on unhealthy things like soda, pastry, Stouffer's and Sara Lee type foods, cookies and snack foods, ice cream, frozen treats, sugary yogurts, candy, canned fruit, and mints and gum to see how far that will take you. How about cable TV or the premium channels, movie rentals, or gym memberships that you do not really use? How about drinks with the girls, drinks with just you, or smoking?

Just eliminating $5 a day at Starbucks will give you at least $100 a month. $1 a day in soda is another $30. $2 a day in soda is $60. A package of cookies at $3, a coffee cake at $4, a tub of ice cream at $4, a candy bar, an order of wings, a slice of pizza or a big pretzel at the mall ... it adds up. You might also save the price of a gallon of gas by driving fewer miles. (Depends on your car and where you like to drive.)

Speaking of gas, most students who enroll in local schools never think to add the gas to their cost estimate. The also omit books, clothing, and food away from home, and never consider that travel time is lost study time.

This is not to say that you should deprive yourslf, but just to point out that you might already be spending as much as you would on education, but not noticing it or thinking it is a necessary expense.

No matter what your reasons are, you might want to recognize that now is better than later simply because of ICD 10. Getting this done NOW will probably pay off in that more jobs are expected to become available as Oct 2013 comes up. You want to be trained and certified before things start changing. I would want to get finished so that I could take the CCS by February of 2013, before they suspend administration pending the switch.

Don't know - Sue

[ In Reply To ..]
I really don't know what is holding me back. It is a big investment, but making payments wouldn't be a problem. I love to learn and go to school, so it's not that. ~ I'm thinking it's because I have worked from home for 18 years and if coders have to work in a hospital or clinic, I'm not sure if I want to leave the comforts of my own home. The pay would be much better than what I'm making now for sure, but is it worth the money? I don't know. If I know I could code at home, that would probably be enough to make my decision. ~ Maybe if I talked to a coder that went through Andrews or is currently enrolled in Andrews, that might help too.

Have you researched the field? Because (sm) - MT2coder2

[ In Reply To ..]
if you had, you'd see that MANY coders work from home now. All the coders where I work do. Look at the jobs postings on the AAPC forum, in Advance for HIM magazine (free), etc. Know what you're getting yourself into.

As for me, I am selling things (want to buy a brand new foot pedal or a U2 box set?) and revising my taxes from the previous several years because I realized there were a whole lot of deductions I was eligible for, but didn't take. With those plus OT plus my 2011 tax refund plus general miserliness in the short term, I will be able to get the $1000 together here soon.

Good for you! Remember the yardsale idea. - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
I know a lot of coders who work remotely. Some work on-site for their primary job, with a remote position for their secondary. I also know many who work at one site doing work for other sites. In my multi-state organization, we call it remote and/or flexiplace.

I recommend that everyone use the term "remote" rather than at-home. At-home sounds very unprofessional. It has an envelope-stuffing, mommies-in-jammies quality to it. Clients do not respect "home workers." They do not trust them and perceive them unfavorably.

More on working remotely (sm) - MT2coder2

[ In Reply To ..]
I can't remember where I was online, but I've stumbled upon ads for remote coders for a Dallas hospital system where one could live anywhere in Texas and one for the University of North Carolina where one could live anywhere. I'm sure if I actually tried I could find tons more. My employer requires on-site training for a few months, but then you're cut loose.

Gonna do it - Sue

[ In Reply To ..]
Great info. And I agree that "remote" does sound better than at-home. I will contact Andrews this week and go from there. Thanks for all the helpful information and websites.

Suzie - LeeLee

[ In Reply To ..]
How old will you be if you don't go? I heard that from a woman that went back to law school at 65. Yep, she graduated, too and has done quite well for herself. Go for it girl. Look at this way. If you complete the course, you have a new career. If you totally hate it, at least you will not be wondering what if?

Also, if you hate it you can . . . - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
. . . make good use of what you learned providing volunteer medical bill assistance to senior citizens.

Seriously.

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