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Are Andrews, MTec and CareerStep still considered the top 3? - Getting ready to enroll

Posted: Dec 28, 2011

Just a general question and it seems that these are the top three as far as offering the best education and preparedness for certification.

Enrolling has me a bit nervous, so I want to make sure I'm getting my money's (and time's) worth.

TIA!!!

Are you talking about MT or coding? - My opinion

[ In Reply To ..]
It probably depends on who you ask. I prefer Andrews.

Coding - I probably should have clarified

[ In Reply To ..]
Sorry, I figured it would be self-explanatory since it's on the coding board but I should have been more specific (still recuperating from the holidays, lol!). I'm currently an MT who's trying to prepare for a "plan B."

Thanks for the input!

coding school - anne

[ In Reply To ..]
Since MTEC is now part of Nuance, personally I do not trust it now. In the past it was supposed to be good. I prefer Andrews as well, just signed on today. Best of luck!

Only in MT, never has been a top 3 in coding - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
You are assuming the MT experience holds for coding. Probably ought not to make that mistake. Also, the fact that a school is in the top 3 does not mean they are a great school.

For coding you have to choose between inpatient and outpatient coding, or decide to cover all the bases and do both. You also need to decide whether you want to flounder around with online material or use primarily traditional books. Then there is the matter of instructors. Some have them, some do not, and some have good ones.

There is also the question of taking classes that adhere to a calendar, require you to appear in class in person or online, or if you determine your own rate of progress. If it is self directed, will you have to finish by a particular date? If you cannot, is there a fee or will you have to sign up all over again?

Also consider the cost. A school can appear cheaper but you might not notice that books do not exist at all, you may need to print reams of online screens, or have to buy books separately. Only rarely will books be included. Books can be written by the school, can be written by the organization and focus on their exam, can be low-level clerical-worker texts such as those used in adult ed programs, or can be top of the line professional references.

AAPC courses focus on outpatient coding. That is a good place to begin, if you are interested in office or clinic jobs, or jobs in ambulatory surgery centers. I think they provide their own books. They have online and instructor led classes, both independent and where you have to be thre in person.

College programs usually teach with a focus mostly on inpatient coding. They usually do not break it down into inpatient and outpatient. They use mostly texts that have accompanying online teaching modules because they are mostly online now. They will have instructors but you interact with them very little. They may not even be coders. You will usually have to proceed in lockstep with a class. Full time will be difficult if you work and part time can take years. Scheduling classes can be miserable with cancellations holding you up. If you are not doing well, you will have to drop a course and take it again. Typically, you will have to pass weed-out courses in anatomy and physiology and other college courses before being allowed to take the actual coding. At some schools this can be very difficult, because the courses are intended to reduce demand on HIT departments. For-profit colleges offer lots of financial aid but leave you with huge debts you will be unable to repay.

I do not know much about 2 of those schools butI know Andrews is focused on student achievement and will work with you. They teach both inpaient and outpatient coding separately for better coverage, and they begin teaching coding the first day, with the basic sciences along side so students have a reason to learn and understand why it is important. That fits better with adult learning styles but is the opposite of what you see in the college model. They do not teach typical college filler like English, typing, and speech. They use credentialed coders as instructors, not online teaching software, and provide reference quality coding texts. They have never paid their students to promote or advertise or them, nor have they ever tried to suppress critical comment by threats of legal action. Their tuition includes absolutely everything so there are no hidden surprises.

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