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Career Step vs Andrews - blondie

Posted: Jan 16, 2012

Okay, I know Andrews is the best, but has anyone taken Career Step and had any sucess? It is an approved school on the AHIMA web site, but I don't ever hear anyone say anything about going through them for coding. If anyone has, I would like to know if you were able to pass the CCS after completing the course? My parents want to help me pay for school, and I hate for them to think I went and found the most expensive one out there; although, I know it is the best. I just wondered about Career Step. I certainly do not want to waste my time taking something and not get any benefit from it. I thought I would do some research on here.

When I was there for MT - CS MT Grad

[ In Reply To ..]
When I was there for MT the coding boards were very quiet. I did not see a lot of (any) of the success stories I see with Andrews. After finishing there for my MT I had wished I had gone to Andrews for transcription so when it came to choosing a coding course I went with Andrews. While I was at CS there was not one coding grad who passed the CCS, but there were a couple that did pass the CPC.

That is great your parents will help you pay for school and I wish you the best of luck! Even though Andrews is a bit more expensive I truly cannot get over the quality or support you will receive there.

If I can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Career Step - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I did the coding program and needed more study/work experience before I felt ready for the CPC exam. I had difficulty with the on line class structure at CS and had trouble gaining access to an instructor when I needed help. I have no experience with Andrews, except that I know they get good reviews from former students who post on this board, I think they're definitely worth looking into. Are you the same Blondie who works for Transcend and posts on the MT board?

Andrews is NOT the most expensive - Coder

[ In Reply To ..]
If you had a choice of 2 brownie mixes in the same size box, how would you choose?
Box A is 2.00.
Box B is 1.75.

Are you the kind of shopper who sees the same size boxes and grabs Box B because "it's cheaper"? Or do you look at the label to determine if the contents are the same?

Box A makes 20 brownies. Box B makes 10. Which costs more per brownie?

A costs .10 each, while B costs MORE at .175.

Some people will buy B because they do not know how to read the fine print. Or maybe the calculation is not very easy because the B box does not use the same language as A. Maybe B says it makes "a whole batch" instead of telling you their idea of a batch is only 10 brownies.

What if A includes lots of chocolate chunks, pecans and walnuts. Consumer reports noted it had the best taste. B has no chocolate chunks but includes artificially flavored walnut-like processed pellets. Ugh. CR noted it tasted stale and still includes trans-fats.

Some people will still buy B because "it is cheaper." They may say it is chocolatey enough and that the pellets are good enough.
It is for their kids, after all. Besides, they do not believe in trans fats. That is just people causing trouble.

Another type of person thinks this is such a bargain that she picks out the pellets, and then doctors up the mix with a couple of chocolate bars, a cup of chopped pecans, a cup of chopped walnuts, a teaspoon of real vanilla, two eggs, some real butter, and some minimarshmallows and then drizzles a cup of melted caramels over the top. She then remarks that those people who pointed out that B cost more were wrong, because her doctored-up mix made 20 brownies. She does not include the cost of the extras because she had them in the kitchen anyway, nor does she factor in the cost of chopping the nuts and melting caramel because saving that 25 cents was WORTH IT!

Sadly, Ms. B's kids won't eat these because of that nasty trans-fat taste.

Andrews is not the most expensive. Do the math. Everthing is included in their box, a chef is standing by to answer your questions, you get a bunch of excellent cookbooks, you do not need additives or chopping and melting, and everyone wants to eat your brownies. Twice as many.

Some schools cost 30K. Some colleges sound cheap until you total fees, test proctoring, a new computer and software, and 200 or more in books per class.

Please do a cost comparison.

You brought up test proctoring costs - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I heard recently about a course, I can't remember the name of it, that requires that you pay for a test proctor, which is required for all tests. Other costs were added on as extras and the costs keep coming. A good question to ask when you are enrolling somewhere is about extras. Are there any? What are they?

Test proctoring was free at local public library - 2cents

[ In Reply To ..]
In our community--might want to check around the schools, community ed, or libraries.

Proctoring fees - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Sometimes you can find free proctoring, but I was talking about college programs that require proctoring done by another college. They have an affiliated group of them.

Depending on where you live, you may have to drive up to 50 or more miles, and you may have to pay.

Only one college in my area did this. I did not have to drive far, but I paid 20 per test. Each course had an average of 3 tests and a final. They required stting an appointment a week in advance and would only allow you to test during certain hours, like 2 to 4. I thus had to take off from work for every one, making scheduling a nightmare.

If you enroll in a community college program, that great tuition is fine, but a 10-course program might cost an additional 800 in proctoring, 2000 in books, and several hundred in library, technology, and other fees, not to mention lost work time.

If you are shopping around, check these things carefully. Once you are enrolled, it is too late to find out.

Accelerated programs are not a bargain if you cannot pass a certification test or if you know only enough for basic work. The knowledge most MTs have is not enough now for inpatient coding and definitely will not be enough for ICD 10.

A faster or shorter program may just not contain as much. Also, as someone here discovered, taking an outpatient course might screw up your long term plan, since it is nrarly impossible to find inpatient courses.

Good point. It's similar to - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
"A faster or shorter program may just not contain as much. Also, as someone here discovered, taking an outpatient course might screw up your long term plan, since it is nrarly impossible to find inpatient courses."

That's similar to someone enrolling in a really cheap, fast MT course, thinking they will supplement it later. You get the cheap. You get the fast. You don't get the later.

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