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Does being a long-time MT make you more valuable if you become a coder? - Interested

Posted: Mar 28, 2010

So if someone has been an MT for 10 years and then moves onto coding, does that make them more valuable to employers?

Also do you recommend the Andrews School over the rest? I am pretty sure I am going to do this but am wondering if I should sit in college class and do all of this or go with the Andrews School.

Is there really a PLUS to taking the classes on campus in a classroom setting? Thanks!

MTs make very good coders - Redpen

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, I can't answer all your questions, but I can shed some light on the first one . . . and explain why.

First, I'll be clear that I'm Redpen from Andrews School, but I'll try not to be biased.

Is an MT-turned-coder more valuable to an employer? Probably, yes, but the employer isn't likely to know it. They're not going to want you pitching in to help transcribe, after all, because they will be paying you premium pay to code, not transcribe. Coders typically make higher salaries. They're also in shorter supply, so it would be a poor decision to use you in another capacity.

Nobody where I work believes I'm an MT. I've even given up trying to help the MT staff. All of ours is contracted out, but I've been in an office where three people were trying to figure out what a surgeon was saying. The contract company couldn't get it, the transcription clerks and department head couldn't get it, and it was clear as day! I kept telling them what it was, but they just looked at me like I had horns. They finally got quiet and one of them said he could NOT be saying that because it was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard, NOBODY could understand THAT, I had no basis in fact for even thinking I could hear it, and I needed to stop playing games. If I wasn't going to be helpful, I should just BE QUIET!

The benefit is actually to YOU. Because of your MT-knowledge, you'll be able to learn to code faster and you'll be more functional on the job because . . . you can read medical documentation.

You'll also be able to expand your skills more easily. With minimal effort, you can slide right into clinical documentation improvement and physician documentation auditing.

Because of your background, you will know how to read and understand medical reports. You won't have to be taught this--you'll just know.

You'll already know the main parts of a report--any report. What goes in a Review of Systems? What do physical exams look like? You've seen all those parts in various places, so it's not going to bother you if the impression is at the beginning, not at the end.

You also know all those nifty acronyms and abbreviations. I've seen non-MT coders simply refuse to code a note that contained what they thought were too many abbreviations. "PERRLA? Rubs? What's a rub? Massage? Why are we doing THAT? I didn't count them. Nobody knows what those mean. If that doctor won't be clear, I won't count it. And I'm not coding anything that has massage in it! We could get in a lot of trouble for that." I've also seen them refuse to code notes if the parts weren't where the coder wanted to see them--and you know as well as I do that the parts can be all over.

Op reports are another issue. If a coder can't understand them, they can't code them. MTs have no trouble with them--they pounce right on what they need. I've seen lots of non-MT coders code from the title of the operation because they can't read the procedure. And you know how often the title doesn't quite match . . . or include everything.

In order to code really well, and to advance, you need to be very literate. You need to read well and write well, too. It might not seem so, but being able to spell all those big medical words . . . really helps. It helps because encoder software kind of doesn't work too well with "random alternative spellings." MTs never have difficulty with these things. They also tend to enjoy learning new software and not be intimidated by it.

Although it isn't absolutely necessary, it really helps to keyboard well. Some coders are one-finger typists, which makes them slower and stressed. MTs don't think about keying--it's just something their hands do without thinking.

The main thing that carried me during my first years in coding was MT. I was way ahead of the game because of it. I passed my first certification exam before I had ever coded a single record.

I think being an MT helps you learn faster and pass those certification exams. Non-MTs can learn fast and pass exams, too, but I think MTs have a natural edge. Most employers want to see the certification before they hire you--they typically do not want to have to fill in where a school left off so you can go take that exam. They will quite often forgive any lack of experience if you have the cert.

Thanks for info - MT going for coder - Bamagirl MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Appreciate the info. I just started for my associate in coding and this information really makes me feel better about my choice. I am 16 years MT-ing and looking forward to the change and challenge.

Coding - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
You'd be more valuable to your employer if you could code and work as a backup MT, but with VR and outsourcing that doesn't seem too likely any more. Where I work, the coders and MTs are in 2 completely different departments.
From what I've been told, being an MT does not always mean success in coding. Most coding programs don't take your MT experience into consideration and make you start from square one with terminology and anatomy and physiology, I think you'll be surprised at how much there is to learn. Employers usually want a couple years of coding experience when they hire you and then OTJ training before you sit for the certification exam. I don't know anything about the Andrews School but my opinion is that on campus/classroom settings are the best because you have interaction with other students and learn from each other. Good luck!

Here's why I love distance learning - Linda Andrews

[ In Reply To ..]
We did nothing but on-campus training for years. After we added distance learning, we found that our distance learning students were learning better and faster. We started some at the same time and had distance learning students already graduate and start working while the on-campus students were still there, loving it, but depending on the instructor and other students more than on themselves.

In classroom situations everyone sits through detailed explanations, whether they need it or not. If a question is asked and you already know the answer, you still waste that time because someone else in the class didn't know the answer. Then there are the time-wasters because of weather, flu outbreaks, transportation problems, etc.

Our students are adults, so most of them can work without having an instructor standing there telling them what to do and when to do it.

That reminds me. There is an on-campus course that I'm familiar with that uses one of the books we use. That's all they use. Not only that, the instructor stands at the front of the room and reads the book, word for word. Our students don't need that. It takes precious time away from them that they could be using to actually code.

We let everyone know ahead of time that they must be able to work independently, just as they will on the job. They have to know when to ask questions and how to read and understand technical material.

After we found that our distance learning graduates tended to be more successful, we phased out all on-campus training. I wouldn't go back.

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