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HIT Training But No Jobs - Should Have Studied Pure Coding - Wasted Several Years Studying
Posted: May 11, 2015
We all learn from our mistakes. Some of us just take longer. After bumbling around for several years with HIT training, etc., it's time to get serious and go for a coding certificate. What a waste these past several years have been and still not even close to being prepared for a CCS or a job as a coder. Starting over again but doing it right this time. In order to get a coding job, you need that CCS. The rest was just filling in time and wasting money.
Coding Jobs - Luckyacew1
[ In Reply To ..]I was very interested in coding a few years back and took a couple of classes from AHIMA or whatever it was called online. But then I started reading the ads for coders--there were a lot, but they all required 2 years' experience. Someone shared with me that I could maybe get a hospital MT job and ask to do a little coding and maybe slide into the department little by little. But just try to find a hospital transcription job these days! Check out what it takes to get a position in your area before putting your hard-earned money down.
coding jobs---true but you can still break in - another MT 2 coder
[ In Reply To ..]I had a professional help with my resume, and I took classes on successful interview techniques and practicing interviewing. Then I applied to all of the jobs (except those that were for supervisor, but I applied for all others even those requiring 2-3 years' experience). I sent out over 100 resumes and didn't hear back from most (discouraging) but I did get about 10 interviews. When you actually get the interview, a big part of it will be a coding test. I was able to choose between 3 job offers, but I was discouraged before that...just keep trying and be prepared for the coding test, as that will determine if you are considered or not!
Is it a long test?? - LB
[ In Reply To ..]Can you share how the test was? Not what was on it, but is it a long test....like an hour? I am so nervous in interviews, taking a test would probably make me faint (just kidding)! How come MTs and Coders have to take tests before they are hired and others do not? Does someone in construction have to build a cabinet to get hired? Does a pharmacist get tested on drug dosing before they get hired? Okay....just had to vent a little. :)
If you have your CCS, that sometimes takes the place of testing - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Someone being hired to do custom cabinet work will have to have pictures of his work or a showroom with examples. Home builders have to show potential home buyers some of the homes they've built. Actor and models have work portfolios. Teachers and writers have published work highlighted in their CVs. PROFESSIONAL careers require some kind of proof. Sometimes your actual professional credentials eliminate the test requirement, but often the exam is required of everyone, in order to be fair.
Graduates of HIT programs aren't ready for the CCS exam - sm
[ In Reply To ..]That's all well and good if your training prepared you and qualified you to sit for the CCS exam, but most don't. You have to get experience first, and without the CCS, that is a problem. No, internships don't count, unless the facility where you do your internship happens to hire you, if you are one of the lucky ones that get the internship, and they obviously can't hire every intern. Any other employer will look at your resume and wonder why they didn't hire you. They are not likely to want you if the facility that trained you in that internship didn't want you.
And then you still have to get that CCS and the internship doesn't prepare you for it either - Realistically Speaking
[ In Reply To ..]If the training you got didn't qualify you for the CCS and taught lots of other good stuff but not advanced coding, you're going to have to learn how to code on your internship. Most internships don't really cover coding broadly enough to teach you what you need for the CCS, so you are still out of luck. Training didn't do it for you and internship can't make up the training deficit. All you can do is hope to get a job where you can use some of the skills the HIT program did teach you, which might be some kind of software or statistics about healthcare. The HIT programs are not designed to prepare people for jobs. They are designed to bring in income to the colleges. It's all academic, not practical.
Internships don't typically hire the interns; thus the grads - we see here begging for jobs
[ In Reply To ..]Not everyone is lucky or unlucky enough to be awarded one of those internships and when you do get in you are usually given very simple, boring duties until your required time is put in. You can go to forums and blogs all over and see what happens to people after the internships. They can't find jobs and eventually give up on a coding career alltogther. Internships are one of the biggest ripoffs ever from what I've seen.
Or, it ends up being a "virtual internship," so you do not - even have that benefit.
[ In Reply To ..]A lot of times now, it ends up being a virtual internship, so you don't even have the benefit of showing an employer that you can work. You just code pretend cases or do other pretend tasks online, or do a virtual project of some sort, like a term paper.
If you do get an internship somewhere, it isn't going to be very long. Only about 40 hours spent watching people work in all areas of medical records. Privacy laws keep you from doing real work. It might be at a nursing home or something like that, where you wouldn't want to work anyway.
Testing - IP Coder
[ In Reply To ..]From my own personal experience, before becoming employed, I applied for many coding positions, and my CCS never let me opt out of testing, so be prepared to test.
Right, but if you don't have skills to pass the CCS you probably won't - pass the employment exam
[ In Reply To ..]In most cases the same people who have the skills to pass the CCS exam are the ones who can pass the employment tests. There seems to be a large group of people managing to pass the CPC, but can't pass employment tests. What's up with that? They mention taking bootcamp training to pass the CPC and other short supplementary-type courses. I'm guessing that it just isn't very good training; good enough to pass the CPC, but not good enough to get a job.
length of the test - another MT 2 coder
[ In Reply To ..]Sorry, just saw this, just got home from work. It took me a bit over an hour, there was no time limit. There were many questions/fill in the blanks about coding guidelines, basic coding info. Then there were 6 case studies and I had to assign E/M, diagnoses, CPT codes for some basic procedures (excision of lesions, shave biopsy, joint injections as I recall). This was for a multi-specialty group physician practice, it will vary depending on where you are testing. I am now studying to take my CCS next month and hope to get a chance at inpatient coding. Our office just hired another CPC and they interviewed/tested about a dozen people. What they said was most important was knowing the basic guidelines (many did not!), and my supervisor also stressed that she wanted someone who wanted to work, not just show up for the paycheck. She also shared that she prefers to hire those who have strong people skills and who had a background working with people or customer service. Good luck!
Uh, that's the problem, the employment coding test - Not enough coding in the HIT program
[ In Reply To ..]That's the problem. How can you pass an employment coding test if you only learned coding basics? You can't. You have to start back at square 1.
Where did you get your coding training? - nm
[ In Reply To ..]nm
The main problem with HIT/HIM training is that it takes forever - sm
[ In Reply To ..]HIM/HIT training takes forever, but doesn't really teach coding well enough for a real coding job. There really just aren't that many jobs graduates of HIM/HIT are prepared for once you get down to it. They have no practical skills and employers are all about hiring people with practical skills, like a CCS for the finest example.
I don't think it was wasted money. - see msg
[ In Reply To ..]Once you do have a coding course under your belt, I think the HIT training will take you much further. The two combined would have some benefits.
Wasted time more than money - could have been making money years ago - Not a good investment
[ In Reply To ..]It's not just the money that was wasted. You can get a CCS after 1 year of training and start making money. It's going to take a long time to make up the difference, even after taking a pure coding course on top of the HIT rather than being an experienced coder by now.
The degree doesn't matter as much as the CCS credential does - Agree
[ In Reply To ..]The CCS itself is the key to many coding jobs. A 4-year degree is helpful if you want to go into management. An Associates Degree isn't helpful at all really. The actual coding credential is what employers have to have, and they will pay well to get it. The CCS is a very good investment of both time and money! The rest, not so much unless you want to get into management and are willing to invest years and buckets of money to get there. Most of us don't have that kind of time. We need to earn a living to put food on the table, kids through school, pay for retirement, etc.
A Masters Degree Plus a CCS would be golden! - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I wouldn't want to go into management, but there are paths you can reach through that 'pure' coding that pay as well as management. Now that's what I'm talking about!
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