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

I am deciding between The Andrew's School and Career Step. I would like some recommendations on - Suzanne Lasky

Posted: Jun 12, 2010

Dear Coders:

My name is Suzanne Lasky and I am a medical transcriptionist who wants to go into medical coding and am have decided through many months of investigating different schools between The Andrew's School and Career Step. I would like to know your recommendations, what you think of the programs and pros and cons of both. Thanks so much.

Fondly,

Suzanne

Decision - MT2

[ In Reply To ..]
Good luck, if you read below, no one seems to give a straight answer. I, however, am leaning towards Career Step only because the payment plan is more flexible (i.e. less of a down payment - I was quoted $200 down on the phone with equal monthly installments until paid off in 11 months). Seems like all the schools offer the same corriculum.

Nope - Not all the same curriculum

[ In Reply To ..]
You need to really research the schools and not just accept that all the schools offer the same curriculum! Call the schools. Talk to Linda Andrews. Call Career Step. Ask what is included in the course. Ask about textbooks. Ask about job placement. Ask about how their grads do on certification exams. Ask yourself how you like to learn? Do you want an all online format? Do you prefer textbooks? Do you want an actual instructor or do you feel comfortable being mostly on your own? Read all the posts below about schools. Do your research and see what works best for you.

I chose Andrews. It is the best choice for me because I know that they prepare their grads well to pass certification which is the key to finding employment. I also knew I wanted an instructor for when I had questions (and you will have questions!), and I prefer textbooks.

As for the Andrews course itself. It is intense. You will need to be sure you have enough time in your week to make adequate progress. It IS a lot of work. But I guess that is what I'm paying for - a great coding education. I like that I can email my instructor when I'm feeling overwhelmed or have questions. I also love that they provide so many books, and not just the coding reference books, but college-level textbooks.

Anyway, good luck to you! I'm sure if you research the schools, you will figure out the right choice for you.

Schools - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
This board is heavily populated by Andrews students and instructors who will try to influence you and tell you that no other school compares to the education they offer. I've been in the Career Step program since May 1. I find it challenging and feel that I am getting a good education. I am able to learn at my own pace. You need self discipline because you set your own deadlines for completion of the lessons, much of it is e-learning. Instructors are available but only when you need help. They offer phone conferences, quarterly coding bulletins and other helpful learning tools. You have to purchase your own books. They provide the coding materials, both electronically and in book form. There is an electronic Dorlands provided in the course as well as other e-learning materials. Their job placement rate and percentage of graduates passing certification exams is quite high. Any school who guarantees you a job after graduation in this job market is not being truthful simply because of our economic situation. I chose Career Step for the reason you mention (they were willing to work with me on a payment plan) and also because a well-respected community college in my state teaches the same curriculum, but with CS I could do it without becoming a full-time student or having to commute to attend class. Other choices for coding education are distance learning through AHIMA and AAPC. Use your own judgment but please don't think that all other schools are inferior to Andrews based on what you read here. Good luck.

Choices - Andrews Student

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm sorry, but I have not seen any Andrews students trying to make people feel that options other than Andrews are all inferior. There is no need to be so defensive about your school. If CS is working great for you, then great! Tell the OP why you love your school. But how about allowing Andrews students to voice their opinions of their school, too? They are all different. The teaching style, pace, materials, etc. all vary by school. By sharing that information on the forum, it helps others make informed decisions as to what will be the best fit for THEM.

Choices - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I didn't mean to sound defensive, basically I was trying to explain how the CS program was presented and how and why it works for me. To be honest I had seriously considered the Andrews School but decided against it based on a number of decisions that I don't need to go into here. I compared curricula from several schools, and believe it or not the subjects taught are very similar, it is the manner in which they are presented that differs, i.e., textbook versus e-learning. Acutally, comments made in this forum by Andrews students in regard to students in other programs having to purchase books and how horrible it is to have to print anything out on your own printer imply that all other programs are second rate. To me, MT2's comments about "paying for a quality coding education" do sound a little biased. I am also turned off by the big Andrews School banner ad at the top of this page. One of Andrews' instructors posts here on a regular basis, and has made reference to the school from time to time. She doesn't hide her affiliation, but to me, in combination with the advertising, it adds up a conflict of interest. That is my honest opinion, thanks for letting me share my thoughts.

But what about the school you are enrolled in and are attending - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
We see your opinions about the schools you didn't enroll in and have never attended, but what do you actually like about the school you are attending.

What I like - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
As I stated above, I am a Career Step student. The things that I like are that I can work independently and at my own pace. The course is mainly electronic learning, which I actually prefer to books, although I seem to be the only one who enjoys studying that way. I set my own weekly goals and based on that the school projects when I will finish my program. I am able to go back and review as often as I want and re-take any quizzes/tests for review. We are required to score 85% or better on our tests, so far I've done much better than that on all of them. I do supplement the on-line learning with books, not only Career Step materials but things that I have chosen for myself. I find the program to be challenging, particularly the anatomy and physiology, which actually surprised me with my MT experience. It's been a positive experience and I've found the Career Step staff easy to contact and work with, and they do keep us informed via e-mail and offer on line chat groups and teleconferences. I have not needed an instructor yet but expect to once I start the coding modules. They seem to offer more coding practicum than some of the others, including Andrews, and I am learing inpatient and outpatient coding. They teach a class in coding software, I found that the others did not offer it. I've been told that it's not a big deal to learn, but it was something I wanted in a coding program. The payment plan is a definite plus. I think that's about it, hope that tells you what you need to know.

question about career step - see message inside

[ In Reply To ..]
how will Career Step look on the resume? Do you think it is highly accepted by hospitals and physicians who want to employ coders, or frowned upon because it is not a degree? I too have looked at Career Step and still have not made my decision yet. Thanks for sharing your experience with them so far.

What I would do - see message - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
If I were not nearing retirement age, my preference would be to get a degree in Health Information Management. I'm still working full-time as an MT and doing well but wanted to learn coding in case something happened and I needed to find other employment. I live too far away from any campus that offers a program and becoming a full-time student is not an option for me, so I chose the distance learning option. As far as employers looking for coders with degrees? In the job ads that I have seen, it seems that completion of a program and certification (CPC or CCS) seem to be the most important requirements. Other HIM jobs may require a college degree. I guess the bottom line is that your decision would need to be based on your goals.

On "no degree" in coding - Redpen - Andrews School

[ In Reply To ..]
I can shed some light on the question of how employers will view having "no degree in coding."

They won't care, first because they are going to care more that you have a certification (a credential like the CPC or CCS); second because it is likely that most of their coders do not have degrees; and third because they probably know that there aren't any degree programs in coding.

Don't assume that every coding program offered by a college is a degree-granting program. Almost NONE of them are. The fact that it is at a college has no bearing on this.

Straight coding programs are certificate programs. In other words, you get a piece of paper (a certificate) saying that you completed a program of study in coding.

This is not a certification like the CPC or CCS. Those require that you take a test to demonstrate your ability. The college program just offers a certificate of completion.

This is not a degree. It isn't an AA or an AS . . . it's just a certificate of completion.

Do not confuse these with degree programs that may be offered by the same college department, i.e., an AA or AS in health information technology. Those programs teach a smattering of everything involved in health information technology, which is what medical records departments do, and as part of that they will also teach coding courses.

Nearly always, every course taught in the coding certificate program will be a part of the HIT program. It will take only 9 to 18 months to complete this type of program.

The HIT program will include general college requirements like several English and math courses, speech, history, "health" or physical education, science, language, computer science, philosophy, and so forth. These additional requirements increase the length of the program to 2 or more years.

I'm glad you explained the 'certification' because I was confused after reading what - Thanks

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Is 85% acceptable to potential employers? - That would concern me

[ In Reply To ..]
Most of us know from our MT experience that employers want something like 97%.

85% - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
85% or better is what is expected on the unit tests at the end of each module. If a student scores less than that, they are expected to go back and review the material and re-take the test, it is really a self-assessment tool. On completion of the course there is a big final exam on everything covered in the program. 85% might be considered a passing grade on the final; my attitide is the higher the score, the better it will be for the student.

Problem with CS - An MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I had a problem with CS. I enrolled through one of the community colleges and was really excited about it. I found the course to have a lot of mistakes. There were grammar and spelling issues in the first parts of the program that put me off a bit. I also felt the terminology was very "light" and I was surprised by that. Then the coding part had a lot of inconsistencies. And it isn't just me that feels that way. There are plenty of posts on the CS Coding Forum where the students are finding errors. These errors were pointed out to the school months ago and the school acknowledged them, and yet they still have not been corrected. So everyone is having to just feel their way through the course and ignore errors and hope they are learning what they need to learn. That just isn't right. I only post this because I feel like I wasted money on that program. I'm doing another program now, and even though I still have access to CS, I never even look at it.

Typos - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I've also noticed the typos, haven't gotten to the coding yet. I didn't think the terminology was light but was glad to see it end. I won't be able to afford to do another program so hope I can work through it, as you say, or get the coding help I need from their instructors or at my current place of employment. Thanks for sharing your experience.

I did want to say, though - see message - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
That I am not sorry I chose CS. Maybe those errors will motivate students to dig deeper and do more research outside of the program, I know that I have. Hopefully these things will be addressed in future versions of the course, it was my understanding that it is still pretty new. Good luck to everyone with your coding education.

Problems with CS - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
I just wanted to post one more message about the coding course. I had not been in the CS coding forums since I started the course over a month ago. I was curious after we had this discussion so logged on to hear what people were saying. It seems that the problems have been with the electronic coding module, I don't know what since I'm not there yet. One student said that the errors are being corrected as they are pointed out. I don't know how long ago you were enrolled in the program but maybe that's something that has recently changed, the post I read was dated June 2. Anyway, I'll continue doing what I'm doing. I'm glad you found another program that works better for you, sorry you wasted your money.

More important than anything else is that we don't know what we don't know - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
Regardless of what coding program anyone is in, we don't know what we don't know. We don't know when we need help because we don't see our own mistakes. That's why it is absolutely crucial to have a good instructor to point out your mistakes to you when you don't see them. I know from my own experience that I thought I was doing a really great job because I didn't know what to look for as far as errors. I was shocked to find out that I had missed so much. Instructors are crucial!

We don't know what we don't know - sm - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
But we know what we know.

Exactly, and a really good instructor will identify the areas we don't have a clue about - I agree

[ In Reply To ..]
I posted my own personal experience above. We all have different ideas of what and how we want to learn and what level we aspire to reach. When I started training I didn't know the difference between learning at a superficial level vs. training with solid content. There's nothing wrong with learning at a lighter level because I think you can get different kinds of jobs depending on what level of coding you reach. We all have to decide on our goals and how to reach them. There is no perfect training that works for everyone.

For heaven's sake.... sm - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
We're talking about medical coding and billing, not rocket science. People have been known to learn this on the job without any education at all, which is how I began years ago and then decided to puruse transcription instead. I am not looking to advance very far up the coding ladder, I just want to find a job in my clinic's business office or another outpatient setting so that I have income until I retire if transcription is no longer an option. Don't assume or imply that I'm not learning anything because I'm in a program that you didn't care for, that's a judgment call you are making.

We're talking about 2 different things - You may not need training at all then - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
Doctors' offices and clinics often use Superbills. The codes are already on there. The doctor just checks off the appropriate ones for the patient he saw and hands it to you. That takes no training at all.

If a person wants to do actual coding though, it requires putting some effort into it and a good education is required. No assumption was being made about you or what you are or are not learning. This is just a discussion about what is required to be a coder. What you describe is not coding, so it's two different things entirely.

I've done what you are describing and it's a good option. I wanted to do the actual coding though and was frustrated when the doctors would go to seminars and come back with the forms already printed up with the codes already selected. It wasn't very challenging, but it was a job and I was happy with that job for a while.

Where I work - see message - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Is a large multispecialty facility with a small hospital, an ER and PT/rehab unit. Our billers and coders all work out of the same department. Some of our coders, but not all, have CPC credentials, the hospital coder is an ART. The program I'm enrolled in teaches inpatient and outpatient coding as well as reimbursement and I will hopefully know at least the basics when I graduate. I'm also aware of other classes available for new coders such as the Carol Buck course. At this stage of my life, I would not plan to pursue inpatient coding. I would like to take the CPC exam but I'm hoping to first get my foot in the door in our billing department and work for a while, or perhaps in another of our local physician offices. I'm nearing retirement so I'm not thinking in terms of high-power coding jobs. My dream job would be to divide my day between our MT and billing and coding departments, working as an editor in MT; maybe that would work if my MT hours are cut. I began learning inpatient coding many, many years ago but so many things have changed I am starting over. Anyway, that's my story, thanks for your note.

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