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

Question about schooling - anne

Posted: Dec 28, 2011

I am an RN but haven't worked as an RN for 20 years, have attended job fairs and pretty much have been told there are no jobs, nothing I can do after being out of the field this long (even taking the refresher courses). I left the field to be an MT, as I could do it from home and still have some supervision of my children (I am CMT and have been an MT for 20 years). With the continued loss of income, I am seriously considering coding. I have 2 questions for everyone, I know I will need to get out there and really hunt to get that first job, but will my age (mid 50's) make it near impossible (I am in great health, no issues), and would it be better to wait until I can learn ICD-10 to enroll? I have already decided to go with Andrews if I decide on this course of action. Thanks to all for any advice/help you can offer!

I'll give you my opinions on your 2 questions - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Those are two very good questions.

First, mid-50s is not too old to change careers and get a good job.

You definitely do not want to just learn ICD-10. It's going to be important to know both ICD-9 and ICD-10 for years to come. I learned that from talking to Andrews. You will be getting both if you enroll with them. They may be going on waiting list status in a few days because so many of us have enrolled recently. They have a cap on the number of students they will enroll at one time.

thank you! - anne

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I was really praying about what to do, and your reply pushed me into enrolling NOW! I actually love learning new things, looking forward to this. My pay has dropped to near minimum wage with all of the changes in MT even with learning VR and all of the shortcuts!

Uh oh. Just put my application in the mail today. - Waiting list.

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Thanks for the info you gave anne, and for the heads up on a possible waiting list.

Call them and tell them. I don't think it's on waiting list status yet - Call and ask

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It can't hurt to call and get your name in now. Tell them your application has already been mailed. That's what I would do.

waiting list - anne

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I called today and spoke with Linda Andrews. I paid by credit card and got in, but she did say she was going to be putting people on a waiting list soon, so my advice is call her!

Thanks "call and ask" and Anne. - Waiting list.

[ In Reply To ..]
Whew. Called and put on a list to get in before a possible waiting list is implemented. Was told there *may* be a short delay as they may have to order more books.

Good for all of you - Anonymous

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I just hope that the demand for coders keeps up with the number of people enrolling in school. Coding jobs are not as easy to find as one might think, especially for new grads. Putting people on a waiting list can't be good. Regardless, congratulations on choosing to make a career change.

I don't think Andrews is so big that they will flood the market - Good luck to you

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I don't agree with anything you've said here today, but wish you well anyway.

Not only that, but the more coders they have out there - please see message

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The more coders they have out there doing a great job, the more the employers will want of their graduates. I know that some of them are already in positions where they can influence hiring. That can't be a bad thing.

Thank you. - Waiting list

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Believe it or not, I thought the same regarding the available coding positions to student ratio. I am not going into this delusional and realize finding a job will be difficult. However, a few other subjects are taught as well that may be helpful to me. Who knows? I may go in a different direction halfway through, but I am trying to be proactive, preparing just in case something happens and I am no longer able to transcribe. BTW, are you the same anonymous who is studying for RHIT? If so, congrats to you, too, for choosing to make a career change.

Finding ANY job is difficult - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Do you know how many coding jobs go unfilled because no qualified certified coder can be found? I think it is something like 20% and expected to increase with ICD10.

This is also a national job market. It is enormous. It is far larger than MT. How on earth could one school flood that market? Really, use some critical reasoning skills .

It is difficult in any field to find a job even if you have experience. Employers are not desperate enough to take just anyone. MTs are the only people I have ever seen who see that as a barrier. It is as if you refuse to even try unless you have a guarantee. "Well, I might have to exert myself, so I won't do it."

The real problem in coding is not Andrews. It is the colleges that crank out marginally qualified candidates. That does flood local markets with people who perform poorly and make employers reluctant to hire new graduates.

My guess is that an Andrews grad with a CPC and CCS will look very good even to those employers.

What your school might not have told you is that most grads never attempt the RHIT exam. Of those few who do take it, a huge number fail. Thre is a reason they suggest 3 years of on the job experience before attempting the CCS. It is that their grads fail before then. It takes them 3 years of job training to learn what they were supposed to learn in school but did not.

When you graduate you may well get a minimum wage job filing records. But if an employer has to choose between you, with no credentials and an expectation that you will get 3 more years of employer-funded training, and an Andrews CCS CPC, for a coding job who do you think will get the job?

One characterisitc of HIT students is indecision. They do not know what they want to do. Coding looks too hard. Privacy seems less work. ROI is even easier. Maybe they can specialize in management so they never have to learn anything.

Students who know they want to code tend to apply themselves and get it done. They know it is difficult and they welcome it. That is why coders get paid more, after all. They are not willing to float around having college experiences. They are goal driven. If they choose a coding-only course like Andrews it is because it fits with their priorities. They intend to GET a job. It is therefore no surprise that their grads do get jobs and advance in them.

Waiting list is good - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Andrews waiting list is how they make sure you will get enough instructor attention. They do not enroll so many stdents that it would flood their instructors. It is a good thing. It does not mean they have thousands of students. They are quite small so there is no worry about them flooding the market. Their students do well with job hunting because they are prepared somewhat better than others and are ready to hit the ground running.

Med-Line Bridge Program - Kimi

[ In Reply To ..]
There is a "Bridge Program" through Med-Line School of Medical Transcription, but I've found out that the instructors are not Coders, but rather transcriptionists teaching the course?? Huh?? Does that even make sense.. And, the course is not approved through AHIMA.. So, try AHIMA coding program, heard it is great :)

How can it be great if it has no instructors? - sm

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Why would you post advice if you nothing about the topic?

Med-Line - curious

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I am curious because I had looked into Medline's bridge program also. How did you find out it was not taught by certified instructors? I think that would be false advertising if that were true because it says on their website they are approved, accredited..etc.

Best read that website again - Read OP again, too

[ In Reply To ..]
Read it again more carefully. It does not seem to be possible to know whay that school entails or who is faculty because that information is not there. We do not see prices, oe any other clear and unambiguous information about content or instructors.
You are making the mistake of thinking what they say there is for coding. The apprvals I saw were for their MT program, not coding. AHDI is the MT approval.

It also says that it prepares you to start learning about coding. Really. I would want to actually LEARN it, not just get an intro to it. Note that it also says it teaches to the CCA. Being prepared to start learning about fits with that.

As for saying it has no instructors, look again. That post was responding to the comment about another oganization's course, which they themselves warn students about, saying it has has no instructor

still curious - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
On the website it has a link to click to receive more information. I clicked the link and received the whole info packet, pricing, etc and the coding bridge program is much less than Andrews. I honestly do not know what the problem here is. How did you find out about the teachers not being certified to teach the coding class or just MT's teaching it? Still curious..

med-line school - kimmi

[ In Reply To ..]
Why don't you call the school and ask them all about their instructors???

Best read this website again... has all the info you need - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Anyone have experience with this school?

I think ... - Just my 2 cents

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It would seem to me that noncoders who come here to ask advice from coders would value that advice enough not to argue against it. If you have no idea what is required to do a job and no knowledge of the issues surrounding learning how to do it, getting credentialed in it or even what credentials there are, why would you ask about that and then rail against the advice you are given?

This reminds me of the old matchbook school issue in MT. That was a daily event on some boards. Prospective student appears and in a kind of gloating fashion asks about this GREAT school they found that is shorter (they cannot see why they need everything the Big 3 make you take), online (no pesky books to read and no teachers to criticize you), and waaay cheaper (proof they really have their students's needs in mind). When experienced MTs explained the problem with that and suggested a course of action that had been shown to be successful, the prospective MT would freak out, accuse those who had taken their time to answer of being against them, of being biased, and of just plain being too stupid to recognize the wave of the future, which the kind and dedicated souls at that school were just trying sooo hard to make available to everyone and . . . it must just be that all the experienced MTs on that board were trying to HURT newbies and keep them out of the field and and and . . . they were just going to sign up for that school anyway and NEVER coming back to that board again and all of you are MEAN and full of hate and just horrible and . . . sniffle . . . they were going to pray for you. Unless they expressed a hope to find you burning in the everlasting flames.

None of these people ever thought to read the archives, which were full of sob stories from other prospective MTs who had signed up for that school and now not only could not find a job but could not even get an interview. Even though they graduated with high honors. Or felt they were certified because the school gave them a certificate.

One thing that most of us noticed was how chirpily innocent those posts started out and how astoundingly gullible the authors seemed to be. Another thing was their remarkable inability to READ what the matchbook website said. "I think it would be false advertising" . . . umm, and you think nobody does that because ??? Or maybe they do not do it, not really, but just kind of oops use similar words and if someone mistnterprets them . . . well, it isn' the matchbook's fault, is it? I mean, hasn't everyone heard of buyer beware. (HehHehHeh!)

All these places were approved and accredited, just maybe not by anyone you would recognize. They all "taught medical transcription" just maybe not the same MT the Big 3 were teaching. (They maybe used tapes read by actors instead of real dictation, but so what? Why make things harder?) And a bunch of them had accelerated programs so nurses and anybody else who had ever set foot in a doctor's office wouldn't be insulted by work that was beneath them.

Someone above suggested a closer and more critical reading of a website. I know that several regulars here know exactly why that is.

But for some reason the OPs are not getting it.

Well, ok. You asked advice, it was given, and you didn't listen. Our job is done. Please take that course and come back when you finish to let us know what kind of job you got and how you fared on the CCS and CPC exams.

Yup, that's right, the CCS exam, not the CCA. The advice we give here is based on the expectation that you need a CCS in order to be competitive in the job market. Hey, you asked and we advised. If you think we're just being unreasonable, that's ok.

We will be especially interested to see if all of you MTs who do accelerated programs that omit A&P, pathophysiology, and all that other stuff in which you already know everything, pass the CCS. Please also come back in October of 2013 and tell us about your experience with ICD 10, especially the procedures. (We are sure you will do fine on the CPC, because that is just about one chapter of med terms.)

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