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physical requirements? - to code or not to code

Posted: Jul 01, 2010

I've been thinking about going into coding, but what is it like physically? The immobility of transcription drives me crazy sometimes, as well as the eye strain of editing, so I am wondering if the actual physical work of coding includes the same stress. Or maybe I will just get a job on my feet, stocking in a warehouse?

Physical requirements - Aspiring coder

[ In Reply To ..]
Coding requires sitting at a computer for long periods of time just like transcription. You would be doing a lot of reading because you'll be obtaining data from patient medical records. You would not be typing very much but using a lot of brain power.

It's not as stressful - Redpen

[ In Reply To ..]
While coding is a sit-down job, it is not as physically intense as MT, where you have to hold still for long periods.

While coding, you can move around much more. You do not have to sit still as a statue, so there is a greater degree of relief.

Generally speaking, you have to be in the chair to produce, but the work is interesting and your brain works to solve problems, so it is somewhat easier.

I've done both and never had the same "sit still stress" in coding.

working quietly - in a quiet room

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for your replies. The mental engagement factor is also important to me. I overheard (or maybe read in an email) one MT say in passing that she would rather have her fingernails torn out than go into coding. I didn't ask or even wonder why at the time, it just stuck with me over the years that there must be something about coding even worse than the tedium of transcription.

physical - jm

[ In Reply To ..]
For me, coming into coding after doing MT is a relief physically. As a transcriptionist you are frozen in position. Hands are frozen on keyboard or levitating over it, foot and leg frozen in position on foot pedal, neck and back rigidly fixed, and you constricted in space by headphones. That is stressful for the body. In coding, I am up getting charts, going from chart to computer, moving charts around. You will be doing a lot of reading either on the screen or in a chart. Some places may not have physical charts anymore and will have electronic medical record and you will be doing a lot of reading on the screen, but it is very different because you can move around. Your arms, legs, head and neck belong to you once again.

Thank you so much for posting your experience - Very interesting!

[ In Reply To ..]
That's a great comparison. Thanks for taking the time to post!

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