Am I making the right choice pursuing a Medical Coding career?
December 22nd, 2009 by admin
I’m taking classes to become a medical coder. I wonder how hard it will be to find a job and how hard the certification test will be. Also what do I do in the mean time while I am waiting to becom certified? Will anyone hire me before I am certified?
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In my opinion, medical coding is not a career. Yes, you will always be able to get a job, but I believe you will not make decent money. I just looked on http://www.salary.com for the Philadelphia area and the median salary for a Medical Coding Technician is $35,000 and a Medical Coding Manager’s median salary is around $50,000. I am not sure if that is decent money to you, but it’s not to me.
Why did you choose the career path? Most people are talked into moving in a particular direction when it comes to careers. Attending a certification program can let you know a lot about the position but does it give you the downside? Find someone that has been doing it for a while and ask what teh downsides are. Make sure that it is something that you will enjoy doing, if you do not like sitting for hours on end staring at a computer screen or paperwork then it is not the job for you. Look into it more, you obviously heard about it from someone, take a moment to look at how many jobs there are out there. Ask why are there so many, does the pay reflect the work, can I live on what the pay will be? What is the top end of the payscale, where can you go from this position? What is the turnover rate like for that particular position. These are questions that a company or a person within the industry should be able to answer easily. Choose your career wisely an HR manager will look at your resume to see how much job hopping you have done and hold it against you. Should you start a job keep for a year minimum before changing. Good Luck.
I used to be a HIT (Healt Information Technology) MAJOR at DeVry where I was actually going to earn my bachlor’s. I found out how hard it really is to get into the different openings (in Atlanta). It seemed to be more of a who you know not what you know deal.
Also, is your schoo accredited by AHIMA? If not then good luck landing a job.
One more thing…. with a certificate, you have to stay up on the experation date!
I think almost any medical career right now is a good choice at least for the next 20-30 years because of all the aging baby boomers. You might want to find a forum on medical coding and post your question there for people with experience to answer you. Also check with your school and instructor to see what they recommend for finding your first job.
You would definitely be able to get a job in a physician’s office without being certified, but you’d need a graduation certificate in hand before being hired. It would also be helpful if you had a mentor or apprenticed with someone before doing it yourself for the first time.
Good luck in your endeavor!!
Medical Transcription, Coding & Billing
http://www.mtacc.net