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Well, right now I'm planning to go to a community college for Medical Coding, only I don't know whether I should pick one in Salem, OH (where this job is) or in the Philadelphia area where my grandparents live (because the initial plan was, I'd live at their house while going to school). I'm beginning to think I should just go ahead and plan to live with the grandparents, because I could be halfway done with the certification program by the time this company makes a decision.
I hate to confuse you even further, but I would really think first before paying any money to take a certificate program in medical coding.
First of all, ask them if it is in ICD-9 or ICD-10. Training in ICD-9 is a waste of money. The whole world is already on ICD-10. The USA is supposed to upgrade in Oct. 2014 to ICD-10. Don't take the course if there is no ICD-10 training.
This job is heavily outsourced to India and other cheap countries. They also already have an advantage over Americans seeking to work as medical coders in that they already know ICD-10.
New grads have a terrible time getting a job in this. Just horrible to get a job with no experience. Demand that these schools you are considering put you in contact with graduates they helped get jobs out of school or that got jobs on their own out of school. If they cannot get anyone jobs, have no placement department, have no placement statistics, etc., do NOT take their course at all. Seriously. You will not get a job on your own. Another thing is people think you can work at home right away ... you cannot. Employers don't trust you at home without several years of experience, so you need to live in a place with lots of medical facilities around to start with.
If you want confirmation of what I am saying, google "medical coding need experience" or "medical coding outsource India" or go on Indeed and look at their discussion boards on medical coding and there are some conversations confirming what I am saying.
There is really only one place that teaches medical coding that might be able to get their new grads a shot at jobs just like it did teaching medical transcription (yet another heavily outsourced job). It's an online program but the only one I would trust. DM me if you want to know who they are. (No I do not work for them, etc., but I helped a friend research this profession so that's how I know about them.)
I am also not really "sold" on this profession, especially if you are young. It might last a few (5-10; leaning more towards the latter) years for Americans, but the outsourcing and electronic medical records (automation) will probably kill it. Maybe a career progression could be (provided you get that first job and aren't like most new grads who NEVER even get that first job!) to learn more and go into health information management or something on the IT side of healthcare (this will probably require more education) after being a coder for awhile and knowing a lot about coding.
Some of the multi-nationals (meaning not Indian companies doing medical coding for Indian healthcare providers, but offshore outsourcing from the USA and other English speaking countries) were even willing to provide free training for people interested in medical coding. The other job listings were willing to take new graduates of medical coding courses. "Medical coding job offerings for freshers" means new grads.
Compared to the USA
Find Jobs. Build a Better Career. Find Your Calling. | Monster.com ... I searched "medical coder" with no location. There was no place to search for years of experience on the initial search engine. I got 159 jobs total in the USA. All required experience and also many required specialized medical coding experience (inpatient, acute care, etc.) in order to be qualified for the job advertised. Some of the jobs also required certifications (not the certificate your school would give you, but an official Certification from sitting for an exam for the professional organizations AHIMA or AAPC).
Notice the barrier to entry is a lot higher for Americans and there are a lot less jobs ... and they all require experience.
So who is going to be getting the jobs bonanza off our health insurance changes and Obamacare ... Indians or Americans? Look at the actual job advertisements and see for yourselves, people. On today's Monster, it was 3,722 jobs vs. 159.
So who is going to be getting the jobs bonanza off our health insurance changes and Obamacare ... Indians or Americans? Look at the actual job advertisements and see for yourselves, people. On today's Monster, it was 3,722 jobs vs. 159.
Why, that's impossible! I thought the real reason so many Americans were out of work was because they are "lazy" and "watch TV all day" - I read it in this forum, so it must be true! Surely, it can't have anything to do with the exploitation of vastly cheaper labor in poverty stricken nations or our nation being sold out to corporate interests!
I'm sure the long-term plan of building unaffordable products in impoverished nations at 3rd world wages and then selling those products at 1st world prices to people who no longer have jobs will end wonderfully...
At least he got told something. I must #### the bed because I don't even get rejection letters in the snail mail or email. Thanks.
Ih2puo....
Don't take it personal- most companies send nothing out.
Don't forget- when applying online, your application often is simply filed by the company ATS without its being seen.
So no one even knows you applied.
This happens when an ATS is set up to file incoming applications and/or when it did not read/see the key words it was programmed to watch out for.
If you asked, the HR staff would simply throw up their hands and say they have too many applications for them to respond to each sent them.
I have discussed the idea with a few companies of using 'autoresponders' but they have not taken the idea and run with it.
And even then, people would complain that the autoresponder reply is generic and does not appeal to their sense of having been considered.
Which they wouldn't have been.
................
This is why, by the way, I coach people that the best way to be considered is to contact the HA's directly.
They can usually be identified by using Google and/or LinkedIn.
Of course, many will react negatively to being called but when you consider it:
....for every ten direct contacts you get two will agree to receive and review your resume...
....those are better odds than having your application be vaporized by a company ATS nearly 99% of the time.
Thanks,
Paul..
..
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Divina....Coding?
