Loridaniell
Guest
Hi everyone. I wonder how many job seekers are experiencing the same issues I am, and I'd love to share perspectives. Here's a bit about me.
Having been an RN for 24 years, actively practicing for 20 of them, I left nursing to be an office manager for my family's owned and operated business. While this endeavor has been very successful, I felt a tug back into healthcare. Having been an RN/MDS Coordinator for several years of my nursing career, I truly enjoyed ( and ultimately excelled at ) concurrent chart review and data extraction from the perspective of both QI and reimbursement standpoints. I wanted to become a certified coder, as it seemed as though it
was the perfect solution and the way that healthcare was "going". Hence, I took the AAPC online curriculum. Since the RN/MDS position required the use of ICD-9 manuals and coding processes, I took my AAPC Certification exam, passed, and was awarded a CPC credential, without the A.
Having had discussions with former colleagues, as well as participated on various online forums, the general consensus was that with the way healthcare was going, those with clinical backgrounds, such as nurses- would be ideal candidates for an entry level/some experience coding position, and that this field would explode. The latter seems true, while the former has me scratching my head in frustration and confusion.
I feel fortunate that I was able to get one interview, during which to save her breath, the HR manager could have taken out a rubber stamp and printed the dreaded "Overqualified/Insane" label in bright Red on my wrinkled forehead.
Since my job search began, I see that many employers seek coders with medical experience and state things like "preferably" MA background (medical assistant).
Oh, and speaking of wrinkled, I am 51. I feel as though both the RN after my name in addition to my age are 2 issues that have employers running the other way. Another issue that seems to confuse employers is the fact that a nurse salary does not buy you happiness, but a good quality of life and a healthy work/life balance does. (Oh, that's when the HR lady would have reached for the "Insane" rubber forehead stamper, as evidenced by her quizzical expression).
This brings me to another issue. Credentials on a resume. There seems to be many distinct schools of thought on this subject. A highly regarded nurse advocate (that should have been my first clue) suggested that I use "RN,CPC" on my resume, when applying for a straight up Coder position. Some HR camps say that is immediate disqualification. Others indicate that you should not credential your name on the heading of the resume ever ever ever, and have your qualifications and certifications speak for themselves in the body of your resume.
It seems that if an RN seeks employment in an office setting-period- he or she is looking at chart auditing. That's great, and I have somewhat shifted my searches to those terms.
A coder knows how to review a chart, and that's only a part of the responsibility. We also code! And that's what I love to do, but I knew how to review a chart as a RN well before I learned how to code. So what the heck did I do this for? Have I misled myself?
I'm solid, smart, professional and I'd sure as hell hire me. Should I keep on keeping on, or go to plan B and become a blogger on how ridiculous seeking employment is? Does what I want really exist? Anyone experiencing these things?
Thoughts and chiming in welcome!
Thanks for reading,
Lori
Having been an RN for 24 years, actively practicing for 20 of them, I left nursing to be an office manager for my family's owned and operated business. While this endeavor has been very successful, I felt a tug back into healthcare. Having been an RN/MDS Coordinator for several years of my nursing career, I truly enjoyed ( and ultimately excelled at ) concurrent chart review and data extraction from the perspective of both QI and reimbursement standpoints. I wanted to become a certified coder, as it seemed as though it
was the perfect solution and the way that healthcare was "going". Hence, I took the AAPC online curriculum. Since the RN/MDS position required the use of ICD-9 manuals and coding processes, I took my AAPC Certification exam, passed, and was awarded a CPC credential, without the A.Having had discussions with former colleagues, as well as participated on various online forums, the general consensus was that with the way healthcare was going, those with clinical backgrounds, such as nurses- would be ideal candidates for an entry level/some experience coding position, and that this field would explode. The latter seems true, while the former has me scratching my head in frustration and confusion.
I feel fortunate that I was able to get one interview, during which to save her breath, the HR manager could have taken out a rubber stamp and printed the dreaded "Overqualified/Insane" label in bright Red on my wrinkled forehead.
Since my job search began, I see that many employers seek coders with medical experience and state things like "preferably" MA background (medical assistant).
Oh, and speaking of wrinkled, I am 51. I feel as though both the RN after my name in addition to my age are 2 issues that have employers running the other way. Another issue that seems to confuse employers is the fact that a nurse salary does not buy you happiness, but a good quality of life and a healthy work/life balance does. (Oh, that's when the HR lady would have reached for the "Insane" rubber forehead stamper, as evidenced by her quizzical expression).
This brings me to another issue. Credentials on a resume. There seems to be many distinct schools of thought on this subject. A highly regarded nurse advocate (that should have been my first clue) suggested that I use "RN,CPC" on my resume, when applying for a straight up Coder position. Some HR camps say that is immediate disqualification. Others indicate that you should not credential your name on the heading of the resume ever ever ever, and have your qualifications and certifications speak for themselves in the body of your resume.
It seems that if an RN seeks employment in an office setting-period- he or she is looking at chart auditing. That's great, and I have somewhat shifted my searches to those terms.
A coder knows how to review a chart, and that's only a part of the responsibility. We also code! And that's what I love to do, but I knew how to review a chart as a RN well before I learned how to code. So what the heck did I do this for? Have I misled myself?
I'm solid, smart, professional and I'd sure as hell hire me. Should I keep on keeping on, or go to plan B and become a blogger on how ridiculous seeking employment is? Does what I want really exist? Anyone experiencing these things?
Thoughts and chiming in welcome!
Thanks for reading,
Lori