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Hi All. I am a new member of AAPC and a new Medical Coding student. I'm enrolled at Indiana University and I love the program. I have 1 1/2 years to go in my program which does include a practicum.

This question may seem too early to think about but, how does one decide if they may want to specialize in addition to getting their CPC certification? I'm a planner so knowing which would be more valuable to my career would help greatly as I move forward in my studies. I definitely plan to take the CPC certification exam but, the areas of OB/GYN and Oncology are very interesting to me. I have three years in the healthcare field and two of those years were working in Insurance Verification for an Oncology Center. That's where my oncology interest comes from.

Does anyone else have certification in specialty fields in addition to their CPC designation? If so, has it proven to be a valuable asset in your career? Is a specialty something employers seek when hiring? Thanks!
 
Like you, I am a planner and I soon as I got my CPC certification I had a great plan of all the other certifications I wanted to get. After working at my current coding job for a while my plans changed because I started to discover my likes and dislikes and I learned about all the different paths a coding career can take. Also you need to think about the additional CEUs you will need. It can be difficult to find CEUs for some certifications. I encourage you to look at current coding jobs posted in your area to see if the employers are requiring specialty certifications. Keep in mind if you go as far to get a specialty certification it is likely that employers expect that you have experience coding that specialty. You may want to obtain your CPC certification and work in a coding job for awhile before spending money on additional certifications. Some employers will pay for coders to obtain additional certifications. Good luck with your studies!
 
Thank you hperry10. I didn't think about an employer possibly helping to get that specialization while working.

You also raise a good point regarding CEUs in the specialty. I've never had to take any CEUs for any of my past jobs so that is something to keep in mind. Medical coding will be an entirely new career path for me!

You mentioned about all of the different career paths a coding career can take. Can you elaborate on this? Aside from coding and billing, what else may be open to me after I'm certified and have some experience under my belt?

And I just finished with finals and I think I did pretty well! Physiology was a bear but I think I'm getting a solid B :).
 
This link is for a career map from AHIMA - another organization that certifies coders and offers credentials in HIM. This will give you an idea of what else is out there. It's not all related to coding but having coding knowledge is a major advantage for many of these roles in my opinion.

https://my.ahima.org/careermap
 
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