LSpangler
Contributor
(I posted this in the General section elsewhere in te forum, perhaps this is a more appropriate site for my questions.)
I am working on my second career in medical coding. The first 20+ years of my life have been spent working with wildlife and more recently, in a veterinary setting. I already have a BS degree in forestry and wildlife. I explored medical coding alot as it is a 180 degree change from my first career. I know I want to do this. I plan to finish my education (a coding certificate) at a local community college and take the exam in 2008. I am also collecting job ads along the way so I know where to go to apply for positions when the time comes.
My question is where does someone like me start as an entry level coder? Drs. offices? Local hospitals? Do I include my BS degree on a resume/application even though it is unrelated? My former "life" included a lot of animal health record keeping, permits, inventory updating, etc. My current job at the vet clinic includes chart auditing and I think there are many transferable skills as for as information managment goes.
Any advice more experienced coders may have would be appreciated as I embark on the second phase of my life.
After reading through the forum, by the way, the $ 13-14 dollar an hour figure sounds good to me after working in the animal care and non-profit field. I would be happy with such a wage.
I am working on my second career in medical coding. The first 20+ years of my life have been spent working with wildlife and more recently, in a veterinary setting. I already have a BS degree in forestry and wildlife. I explored medical coding alot as it is a 180 degree change from my first career. I know I want to do this. I plan to finish my education (a coding certificate) at a local community college and take the exam in 2008. I am also collecting job ads along the way so I know where to go to apply for positions when the time comes.
My question is where does someone like me start as an entry level coder? Drs. offices? Local hospitals? Do I include my BS degree on a resume/application even though it is unrelated? My former "life" included a lot of animal health record keeping, permits, inventory updating, etc. My current job at the vet clinic includes chart auditing and I think there are many transferable skills as for as information managment goes.
Any advice more experienced coders may have would be appreciated as I embark on the second phase of my life.
After reading through the forum, by the way, the $ 13-14 dollar an hour figure sounds good to me after working in the animal care and non-profit field. I would be happy with such a wage.