system.AndrewsSchool.com

Linda, I just want to encourage you that even though students may not communicate on the forum as much, we do communicate on the job. :0) Some of us do work at the same companies and we do talk on a regular basis! It is so nice to have this added touch with work and school. It is such a great support system.

Linda, I wish we all chatted more too. It would be nice to share experiences, concerns, etc with people who are going through the process the same as I am.  I don't know anyone who is attending the Andrews School so I have no idea if the things I struggle with is something that others struggle with also.  I wish I was good at getting "conversations" going, but I am kind of afraid of "putting myself out there" and trying to start a thread.

Okay, Linda, I'll bite.  I just completed Coding Exam 6 of Module 3.  This was the toughest one yet, at least for me, but I thought I had done better than I actually did.  I'm starting to get concerned that I might not make it.  I'm also composing an e-mail with questions, and trying to keep everything organized so as not to forget anything is challenging as well.  I guess I could use some tips and encouragement.  I've been very busy with work and other commitments.  I think that has been my biggest obstacle.  Meanwhile, I'm just trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Michelle...hang in there.  I so totally relate to what you're saying!  I'm near where you are...trying to finish the second-last exam in Module III.  I've finished Asperheim and just have one more chapter in Green.  But at present I'm kind of mentally frozen, along with just ridiculously busy.  It's a tough place to be but I think we need to just keep on keeping on. It'll come!  Posts by amazing students of the past (and present) share that it is tough at times but they handled it and we can handle it...just hang on and do our best!  And as heavy as our feet may seem at the moment, continue to put one in front of the other, like you said. If you can find the time and haven't yet, it might help to read through past comments about the third module. We are not alone.  :)  

I just started Module III. I am having a HARD time getting motivated after finishing Module II..  I am totally terrified about finding a job, after following that Facebook group, Jobs for American Coders.. it seems half the comments on there are about how impossible it is to find a job without experience...

The positive is that it never seems to be an Andrews graduate posting that they can't get a job. I AM encouraged by that. 

I HAVE to get remotivated. 

Thanks for the pep talk, Teri!  I know what you mean about being mentally frozen.  I've been there a few times myself this module.  We CAN do this!!  

Linda, the first few sections of Module 3 go rather quickly.  Sometimes the toughest part is just getting started and getting the momentum going.  I would suggest you do what Teri said and read through past discussions for some useful tips from others who have gone before and succeeded.  Note the credentials after some of their names.

Hang in there ladies!  It comes together more by the end of Module III.  I too felt a lag in Module III (brain fatigue?), but am newly motivated in Module IV (can see the light at the end of the tunnel!).

I am not chatty in general and, yes, am really trying to focus on completing Module IV, but I have definitely made some friendly distant relationships with Andrews folk here and on facebook even.  This really has been a great experience :-)

Good luck all!

-Nicki

I don't know if this will help anyone else, but this is the way I study now,  Didn't always do it this way and was having a very hard time.  Some things are still confusing for me.  

1.  Line up each documented fact on the left margin.  Code each.  You can always go back and delete if necessary.  This is advice from each of our instructors but for so long I didn't do this and everything was so disorganized.  According to the answer sheet I would have missed codes that should have been obvious per the document.  But once I got into that habit it really helped.  You all are probably doing this anyway, but if not, do give it a try.

2.  Now as I study I keep the code book next to the text book and when there are special instructions I make notes in the code book.  When I see diagnoses from the text, I make notes in the code book - not always because some things are so obvious.  Learning the coding steps has been difficult for me, and I found this method of study really has helped.  I'm in module IV and I wish I had done this since day one.  By making these notes I am able to refer to them on the exercise questions and also on the exams.  

3.  Ask your instructor questions.  In the beginning it was pointed out to do this, and also mentioned that in the process of writing the question, many times things will become clear just because of having to formulate the thoughts - which I have found to be true.  Before I formulate the questions I look back in the text or look up information on the internet and many times I end up not sending the question because it has been clarified.  However, nothing is that easy and I still have to send questions to the instructor.  Each of the instructors has given answers that clarify and the one or two times I was still confused I sent another note and the answer was cleared up in a way that I could understand.  

I would like to hear from some of you about study habits that have helped you.

Donna G

I, too, had just started doing number 2. I wish I had started that from day one as well... But I think when I first got these code books I was so afraid to do anything in them due to the thin pages. Better late than never!

Something I do to keep myself organized is I print out the syllabus and I highlight what I have finished. I usually write my scores next to the quizzes and assignments as well. I know theres a page on here to see my grades, but sometimes I work offline and like to glance at that to see exactly where I am and what needs to be done next and what my last grade was.

I tend to read more than write. I am in Module IV. Surprisingly I enjoy Inpatient coding A LOT more than outpatient coding. My main goal is Inpatient coding, but I would like experience in Outpatient coding to get the apprentice taken off and have experience in both. I also am considering the insurance side of coding. A mutual friends girlfriend is in Human Resources at BCBS and she says their medical coders work remotely from home with great benefits and pay. I do believe there is a certification for the insurance side. 

I see A LOT of posts about people afraid of finding a job. I think that is more of a hinder than anything. There are many job opportunities out there both online and locally. One thing I don't think people consider is networking through your local chapter. Get involved in meetings and meet others. Also, I see postings in the staffing agencies. That is another way to find opportunities. 

I also seem to think I may never get this. So many guidelines etc. etc. Just like any job, experience and knowledge comes with time on the job and learning. We will all get there. Maybe some faster than others, but keep working hard and you can do it!! 

Thanks, Heather, Brandy, and Donna for those tips.  I'm starting Module I next week, and I'm paying close attention to things people say they wish they had done from the very beginning.  I totally agree with you, Brandy about experience and knowledge coming with time on the job and learning.  I went through it first as being an x-ray tech, then as a transcriptionist, and eventually I will go through it again being a coder :)

Comments re: a couple of posts about use of tabs.  I tab.  The CPT has tabs in the front of the book.  For the other books I bought a packet of Post-it, plastic dispenser, tabs come in 3 colors, about 1-inch wide.  I cut them in half, no need for the full inch, and labeled/tabbed only the first page of each section.  Really saves time. Do I remember a comment about "if an employer saw those tabs he/she would consider it amateurish."  My own concept about this, if I were an employer, if my employee did something to make the job easier or streamline the process - which tabbing does do that - then that is good thinking on the part of the employee.  Think about our HCPCS 2014 book - it has built-in tabs.  Related to that, we just received an e-mail from the supervisor to make notes to aid in our memory.  We all work many different accounts, each of whose "rules" are different and found on their account specifics page, but to stop and look at that every time we open a new chart is not good use of time - thus we were advised to make a list of short notes.  That's on the par of the purpose of tabbing - making it easier to find the information.

Donna G