Any clinical coders here?

[AboutFace]

I've been looking at clinical coding jobs and I'm looking for some advice from those in the know! I'm a nurse, but prior to that I worked in banking and have a statistics degree so I'm quite analytical too. I am looking to move away from clinical work (shifts) and clinical coding looks interesting and a good fit.

All of the jobs that come up NHS jobs require experience. Even jobs listed as a "trainee clinical coder" require experience and ACC. How do you get a foot in the door? Would it be too pushy to send my CV to a clinical coding head of dept? Or HR departments in nearby hospitals?

A trainee post shouldn't really be requesting experience. They normally request a science A level or degree, knowledge of anatomy and physiology but not experience. You sound like you have a perfect blend of skills, a clinical background with the analytical background is perfect in my opinion. If you see a trainee post, contact the named contact and say what you've said here and ask to have a visit.

Thanks @IlooklikeRonnieCorbett I’ll definitely put myself forward next time a trainee post comes up!

Send them a speculative email before the post comes up! Clinicians with your background would be the dream candidate!

Also one thing you could do is read up on the clinical classifications they use, as an overview of the classifications would be advantageous for an initial interview/chat.

So the World Health Organisation creates ICD-10 (diseases and morbidity) and NHS Digital creates OPCS-4 (procedures) as a springboard for you to research.

Good luck!