Any coders/medical coders here?

[Oceanmum23]

Looking to return to work in the next few months. Come from Nursing background but been a sahp for a few years now. No possibility of going back now.

So I’m looking at jobs which offer bit more flexibility and training.

Thinking about retraining in clinical coding.

Can anyone tell me about their role (if in this position)

Thanks

There's a definite skills shortage in this area so should be straightforward to find work. Good luck!

NHS director here. Coding is definitely a good path to go down, everything depends on coding and it being accurate. There's a shortage and I've known Trusts to give up grades and retainers so they don't lose their coding staff

Research and clinical governance are also good options. Clinical audit, clinical effectiveness etc

I'm coming up to finishing my career in nurse education- how do you actually retrain as a clinical coder?

You’d usually be expected to take a trainee role within a hospital’s clinical coding department and start your training there, hopefully working towards the ACC qualification.

It’s an interesting and varied role but does require quite a lot of work to qualify and you need a good eye for detail. It’s an area with a lot of rules and standards, but once you get your head around it, it can be a great career.

Def a shortage. Where I am band 3 coders are paid 8a salaries because of the shortage

Really? where's that?

Are you talking about coders in the computer science sense (e.g. using a programming language like python) or people who input/data entry medical notes ?

No they are talking about coding medical notes. It's a completely different job.

Clinical coding is the translation of medical information into alphanumeric codes. Coders must follow rules, standars and guidance to ensure the correct codes are assigned for each patient. It can be quite a complex and challenging career but it’s also interesting and rewarding.

Thanks everyone. I feel this is the way to go. I’ve been looking at online courses to get a basic understanding before embarking on in-depth training. So far I’ve seen courses on Reed and a few other places which seem like a good start. Also I’m keeping an eye on job adverts for trainee positions. I’m nearby to 3 teaching hospitals so I’m hopeful.

Good luck everyone, keep us posted on how things go!

There's a couple of threads on here about clinical coding.

I started coding in 2011 and now I'm a clinical coding auditor.

Your background in nursing would be an advantage with your knowledge of anatomy and physiology.

You learn a lot on the job but you need to be prepared to put the work in outside of work to pass the exam.

Good luck finding a position!