Moving On: A New Beginning in Medical Coding

After working for a year as a coder at a psychiatric hospital where not many coders want to work, I felt sad seeing patients with depression, suicidal ideation, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, bipolar disorder, and more. I decided it was about time for me to move on, so I updated my resume with my one year of coding experience and mailed it to many hospitals in town.

It had been a month, and not a single email or phone call for an interview. I decided to take matters into my own hands instead of waiting passively for them to call. I asked for a week off from work. Each day, I got up early, dressed nicely, and brought many copies of my resume. I had a list of hospitals I planned to visit each day. The night before, I rehearsed what I would say if given a chance for an interview or even just five minutes face-to-face. Just like a recorder, once you hit the button, everything good and positive about you will play non-stop. That is exactly what happened, and I got a chance for an interview.

I arrived early that day at Tufts Medical Center at 7 am, before most coding managers and directors had come to work. I sat in the waiting room where patients usually come to request a copy of their records. I dressed up nicely, held a folder with my resume, and replayed my rehearsal in my head again and again. Around 8 o’clock, a nice lady in a suit walked in. I guessed she must be in a higher-up position based on how she was dressed, so I said good morning to her. She looked at me politely and thought I was a patient waiting for a copy of my records and said, “Good morning, how can I help you?”

This was it, the five minutes I had prepared for. I told her that I was a coder looking for work, had one year of coding experience, was one of the best students in school, and pleaded for a chance. I assured her that I would be a great coder and that she would never regret hiring me. She was impressed with my positive attitude and told me she was in a hurry for a meeting but would ask the coding manager to call me and talk about my application. She took my resume and walked into her office.

I was thrilled but knew I needed to prepare for the official interview and might be asked to code some records. This time, I was fully prepared, thanks to the coding job I was currently doing. The coding manager called me the next day and scheduled an interview. On the day of the interview, both the director and coding manager interviewed me in the coding department. Twenty years ago, I was young and full of energy. They liked my energy, cheerfulness, and optimism. After the interview, they gave me a few ED records to code. I did well, although it took me some time to find the E codes for external causes. Overall, I performed well, and after reviewing my coding, they hired me as a full-time outpatient coder. I was ecstatic because this was a big teaching hospital where I knew I could learn a lot for my coding career. I looked forward to coming to work every day.

Lessons Learned

But, as life often teaches us, things don’t always go as smoothly as we hope. I would soon face new challenges and setbacks—but that’s a story for another day.

For now, I want to leave you with this:

• You need to start somewhere. Take whatever opportunity you can get and learn from it.
• Be ready when the opportunity knocks. Practice your pitch. Know your strengths. Be confident.
• Don’t wait—go after what you want. If no one is calling you, walk in and introduce yourself.
• You are not alone. I was once in your shoes, and if I made it, so can you.

Thank you for reading my story. If you’re struggling to find your first coding job, don’t give up. Keep pushing forward, and one day, you’ll look back and appreciate the journey.

Stay strong and keep coding!

Hoang Nguyen, BS, CCS, CCS-P, CIRCC, CCVTC