I was given permission to share this, but I did take off all identifying information anyway. Our graduate is welcome to identify herself if she wants.
Here is what she wrote:
Hi Linda! I just have to share some great news. I am applying for a coding job a local hospital, and they have a number of candidates. I interviewed and took their coding test last week. I found the test very challenging. I worked on it almost 3 hours, and had to leave it unfinished because it was the end of the hiring manager's work day. I did not feel good about it at all. Today I received a call to let me know that I scored the highest by far of all the applicants!
Oh, so cool, Linda. This makes me feel so good about my job prospects when I graduate. I knew I was making the right decision when I went with Andrews.
A prospective coding student contacted me via email the other day. I don't remember whether they were a man or a woman, but anyway they were almost ready to pull the trigger and sign on the dotted line with another school. They were already in Health Information, so they knew what to look for. Now, it just so happens I had researched this school before I chose Andrews because I, like them, was going to go with it because it was cheaper. When I told them this school didn't enable them to sit for CCS right out of school and Andrews did, that was it; they were sold on Andrews. The fact they didn't give you real hard copy books and taught on the encoder were just icing on the cake. They said the jobs were out there in their community, but hospitals wouldn't even let you test without CCS and she had a degree in HIT. I am so glad I chose Andrews. I almost mad a big mistake. I can't speak for anyone else, but I am almost forty now, and I don't want to sit in a doctor's office just doing data entry off a master bill (I think that's what it's called) for three years before I can do more complex stuff you can do with the CCS and make a good living.