One big advantage of the HIM field is that there are many different paths you can take with an HIM credential and/or degree. As you are studying, you most likely have been exposed to the “traditional” path for an HIM career. That would be working in an acute care facility in the department that used to be known as “medical records.” In both the name of the department and the scope of responsibility, there has been a lot of progress. However, in this post, I wanted to point out some other avenues that you can travel on the road to a successful career.

When I started coding in 1995, I had just received my associate’s degree and was ART eligible (that was before the ART credential became the RHIT) and the CCS credential was still just a toddler. My new employer was one of few hospitals in the area that employed mostly ART- credentialed coders. When I asked about getting the CCS credential, most of the coders told me not to worry about getting the CCS because I had the ART and that established me as a coder.

Check out Debra's answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding careers in health information.

As a coding educator, I love talking to new coders and so I began my own mentoring group last winter and really started putting myself out there to receive tough questions from novice coders. The number-one question I am always asked is, “How do I get experience if no one will hire inexperienced coders?” This phenomenon is not just impacting coders; it’s extending into HIM and EMR as well. I admit that this is the most difficult question I am asked and I always pause and sigh before answering. So I started to jot down some ideas about what I think it takes to get your foot in the door and I came up with a few points to help you NAVIGATE your way into a lucrative career!

Hello! I am Lance Smith and have been working in the HIM profession in various roles for 12 years. While I did not have HIM as a professional aspiration, meaning that I didn’t tell my parents that I wanted to be in HIM when I grew up, I am glad that I discovered it.

I am both honored and excited to be asked to blog for the new HI Careers website. As a self-confessed “super coder geek” I love to share my excitement about my chosen career with others and try to help them break into what I know can be a satisfying and rewarding career experience. I am an RHIT and dually certified coder through AHIMA and the AAPC. I am also an ACE member through AHIMA and currently serve as a first-year director for the Colorado Health Information Management Association. In my spare time, I facilitate the Denver-based novice-to-professional networking group on Facebook, The Coder Coach, and I also pen a Coder Coach blog (http://www.codercoach.blogspot.com/).

In this blog, health information professionals will write about the questions asked most frequently by site visitors. In addition to advice columns, industry experts will share trends they are experiencing in the profession, as well as other helpful career tips they’d like to share.