What did YOU do?

Hey! I can only speak to Clinical Documentation Specialist type of position and a master's is not required or necessary. This type of job directly impacts the data for the hospital but in some hospitals they work closely with Quality, however they are under HIM/Revenue (because what is billed becomes the data)

In terms of certification - I would say certification in your current bedside specialty is valuable. CDIS would come after 2 years or more after working as a clinical documentation specialist. No need for CPT and ICD9 is out. 

Hope that helps a little.  

On 5/20/2021 at 6:00 AM, GleeGum said:

Hey! I can only speak to Clinical Documentation Specialist type of position and a master's is not required or necessary. This type of job directly impacts the data for the hospital but in some hospitals they work closely with Quality, however they are under HIM/Revenue (because what is billed becomes the data)

In terms of certification - I would say certification in your current bedside specialty is valuable. CDIS would come after 2 years or more after working as a clinical documentation specialist. No need for CPT and ICD9 is out. 

 

Hope that helps a little.  

Jumping in here because I have some similar questions!!

What about ICD-10 certification? Also ACDIS has a CDI Apprenticeship program, its pretty pricey but do you think it's worth it to try to get onto a CDI team? Do you think 2 years of bedside (in acute care) experience is enough? I am seeing a lot of CDI job postings vary on experience requirements. 

Hey! Honestly I'm not familiar with ICD-10 certification so I can't speak to that.   Most CDI jobs are hiring unexperienced for entry level I suspect, because it's such a growing field. I'm sure they would prefer to hire experienced but maybe it's not a requirement. 

2 years is not a lot to be honest. This is because so much of what we do is reviewing clinically while knowing the coding rules. ICU or ER experience would probably carry more weight.

$300 for the apprenticeship program is not a lot to invest in a career change. The bootcamp is pricey however and likely the be worth the investment if it gives you an edge to be hired.

Hope that helps ? 

It definitely helps so much!! I wasn’t sure my clinical experience was enough. But what your saying makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much! 

Everything you do and learn will be valuable for your next steps. May the direction of your career path be clear and good, and enjoy the journey. You are asking good questions, may you be successful in the ways that are important to you! ❤️ 

Wow thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement!! So thoughtful of you ☺️

Hi !   I would say apply to positions in the  quality management (QM) dept to get in the door.   I successfully transitioned from staff nurse primary care to performaonce improvement specialist in QM.   I love my Job and the impact it makes. 

My work exp has ED, primary care, psych, DM care management. Education with a BSN, MSN in process in nursing informatics.   Volunteer to do special projects that would improve your unit I  did and that project became the thing that got me this job.  My interviewer even asked how does a staff nurse have time to do all this and do her duties?  
 

how are things?  What did you end up doing?  I'd love to hear an update