I enrolled in a Medical Coding program at my local community college, Hillsborough Community College. Go Hawks!
I just started my first semester on May 18. Now I will be over 49 (also known as 50) when I complete the program, but hey, better late than never, right?
In addition to offering a Medical Coding certificate, the school offers a certificate in Billing. The Billing program has three extra courses beyond the Medical Coding program, so I am adding those courses and getting both certificates. The program recommends taking three courses per semester, but me wanting to finish quickly with both certificates, am taking four. I am also working part-time at a podiatrist's office where I am getting some experience with codes and how insurance companies work.
The four courses I am taking are Anatomy & Physiology, Medical Terminology, Introduction to Health Information Management, and Office Applications for Business. The courses were not originally supposed to be fully online, but instead hybrid classes with some online work and one in class day per week. Because of COVID-19 however, they are all fully online. I thought this change was going to be easier. I was wrong.
I have Bachelor's and Master's degrees from traditional schools, but this online format is much harder. Back in the day, I could just sit in class, listen to a lecture and take notes. It wasn't even mandatory that I attend every class each week. Most classes had a mid-term, a 20 page paper and a final exam. Online school however, requires "attendance" in the form of logging in several times per week to write a discussion post about a specific topic then replying to two of my fellow students' posts. It is very time-consuming and I feel overwhelmed, but hopefully I will adjust to this new format.
I guess I will be reading mostly textbooks for awhile now. Wish me luck!
