If the thought of working from the comfort of your own home is appealing, you’ll be happy to know that there are ample opportunities to do so in the 21st century. In an age where millions of people are working from home, you may have come upon a golden opportunity to join this growing trend in the medical coding field.Why Working from Home is Desired
One reason why the concept of working from home is becoming so popular is the family factor. Millions of men and women don’t want to have their children trapped in a day care center with strangers all day. Working from home allows stay-at-home mothers and fathers to work, perhaps full time, and still take care of their children.
Working from home also provides many benefits for those who don’t have children. For those who chafe under the Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 paradigm, working from home can be a terrific way to earn a full time income without having to worry about commutes, work wardrobes and interpersonal office relations. Even though issues of discipline must come into play if one wants to work from home, it can be a rewarding experience for the right person.
Medical Coding from Home
These days, medical coders now have the opportunity to work from home. This opportunity wasn’t even available a decade ago, but with the advent of new technology, home-based work is not only a possibility, but a distinct reality for many people. Most employers who are looking for remote medical coders require that any potential employee have quite a bit of experience under their belt. The amount of experience that employers want varies, but most of them want remote employees to have at least three years in an office setting.
How to Apply for a Remote Position
The first place you can look for a remote medical coding position are popular job boards, such as Monster and Career Builder. All you have to do is type in “remote medical coder” or “work at home medical coder” in the search bar to get the most appropriate results. If you go this route, be sure to check back on these job boards often as new positions come up daily.
Another source for finding remote positions are job boards that cater to specifically to medical coders looking to work from home. You can do a simple Google search for “remote” or “work at home medical coder” to find them. These specialized job boards may be the first place you want to look as you won’t have to wade through hundreds of jobs that require office work and other types of irrelevant results, as you would with Monster and Career Builder.
Creating a Resume for Home-Based Employment
While the resume for a work-at-home position and a non-remote position are alike for the most part, there are a few differences that should be noted. When applying for a standard office position, all of your professional assets are equally important. However, in a for a remote position, there are a few things you’ll want to emphasize a bit more.
The first point of emphasis is your skills and experience. Most employers require at least three years of office experience for their applicants. If you have ten years experience, don’t be afraid to drive that point home in your resume and/or cover letter. You should also highlight your knowledge of the appropriate software used in your profession. Lastly, you should emphasize anything and everything about your professional experience and knowledge that will make you stand out to an employer.
How Does the Compensation Compare?
- Full-time salaried employment: All things being equal (e.g. location, type of facility, etc.), wages for home-based vs. on-site employment are typically the same. Software and equipment are usually provided by the employer and an arrangement will be made for marking the time worked.
- Working as a freelancer: Compensation amongst freelancers can vary dramatically. A home-based freelancer may charge a higher hourly rate, but out of that must come health benefits and other incidentals related to running a small business. As such, earnings may be significantly higher OR significantly lower compared to normal on-site positions.
What About the Benefits?
The answer to that question greatly depends upon the employer; however, most employers that hire remote coders offer many of the benefits that office employees would receive. You should look carefully at the job board ad of all employers to see the types of employee benefits they offer to remote workers, if they do at all.
Then again, employee benefits may not be as important to some people interested in remote medical coding work, as these individuals may also be willing to pay for items such as health insurance and retirement out of their salary.
The benefits that you should look for (if it’s important to you) are:
- 401(k) program
- Direct Deposit
- Travel benefits (if needed)
- Bonus/Referral Programs (for referring an associate to the employer)
Is Home-Based Medical Coding Right for Me?
There are a few things you should consider before applying for a home-based medical coding position. You need to take an honest assessment of yourself and your work habits. The first thing you should consider is your ability to make deadlines. If your boss was constantly breathing down your neck to get things done, then you might have a very hard time with a remote position.
Another aspect of working remotely that you need to consider is your level of motivation. Do you need some type of external stimuli to keep you working on the task at hand? If you do, remote work is not for you. To be successful working from home, you’ll need to keep to a set schedule most days. People who have trouble doing this should stick with office-based positions.
Remote medical coding positions can be a great way to keep working in the medical field without having to commute to an office. Whatever your reason for wanting to work from home, the opportunity to work in a remote position in the medical field is a privilege and should only be pursued after careful self-examination.