The job of the coder is currently one of the most demanded in the job market. Its immense popularity is explained by the computerization of most jobs that did not involve modern technologies before. However, being a coder is quite difficult, as the job presumes a wide range of knowledge in many fields apart from ICT. Hence, it is necessary to understand what the job concerns and the possible challenges a coder may face.
The coder’s job involves many tasks from different fields. Thus, a coder may create programs for the medical institution and for the bookshop at the same time. A typical day of a person involved in making computer programs may consist of working on different projects, fixing coding mistakes, if any, and sometimes generating new ideas. The most challenging part of the coder’s job is definitely, meeting the deadlines. When the project’s performance comes to an end, coders usually forget about sleeping and eating and spend all their time looking at their computers’ screens trying to do a high-quality job. Next comes the lack of time because creating computer programs in different fields involves not only meeting deadlines but also answering e-mails, and communicating with colleagues and personal staff. Apart from that, the fast development of the IT world makes coders follow all the trends and be aware of all changes in the sphere.
When it comes to coding in a particular field, coders must collaborate with people related to this field. Thus, when creating a coding program for the medical sphere, the coder should not write the program on his own. He must consult medical personnel of a particular institution to provide up-to-date materials on the number of patients, their diagnoses, and the ways of treatment to create an accurate database (Heywood et al., 2016). Hence, the coder may query a physician if he needs additional or specific materials concerning the work of the medical institution or a particular patient to provide relevant data in the code.
To conclude, being a coder is a difficult but necessary job. Its high popularity is explained by the computerization of the majority of spheres of life and the increased demand for ICT specialists. The medical sphere is among those who need coders the most because the automatic programs they create help treat patients more accurately. Thus, medical personnel should communicate with coders to ensure the creation of the relevant clinical database.
Reference
Heywood, N. A., Gill, M. D., Charlwood, N., Brindle, R. & Kirwan, C.C. (2016). Improving accuracy of clinical coding in surgery: Collaboration is the key. Journal of Surgical Research, 204(2), 490-495.