r/ODS_C

Hi all,

I’m about to finish my associates this summer and wanted to begin my certification process this fall/winter. I’ve heard a lot about how while AHIMA is cheaper, there’s not as many resources or actual people to talk to for mentoring. I like that it’s self paced & cheaper out of pocket as I plan on working full time once I’m done with my degree, but I worry about job placement afterwards and having enough resources to pass the exam. Any success stories of those who went through AHIMA or alternative advice would be appreciated!

I’ve gone through the informational modules on SEER, just wondering if theres any good free resources for actual practice exercises

I wanted to know if anyone has their ODS cert and only does casefinding and follow up? I am about to start my practicum and I am not sure that I really enjoy abstracting a full case ... maybe it's because I'm new and it seems overwhelming.

I'm just curious to know if there are any alternatives in this field??

Hi there! Does anyone have a copy (digital or physical) of the Cancer Registry Management Principles and Practice for Hospitals and Central Registries 4th edition book.

I'm taking Cancer Registry classes at a community college and I will likely graduate Summer 2027. I live in the Kansas City Metro area and I frequently check job listings at our area hospitals (I already work at one of them in Patient Accounts). I saw a job posting for Cancer Registar with a hourly pay range of 35.00-44.00. Other job postings at a different health system don't list a salary range, so it is difficult to gauge.

I'm not going into this field for the money, but it would be nice to have a realistic idea of what the average pay is for my area. For reference, I make $51,000 working as a Patient Accounts Representative at a hospital. I would love to make $65,000+ within the next few years. With inflation and cost of living, that would be a huge difference to my family. I know that many job listings hire for 10+ different states, so that is why I included the Midwest in the title of this post. I've seen a few others post that they only make $20.00 per hour. I cannot afford to take a pay cut that low. I assume that might be a possible starting pay for those who don't have ODS-C? I'm really just trying to gauge what to expect and what the average is. I know that it will vary depending on where you work. I'd like to stay at my health system or work at a neighboring KC area health system. Of course, I'm open to working elsewhere, but I plan on applying at hospitals first considering I work at one. Thank you!

I see a lot of posts about whether or not they would like this job, and I’d love to hear from people who work in this field on what traits someone needs to enjoy working in a cancer registry.

Here are my two cents:

-An eye for detail. You have to QUICKLY scan multiple charts, pathology reports, imaging, etc., and find key terms to accurately find all of the information you need to fill out an abstract.

-Detective work. Do you like puzzles? Hidden picture books? Figuring things out? If so, you may love some of the more redundant tasks that require you to determine if a patient still has cancer, where they currently live, if they have a reportable cancer, and so on.

-Adapting to change and ALWAYS learning new things. If you like doing things one way and hate when things get switched up, you will hate this job. New manuals and guidelines are updated often, and there are times where you’ll realize you’ve been coding a section of an abstract wrong because a random rule changed that you didn’t know about.

-Focus, focus, focus. I have a wonderful job where my boss wants quality over quantity, but I’ve heard horror stories about people that work at places that require you to start a timer for each task and log how long it takes to complete. Time management is a big deal because there are deadlines for everything, and you have to balance your time between different aspects of the job. If you easily get distracted or like doing things at your own pace, you will not like this field.

-You will cry. Seriously. The second abstract I ever did was someone who had already died by the time I got to their chart. You have to read a patient’s whole story, which includes if they’re married, their family history, their personal history, and so on. When I got to the end of their abstract once they were on hospice and their death info, I knew so much about the patient that I had a big cry and thanked him for teaching me so much. And remember: Children get cancer too.
Side note: Contrary to popular belief, people don’t die from cancer as much as you think they do. If I do follow-up on 100 people, I would say maybe 3-5 people had passed away in the past year or so, and half die from something other than cancer.

Hopefully this helps someone who is switching careers and curious about working at a registry!

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What personality traits do you feel help make this career sustainable for you? Why were you attracted to this role at the beginning and has that generally stayed the same? What should someone going into this field consider?

Context: I am currently a speech language pathologist and am trying to do some career exploration as I want to leave the field. I am so afraid of choosing another wrong one and spending more money just to hate it. I know there is no guarantee, but I am trying to do my due diligence. The things I hate about my current job are "being on" all the time, so much direct patient care. I love reading the medical files, completing evaluations, analyzing my evaluations to determine diagnosis, eligibility, and goals. I enjoy collaborating with my team members as well. I just am an introvert and the field drains me.

Just got the email. I failed with 66.67% 🫠 Congrats to all who passed!! 🥳🥳🥳

What are the work schedules like for ODS-C’s? Is it a 9am-5pm for example? Just a simple question for future reference. Also when getting hired for the position does the employer provide you the computer equipment/set-up or is it our own responsibility to do so? Appreciate any feedback, thank you.

Hi, all! I am currently in the process of applying for online certificate programs as I already have a BS in Biological & Physical Sciences. My long-term goal is to be able to work for a U.S. based company while living in Mexico. I wanted to know how realistic this goal is from people familiar with the role.

Has anyone done this, know someone who has, or have any advice? Is there possibly a different profession I should look into that would align better with that goal?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

I’m planning to take the ODS exam this summer and I’m curious how prepared others felt going into it. For those who have taken the exam, where did you complete your education/training, and did you pass on the first attempt?

Has anybody else been unable to checkout/pay for a course through AHIMA's website this week? I've been getting an "account configuration index" error since yesterday morning after hitting pay :(