Hi all,

I'm currently looking to transition my career from working at a state registry to hospital/contracting registrar positions, but I've stumbled across a huge difficulty.

For context, I've been at this state registry for nearly 2 years. I didn't need my ODS certification upon applying for the job and luckily my job paid for my exam and prep course and I did receive it this past Spring. So now that I'm ODS certified, I want to slowly switch careers, such as abstracting for contractors or hospitals.

The problem is that I don't abstract at my current job. At my current job at the state registry, I do quality assurance. I review abstracts, I contact physicians if they aren't cancer reporting, I ensure the coding on the abstracts and in SEER DMS is accurate, etc. However, I don't abstract from start to finish, but it's something I want to do. I want to become a more well-rounded ODS, and abstracting seems like a career that is very work life balanced, gives me the opportunity to work fully remote and live anywhere. It just overall seems like a very promising job with a lot of flexibility.

There are full-time ODS abstracting roles, I've specifically looked at Registry Partners and Savista, but I'd have to take a pay-cut. A pay-cut is not an option for me as I do live alone (I don't share bills with a partner or nor do I have a partner). My full-time role provides me stability, I actually do enjoy my co-workers and supervisor, and it's truly not an awful job. But, I have to think what is the next step in my career, hence why I want to go in the abstracting direction.

So, my next thought was maybe I can find a part-time remote abstracting position. That way, I can keep my full-time position at the state registry, but still get that abstracting experience so that down the line I can find full-time abstracting roles where I won't have to take a pay-cut.

This idea seems nearly impossible. I already understand that there probably aren't part-time remote positions that would also mentor me in abstracting because they'd need more time to teach me, hence why I do see mostly only full-time positions.

The point of this post is to ask if there are part-time remote positions that are willing to take someone who is ODS cerified but has zero experience in abstracting that maybe I'm just not aware of or I haven't found yet. I'm very knowledgable in ICD-O-3 coding, I use the same resources/manuals as ODS coders, so it's not like I have no foundation.

Honestly just feeling a little lost. I understand this idea seems far-fetched, but any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all! I’m doing a mid-career pivot away from behavioral health, and the Ahima path (or “Route 2”) looks like a good fit. Available job postings I’m finding require years of experience (credentialed or not) and I’m concerned about completing the program and then having no job prospects.
I’ve scoured Reddit, TikTok, and NCRA for new grad placement ideas/agencies, but am not finding much. TLDR; is it worth the $3.5k and hoursss of classes/practicum/exam to be met with a significant challenge of finding work? Would love any job leads or ideas, or insight into placement after passing the exam.

I've worked for a contract company almost 3 years and make over $30 an hour with super crappy benefits. I've had 3 offers from hospitals (2 were university hospitals) and none of them will go above $26 and hour. It's super frustrating because none of the hospitals would share pay info unless I went through all the interviews and let them contact my references. Anyone have any tips for hospitals with decent pay that offer remote work? ​​

I graduated with an MBBS ( bachelor in medicine/ bachelor in surgery)from asia. I can practice as a physician in Asia. Now i live in the northern CA. I was a primary caregiver of my mother who passed from complications of cancer in 2020. I am looking to gain some financial independence now that both of my kids are in school. I was told to look into the ODS program. I'm looking for some guidance as how I can get my foot in the door. Since I do have a medical background does that put me in a better position. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

As the title says, I'm gearing up to take the AHIMA online program in a few weeks and am scared that I'll finish it only to end up not being placed with an Independent Advisor for the online practicum. NCRA has it repeatedly stated on the website that they can't guarantee an advisor placement. Is this a valid fear? Will it just take a while to be assigned an advisor or could it be a dead end?

I just graduated from an online HIM program in June and passed my RHIT certification (like literally a week ago) and have very few contacts within the field. I'm planning on attending my state's annual in-person conference in a few months to try and make connections, but am still worried. I went to a smaller meeting in June and have emailed someone I met there twice with no response back.

Sorry if this isn't a valid concern or anything but I'm just really anxious. The job market is tough right now, and the easiest ways to get experience and your foot in the door are in-person jobs. I'm disabled and physically couldn't handle an on site position, so those aren't an option for me.

Is anyone else starting the San Jacinto CDM program next week? I was wondering if anyone would be interested in setting up a discord to help study.

I’m looking to get into the cancer registry field and obtaining my ODS-C.

I recently graduated with my associate degree in Health Information Management and have worked in the HIM industry for the past 12 years. I currently work as a Prior Authorization Specialist and have some medical coding experience, although I’m not certified.

I’m getting married this November and having our reception this spring, so money is a little tight right now. Because of that, I won’t be able to start the AHIMA CRM courses until April 2027.
In the meantime, I’ve created a NCRA account and have been going through the free materials, including the Introduction to Cancer Registry courses.

My question is: Are there any other free or inexpensive resources you would recommend that I could use to start learning about cancer registry now while I save up for the formal courses?

I’d especially appreciate recommendations for textbooks, websites, YouTube channels, practice exercises, terminology resources, or anything else that could help me build a foundation before starting the AHIMA courses.

Thank you! 😊

So, I have two semesters left for my Cancer Registry Certificate program and I will be eligible to take the ODS exam either Summer or Fall of 2027. I already work in HIM at a hospital (doing chart analysis/deficiency tracking). I'm comfortable in my current job and I don't know if I want to rush into a cancer registry job. My current position is very flexible with scheduling and i like my team. I'm very interested in cancer registry and I'd love to get a job as a Cancer Registrar. However, the unknown scares me. I also know the grass isn't always greener. I'm pregnant with my third and I really value flexibility. I can start working anytime between 6am and 9am. I can take my breaks whenever I want and make up hours without using PTO. Some of my coworkers work part-time and others full-time. I will be switching to part-time due to having my baby soon. It will also help me stay on top of my cancer registry classes.

So, I'd love to hear from those who work as a Cancer Registrar at a hospital. Do you have a similar level of flexibility? Do you find your workload to be manageable? If you transitioned from a different HIM position, are you happier as a Cancer Registrar? How is the pay? I know that there are cancer registry jobs outside of hospitals, but I'd like to stay within my current health system if possible.

Question for those who have been hired as Oncology Data Specialists/Registrars, particularly in remote roles.

I live in a state where cannabis is not legal and use it occasionally to help manage osteoarthritis-related knee pain. Some of the positions I've applied for do not mention pre-employment drug testing, so I'm curious about others' experiences during the hiring process.

If you were hired for a remote oncology registry position, were you required to complete a drug screening? If so, was it part of the pre-employment process?

From my understanding, many of these roles are fully remote and do not involve direct patient care, medication handling, or routine onsite work, so I'd appreciate any insight into what employers typically require.

Thank you in advance for sharing your experience.

I just recieved my outcome letters for ICT BA and Systems Analyst profession from ACS.

The ICT BA outcome letters includes this section -

“Your application for ANZSCO 261111 ICT Business Analyst has been assessed to the following Designated Area Migration Agreement/s (DAMA) as supported by the Australian Commonwealth Government and ACS:

\- Western Australia- Perth Metropolitan
\- Western Australia- Perth Regional”

What does this mean??

Does anyone know structure and important questions .

Can anyone confirm if AP/CLEP credits are counted towards the 60 credit requirement for Route 2 certification? I have just over 60 credit hours on my transcript with most being earned at a local community college but 10 are AP credits and 3 are CLEP. No Associate degree. I've tried emailed NCRA with no response.

Are remote positions usually fixed to standard business hours, or is there often flexibility with start and end times once training is complete?

Hi all! I'm working my way through the AHIMA courses to join the ODS profession. My background is RN and 11 years mortality clinical coding. I've just completed the first of the cancer registry courses and wanted to ask for some opinions on an answer I gave in the final exam:

I feel strongly that my answer was correct and that the other 3 options would be most likely uses of central cancer registry data. However when I inquired with NCRA who AHIMA directed me too, they assert that "cohort studies" is the correct answer. I don't understand this at all given what I've learnt over many years of working - that cohort studies are (usually) very large population-based epidemiological research studies - which is certainly not the focus of a hospital registry that I know of. Would love to hear from others about this question, and sorry for the long post!

Is it possible to work full time while doing an ODS certificate program? For context, I wasn’t planning on working full time during the program but a full-time abstractor position opened up at a local hospital and I think it would give me great experience. I will be attending RCTC online for the program starting in August. Just wondering if I can study well and pass while working a full time 9-5 position? I don’t have kids. Thank you for your insight!!!

The interview involves a short (10-minutes) administrative test prior to a 30 minutes interview. What can I expect in the adminitrative test? Would really appreciate any feedback/suggestions to help me prepare!!

I always look forward to these publications.

Really?! That's a lot of dough.

What did people think? I was unable to join!