Being a parent comes with many challenges, but one all too common challenge is finding the proper balance between family and work. While many parents consider quitting their job to focus solely on raising their children, it’s not always realistic to lose a source of income.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could spend your days at home with the kids while still bringing in a paycheck? With more companies hiring medical billing and coding specialists to work remotely, that dream is becoming a reality for more parents every day.
If you’re looking for more than just a new career, read on to see if medical billing and coding may be right for you!
- Save on childcare: According to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), the average cost of center-based daycare in the United States is $11,666 per year ($972 a month), and that’s just the cost per child. At that point, it leaves many working mothers or fathers breaking even after taxes. As a remote medical billing or coding specialist, you can essentially add $1,000 to your paychecks every month just by cutting childcare!
- Know who’s watching your kids: In addition to being expensive, daycare can come with other concerns for parents. Many daycare centers employ hourly staff who may not have proper training in areas like child safety. If you’re spending your days at home with the kids, you can quickly do away with those concerns.
- Nurture your children’s development: Studies by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that children left in daycare centers all day experience higher levels of stress and display more aggression than those who are cared for at their own homes. Other studies have found that the negative impact of poorly funded childcare on children extends into their adolescent life. By spending quality time with your children on a regular basis, you can give them the one-on-one attention that is so important to their development.
- Education: Being a parent means your hands are usually full. Let’s face it, pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree is difficult as it is, but having to wait 2-4 years before beginning a new career can seem daunting or be too long. Many of our partner schools give you the opportunity to be career-ready in as few as 10 months, meaning you could be ready to start earning sooner!
- Train while you work: Starting on a new career path can be difficult when you’re already juggling a family and your current job. To make it simpler on you, many of our partner schools feature online training programs. This will allow you to choose classes that work best with your schedule. Read: What's An Online Medical Billing And Coding Program Like?
- Eliminate office stressors: Working from home can be a lifesaver for many people. It eliminates many daily stressors, like waking up early, fighting traffic, and interacting with annoying coworkers. Without those headaches, you’ll have more time to focus on what’s really important: your family and your new career.
- Set your own hours: Many employers let remote specialists work a 9-to-5 schedule or make their own hours. Depending on the client and the project, you can determine which tasks must be completed during regular business hours and which tasks you can work on at your leisure.
- Trim your expenses: Oftentimes, we don’t even realize how quickly all the expenses that come with an office job add up. Things like transportation, dry cleaning, and eating lunch out can burn a hole in your pocket over time. As a remote medical billing or medical coding specialist, you’ll quickly notice you’re saving a ton of money by cutting out these incremental expenses.
- Pay: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical billers made an average of $47,120 in 2023, with the top 10 percent earning closer to $62,530. Medical coders in 2023 averaged $53,690, with the top 10 percent earning $77,810. Add in the potential savings on expenses like childcare and transportation, and your savings may thank you too.
- Kids are only young once: The points mentioned above are all great benefits of a remote medical billing or coding position, but perhaps the most important benefit is that you can be there to watch your children grow up. Any day spent at the office could be the day you’d miss first words, first steps, and all the other “firsts”.
Don’t miss a “first” because you’re stuck at the office. Apply for medical billing and coding training now, and you can be ready for your new life in as few as 10 months!
Reference: Medical Records and Health Information Technicians, BLS