Note from the Instructor: Are you a coaster?
by Laurie Prescott, RN, MSN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CRC
If you really want to see smoke come out of my ears and my eyes roll, refer to CDI as a “retirement job.” I’ve heard such descriptions since I started in this specialty 14 years ago. What exactly does that description mean? I understand it to mean a job you take when your career is winding down and you want to slow and coast in automatic drive. And those who are coasting in automatic make it so difficult for those of us who are trying to grow this profession.
Yes, I said the word profession. Which leads me to the first definition I would like to share. A profession is defined as an occupation that involves prolonged training and formal qualifications. I would also add to this description that to be a member of a profession requires a commitment to lifelong learning. There is always something to learn and if one pushes themselves to be the best they can be, they aren’t satisfied to coast down the road of a retirement job.
When we describe something as a “retirement job,” we imply that it's an easy job and that it requires little commitment or desire to learn and grow. Someone in a retirement job is happy with being comfortable, wants a low stress position, and will not seek challenges. When one uses this description, it implies to the CDI world requires little skill, knowledge, or expertise. In reality, the CDI profession is always evolving—we’ve expanded our impact in healthcare because those of us who aren’t coasting are always seeking new areas of impact. We seek out the curves in the road, we want to engage with the road. We don’t want to be a coaster.
There are two meanings for the word “coaster” in the dictionary. The first is “a small mat placed under a bottle or glass to protect the table underneath.” A coaster is perfectly content to just sit there and let the condensation drip down on it. It has only one purpose and will remain a coaster for its entire existence. That is not fun, that is not satisfying…that is a retirement job.
The other definition of coaster requires a little more activity, but it still doesn’t seem too exciting. It describes a cargo ship that cruises along the coast. The ship never reaches its full potential of the open sea. Where is the adventure in traveling the same waters repeatedly? Where is the challenge? The risk taking? The fun? You might as well retire!
Don’t get me wrong, I do look forward to retirement—a time when I can play with future grandchildren, spend my days crafting, reading, and antiquing. How great would it be to be able to travel without an ICD-10-CM book in my bag? That said, I am not ready for a retirement job and hope I never reach that sad function of being a coaster.
So how does one avoid becoming the coaster? I have a few suggestions:
- Resolve to learn something every single day.
- Become a mentor, educator, leader in the profession.
- Write an article for an ACDIS publication.
- Walk up to the podium and speak.
- Offer yourself up to take on new challenges.
- Get active in your local ACDIS chapter.
- Don’t be satisfied with coasting. Engage in the road and participate.
Editor’s note: Prescott is the CDI education director at HCPro. Contact her at lprescott@hcpro.com.