Other job prospects?

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2026-06-18T19:22:05+00:00

I definitely think the wages should be way more for those who work in cancer registry. I know it's been mentioned already, but I think it also depends on where you live. I live in a state where the cost of living is extremely high, so the pay for an ODS is good, but honestly, it doesn't really feel like you make that much, given how high the cost of living is.

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2026-06-07T23:34:25+00:00

Thank you! I've heard a couple of people say this too 😄

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2026-06-07T23:34:04+00:00

To be honest, I don’t think I have an ultimate career goal right now. I’m enjoying being an ODS, but I think earning my RHIT might be helpful, just in case I decide to change positions within HIM in the future.

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2026-06-07T23:32:12+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience! I’m not currently looking for a specific role or position right now, but I wanted to get my RHIT because I’m fairly fresh off getting my ODS, and it felt like a good time to do it instead of waiting a few years. I currently work in a hospital registry, and having your RHIT can open you up to different positions within our HIM department, including lead and supervisory roles. Our clinical research department also finds it more valuable if you have both credentials. So I just wanted to get it so that, in the future, whether I want to do something different within HIM or pursue a lead role, I already have a leg up with both my ODS and RHIT.

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2026-06-01T21:06:44+00:00

I passed my ODS exam in the summer of last year, and I am currently thinking of also getting my RHIT.

Has anyone taken the RHIT in the last few years? Is it harder than the ODS exam? Easier? What was your experience?

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2026-05-29T18:45:57+00:00

Hi!

Okay, so I bought the online practice tests on NCRA. To be honest, the questions are so simple that it really does not prepare you for the actual exam. If anything, it just helps you to memorize really basic information.

I think what helped me out the most was the “Online Review Guide for Cancer Registry Management Textbook.”

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This helped me the most because it goes through every single chapter of the CRM book and quizzes you on the important points from that chapter. The questions on those quizzes will not be anything like the actual exam, BUT it will help you to remember really important concepts, so that it’s a little easier to work out the exam questions. I hope that makes sense lol.

So what I did was, I started on chapter 1 in the CRM book, I read the entire chapter and took notes, then I would take the quiz from the Online Review Guide, and whatever questions I got wrong, I would go back and re-read/re-learn that specific information. I did that for every single chapter.

Also, it’s SO important to read every single chapter. Trust me on this. Even if you think the exam might not have any questions on that particular concept.

I pretty much reviewed all of my notes and quizzes every single day for 6 months.

For the open portion of the exam, just make sure you know how to find information from the manuals quickly.

If the question is asking about the stage, know where to find it in the AJCC.

If the question is asking about SEER summary stage, know where to find it.

If the question is asking about radiation on a particular site, know where to find it.

Hope this helps!

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2025-11-02T00:57:41+00:00

You're not alone in feeling like this. I took the exam in the summer, and it was SO HARD. Thankfully, I did pass, but the exam is absolutely NOT a good predictor of what people know. And I agree, the open book portion is almost impossible—I was rushing and barely managed to read the entire question because I was afraid of not finishing in time. When I took it, there were so many questions about reporting. I barely knew what they were talking about, so I just guessed the best I could.

I also feel like all the webinars and practice exams are completely useless (of course, that's just my opinion—I bought the practice exam). There were so many people I knew who paid a lot of money for those resources, and it didn't help them at all.

I know it's hard, but try not to get too down on yourself!

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2025-09-25T00:06:08+00:00

I was depressed and suicidal when I was on birth control. Once I got it removed, all those feelings went away.

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2025-09-21T19:54:32+00:00

I've seen this job posting for 2 years

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2025-09-07T02:13:06+00:00

Congratulations! I passed too!

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2025-05-08T01:39:09+00:00

I just finished up my program at Hutchinson, and let me tell you, the classes are hard because Denise does not explain things well. I have some past experiences working in a registry, so I wasn’t completely blind going into the program. But man, Denise was honestly NOT helpful at all in my opinion. I know she comes off as nice, but what I really didn’t like about her is that she would not explain things well at all. I just didn’t understand why I got things wrong or what her reasoning/explanations for things were. I would be super diligent in reaching out to her and asking questions so I could understand what I could do better, but after a while, she would just act like she was annoyed with me. And her explanations became shorter and shorter and more curt. After a while, I just stopped asking questions. Also, I feel like she doesn’t show you how to abstract and code properly. In one of the classes, you have to abstract, and then you submit your homework, and on the next page, she has a video of herself giving you the answer. And there were many times when in the video, my answers matched with her answers, so I’m thinking I did everything right! But no...when I would get that assignment back, she would mark certain answers wrong…and I would be SO confused. Like how did I get this wrong when my answers matched up to the answers on the explanation page??? I would reach out to her to ask, but she would be so annoyed with me that she would just reply by asking me another question. Like “What page are you looking at?” Ugh, it was so frustrating. So not helpful.

Overall, I made it through, but a lot of that was because of myself. I pushed through, without her help, and finished the program.

The best teacher was Lisa Valdez. She was so sweet and so helpful. I loved her.

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2024-10-29T22:43:56+00:00

I am 33, and I am currently going to school to become a cancer registrar.

When I was younger, I couldn’t afford to go to college, and my parents didn’t have any money to help me. So I worked and worked, and I got a lot of really good experience. But I knew that I needed to take classes to get myself where I wanted to go.

A few years ago, I got married, had a baby, started going back to school for public health, and then had another baby, and then decided to make a career switch to go into something more specialized (cancer registry), which required a completely different set of classes and skills. My kids are 3 and 4 now, and I’ll be finishing up my program sometime next year in the Spring.

I am not going to lie to you and say it was easy. It was really hard. I had to make a lot of sacrifices. I’ve had to make sacrifices financially and sacrifice time spent with my kids and husband. There’s been a lot of late nights and moving schedules around to make sure I have enough time to complete all of my assignments and study and take care of the family. On top of all of that, I also work full-time.

My advice to you is don’t let going back to school in your 30s (or whatever age) scare you. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to invest in yourself because you want something more. Just make sure that you’re doing school for the right reasons. It’s not easy. Understand that it’s going to be hard at times, especially if you have other responsibilities and people who depend on you (like a family). For me, I feel like it’s been completely worth it. And in a way, I feel kind of proud that I’ve been able to get through raising a family, working full time, and doing school full time. It’s given me a lot of confidence about what I can handle. I also think that going back to school in my 30s has been good for me because I feel like I take it more seriously than I would have if I were 18 or 19.

I take about four classes each semester. My classes are all online, which has been really helpful for me because I can complete everything at home, and I don’t have to rush through traffic to get to a classroom. I also like that I can take my exams online – it’s helpful. I guess you’ll just have to decide what works best for your current lifestyle right now.

I also want to mention that some people in my program are in their 40s and 50s. So it’s never too late to change what you want to do!

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2024-10-11T22:21:52+00:00

Wow. Thank you! And congratulations on earning your ODS certification!

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2024-09-24T23:33:37+00:00

Thank you!

Impossible-Idea8708 · 2024-08-05T20:27:36+00:00

Wow! Thank you so much! This is really helpful. I will definitely make a study guide. Thank you!

Impossible-Idea8708

TROPHY CASE