# Newly certified and looking for work



## smeyer2007 (Apr 9, 2013)

I got my CPC certification in October and am trouble finding work since I lack experience. Where can I get a job? Mayo Health System isn't even giving me a second look. Any advice?

Sarah Meyer CPC


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## coderica2011 (Apr 9, 2013)

smeyer2007 said:


> I got my CPC certification in October and am trouble finding work since I lack experience. Where can I get a job? Mayo Health System isn't even giving me a second look. Any advice?
> 
> Sarah Meyer CPC



Good luck!!!
I have been coding for almost 9 years. (I am a CPC) But because I am NOT a CPC-H, I cannot get a job in a hospital setting. Period.
It's a catch 22. You can't get a job without experience, but you can't get experience without a job!
My advice to you is start with a company that is willing to put you in billing & work your way up. That's how a lot of people (including myself) made their way to the coding world.
They don't tell you this in school. They tell you that it's a growing field & the jobs need to be filled. They don't tell you that you have to ALSO have a ton of experience which almost negates the reason to even go to school.
I wish I had better advice but it's a tough economy & employers are very specific about what they want.
I would suggest that before ANY job interviews, you specify that you are a CPC and make sure the employer understands what that means. I know that sounds crazy but I have been on dozens & dozens of interviews where the person interviewing me has no idea what a CPC is or does and ASSUMES I know how to do the job they are hiring for.
Schooling only teaches you the basics. You have to work a particular field (Ex: Gastro) in order to learn that type of coding. You also have to be involved in the billing aspect to learn how all payers want claims coded. They don't teach you that in school.
I wish you success!


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## JulianneJohnson (Apr 9, 2013)

I am having the same problem. I have also been inquiring about internships. Good luck to you!


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## JJENNETT (Apr 11, 2013)

*we are hiring*

We are looking for a CPC . The one catch is we are in Alaska.
you can email me @ jcarpenter@alaskaheart.com


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## afnas (Apr 11, 2013)

I have the same problem and have decided to move onto something else instead of investing more money into a career that might not happen. To get a billing or receptionist job, they want experience in that as well. My background has nothing to do with this field and I was trying to start a new career. Since I dont have a job right now and Im paying for the entire expense of staying current with CEU's and ICD-10 very soon, I just cannot afford to keep this going... Good luck to those that do.  An intership would be nice but theres non to be found in the SF Bay area at this time.


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## rick_54 (Apr 13, 2013)

*Work*

So you've got your CPC-A and your looking for work...good luck. You probably should have taken the AHIMA  CCS test. That would have maybe gotten you into a hospital setting where the wages are better and you could get health care coverage. Now with your CPC-A you're probably looking at a doctor's office, low hourly pay and no health coverage. I was just discharged from my hospital coding job for not having a CCS. I do have the CPC-A and for what it's worth, which isn't much, graduated magna cum laude. Big deal! Yup, lost my job making $18.32 per hour and health benefits, all because I didn't have an AHIMA CCS credential. All these kids go to a college that has an HIM program accredited by AHIMA. So in order to sit for the RHIT credential, you have to have a 2 year associate degree. RHIA requires a 4 year BS degree. First day of class and the instructor tells all these students that when they graduate they'll be managers! They hear that and they all look like deer staring into the headlights of a car! So they go 2 years and accrue what, $30K in student loans??? The hospital I worked in, 98% of the coders had a RHIT credential.  There was only one supervisor who did have an RHIA.  It was a real sweatshop atmosphere right out of the 1930's. Your quota was 10 inpatient charts per hour. Mandatory over-time could be imposed at any time, and weekends also, both days. 
The biggest thing you'll run into is how great it is you have your CPC-A, now the employer wants 2 years experience! That was the exact question brought up at my last AAPC meeting is how do I get a job if everyone wants 2 years experience? And the answer was .....offer to work for free hoping they'll hire you after a year or so!!! Right!


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## twizzle (Apr 14, 2013)

rick_54 said:


> So you've got your CPC-A and your looking for work...good luck. You probably should have taken the AHIMA  CCS test. That would have maybe gotten you into a hospital setting where the wages are better and you could get health care coverage. Now with your CPC-A you're probably looking at a doctor's office, low hourly pay and no health coverage. I was just discharged from my hospital coding job for not having a CCS. I do have the CPC-A and for what it's worth, which isn't much, graduated magna cum laude. Big deal! Yup, lost my job making $18.32 per hour and health benefits, all because I didn't have an AHIMA CCS credential. All these kids go to a college that has an HIM program accredited by AHIMA. So in order to sit for the RHIT credential, you have to have a 2 year associate degree. RHIA requires a 4 year BS degree. First day of class and the instructor tells all these students that when they graduate they'll be managers! They hear that and they all look like deer staring into the headlights of a car! So they go 2 years and accrue what, $30K in student loans??? The hospital I worked in, 98% of the coders had a RHIT credential.  There was only one supervisor who did have an RHIA.  It was a real sweatshop atmosphere right out of the 1930's. Your quota was 10 inpatient charts per hour. Mandatory over-time could be imposed at any time, and weekends also, both days.
> The biggest thing you'll run into is how great it is you have your CPC-A, now the employer wants 2 years experience! That was the exact question brought up at my last AAPC meeting is how do I get a job if everyone wants 2 years experience? And the answer was .....offer to work for free hoping they'll hire you after a year or so!!! Right!



I understand your frustration and anger but it sounds as if you have some coding experience. I've said this many times before. 1) Employers love the CCS credential and 2) There are far too many coders attaining the CPC. Just look at Cutting Edge every month. Hundreds attaining CPC or CPC-A. Where are they going to find jobs? AAPC needs to raise the bar. Regarding the CCS though, hospitals often will not hire a coder for hospital coding unless they have experience, regardless of the CCS credential. 
Put yourself a really good resume together and apply for all jobs that you like, whether you have the experience/qualifications or not. You seem like one of the more capable potential employees, just from the way you wrote your message.
I know Pam Brooks is an advocate of potential employees having a good knowledge of the English language. I would not entertain the idea of employing someone who can't accurately communicate verbally or in writing. You can.
Good luck


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## clubcurtis (Apr 16, 2013)

*Finding a job is possible!*

In January 2012 I made the decision to take a coding class in hopes of starting a new career after being home with my children for 17 years. I had a background in cancer research so the medical terminology came naturally to me. I completed my schooling and took my CPC exam in December of 2012. While attending school I took a job with a Tissue Bank that worked with tissue donation for medical research. My job with them involved reading preliminary reports of death and medical charts to determine if the decedent was eligible for donation. Although no coding was involved I was still reading medical records, working closely with medical facilities and physicians. This job also included keeping detailed records and data bases.

I applied for every coding job I saw whether I had the required experience or not, earned CEU's from taking the tests for the Cutting Edge and attending local chapter meetings. In April I had two interviews in one week. One for a company hiring remote coders and one with a physicians group. I was offered a job by both companies and was able to choose the one I wanted to work for. Both of these jobs offered comprehensive benefits.

So please be encouraged and try to think outside the box. I would not have sought a job at a donation bank but the opportunity arose and I saw how it could help build skills that applied to coding. Be persistent! Keep learning there are ways to attain free CEU's! Don't give up if you really want it!


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## JLAMAR (Apr 16, 2013)

JCARPENTE said:


> We are looking for a CPC . The one catch is we are in Alaska.
> you can email me @ jcarpenter@alaskaheart.com



No chance of electronic medical records to make home-based?


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## jyotirvora (Apr 17, 2013)

*Looking for Jobs*



clubcurtis said:


> In January 2012 I made the decision to take a coding class in hopes of starting a new career after being home with my children for 17 years. I had a background in cancer research so the medical terminology came naturally to me. I completed my schooling and took my CPC exam in December of 2012. While attending school I took a job with a Tissue Bank that worked with tissue donation for medical research. My job with them involved reading preliminary reports of death and medical charts to determine if the decedent was eligible for donation. Although no coding was involved I was still reading medical records, working closely with medical facilities and physicians. This job also included keeping detailed records and data bases.
> 
> I applied for every coding job I saw whether I had the required experience or not, earned CEU's from taking the tests for the Cutting Edge and attending local chapter meetings. In April I had two interviews in one week. One for a company hiring remote coders and one with a physicians group. I was offered a job by both companies and was able to choose the one I wanted to work for. Both of these jobs offered comprehensive benefits.
> 
> So please be encouraged and try to think outside the box. I would not have sought a job at a donation bank but the opportunity arose and I saw how it could help build skills that applied to coding. Be persistent! Keep learning there are ways to attain free CEU's! Don't give up if you really want it!




Hi! Curtis,
    If you dont mind can you share the name of the remote based company.
Thanks
Jyoti Vora CPC-A,CPMA


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## clubcurtis (Apr 19, 2013)

MedAmerica Billing Services, Inc.


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