# impossible to find a position with CPC-A



## YueQu

It is too too difficultly find an intership or a psotion with CPC-A,  getting a certification is your dream, but looking for a position after being certified  will be your dream broken,  certification is only your snare and delusion.  This is a business, it is not your hope.


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## chadmessmann

I would say your grammar and punctuation would be your dream broken. There are ways to get your "A" off your credential without working a minute for someone else, maybe you can explore that option.


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## scranford2710

You can always find a job as a medical receptionist where you would still be working with CPT & ICD-9 coding in order to have the "A" removed from your credentials and gain experience.


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## kml1764

scranford2710 said:


> You can always find a job as a medical receptionist where you would still be working with CPT & ICD-9 coding in order to have the "A" removed from your credentials and gain experience.



Is that possible, can you get the "A" removed that way?  That is wonderful if that is the case.

I think the first goal for any CPC-A, who don't have a job yet, is to get your foot in the door.  I'm only in the beginning of my coding education, but already I see that it is a lot more extensive than what I originally thought.  I don't think that I would necessarily want to jump right in as a coder if I didn't have prior coding experience.

Kris


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## L_A_P_0905

I have been trying to "get my foot in the door" for quite a awhile now. I have put in numerous applications from medical receptionist and many other medical positions. But they all want at least 2 yrs experience. So my question is how am i able to get even that when no one will even give me that chance

So i would have to say i completely agree with the first comment. Bad grammar or not.


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## WilloKeays

I agree - in Central Florida it has proven difficult to even be considered for an entry level job in the Medical Information field.  I've applied to over 50 positions and have yet to receive one interest call.  I went back to college for a second degree in Billing & Coding because I was told the field was thriving.  I had difficulty getting back in to Marketing due to the economy - so I looked at Medical Billing as a good option for me.  But I'm actually now having much more luck getting people to look at my Marketing Resume. I've had had 3 interviews in the same time frame - having only applied to 10 marketing positions.

I feel I've wasted the money for 2 years of college as well as the Ceritification exam.   I was sold a lie - shame on my for listening to the college recruiters.


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## kbowermosz

*coder*

I put in 5 mons of hard, full time searching. Then I landed a Externship and worked for free for three more mons. Finally, a biller/ coder job and after a year of that, i moved into my dream position of full time coder. I have never regretted my externship or working in the billing dept to get my dream job. It is a long process, one they "forget" to tell you in class.


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## piety61

kjmosz said:


> I put in 5 mons of hard, full time searching. Then I landed a Externship and worked for free for three more mons. Finally, a biller/ coder job and after a year of that, i moved into my dream position of full time coder. I have never regretted my externship or working in the billing dept to get my dream job. It is a long process, one they "forget" to tell you in class.



I am 50 years of age and have been in more than several fields of study.  I've gone back to school 5 different times.  I would say from experience that going back to school is never, ever a sure thing or a guaranteed job. And that schools don't "forget" to tell you that, if you asked them, they would tell you the cold, hard truth that nothing is a sure thing. As for finding employment in this field, my suggestion would also be to do an intern/externship, to offer a company 3 months of free labor in order to educate you and to "try you out".


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## nbcummings

Now the question is , how do you get into the billing department ?  The training is useless unless you have experience to go with it and you know somebody.


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## WilloKeays

I have concerns with Externships.  #1 - it's taking away a paying job from someone like me who NEEDS to make money.  #2 - it's taking away from the search for a paying job.  #3 - there is still a chance that you've dedicated the 3 months of learning - of unpaid time - and you STILL won't get hired by an employer as they STILL require 2-3 years experience for the majority of the coding jobs.

I run out of savings in the next month or two.  I can't afford to work for free.


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## kml1764

WilloKeays said:


> I have concerns with Externships.  #1 - it's taking away a paying job from someone like me who NEEDS to make money.  #2 - it's taking away from the search for a paying job.  #3 - there is still a chance that you've dedicated the 3 months of learning - of unpaid time - and you STILL won't get hired by an employer as they STILL require 2-3 years experience for the majority of the coding jobs.
> 
> I run out of savings in the next month or two.  I can't afford to work for free.



So don't go for an externship and try to get an entry level job in a medical office.  You are not going to get into any coding job without experience.  The externship is meant to give you practical exposure which you don't get with a coding course.  Who knows what the externship can open up for you?  First, it'll go towards getting that A off of your CPC and second, it could possibly land you a job directly or indirectly.   Be enthusiastic and open to learning and willing to take constructive criticism...

You can't count on being hired through that externship.  The goal of the externship shouldn't be that you will be hired but that you can get real world exposures.  That employer may not have an opening, but they might know other employers that are looking for hard-working people with the CPC that are looking for staff.

Kris


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## Lashel

I don't think externships take paying jobs away from people. Most externships that my students participate in are either a long interview for a paying position, or there is not a position available and they are making room for the student for learning purposes.

It must really depend on what are of the country you are in as far as getting hired. I am in eastern Washington. My graduate placement rate is 89%. 89% of my graduates over the last two years are working in the medical field. It may be anything from A/R follow-up to payment posting, coding or receptionist. We have seen several promoted in the last few years from earlier classes, and some are now pursuing speciality certifications.

It is difficult to hire certified coders here, so most employers are fine with hiring fresh out of school and training. The upside to hiring a new coder, is you don't have to break bad habits that they learned elsewhere, and you don't have to have the constant battle of getting them to do things your way, which may be different than how they worked before. 

Lashel Church, CPC, CPC-I, CEMC


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## mtmmoyer

I am not sure about several postings with negative comments.  I feel as though just like any real job you must take the extra steps to get to the place you desire.  What are you doing to get your foot in the door?  I have started volunteering at a teaching hospital in the billing department of the Cancer Center.  Just because you have a certification does not mean you get the job automatically.  Network use the members of the AAPC local chapter to help you network, , attend CEU meetings and search for job leads at the meetings where you could very well find a job.  If all your doing is applying than maybe you should seek some help and advice from those in the field.  Remember they all started out the same was as us.


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## Diana C Rose

How about starting at the bottom, and I do not mean to offend anyone, but how about a file clerk, appointment scheduler or referral coordinator?  Some practices are still not totally digital yet in their medical records departments, or the need extra help with digitally converting their practices.  Maybe try finding these types of positions by registering with a few Temp agencies.  I was a file clerk/appointment setter until I landed a job in billing for a pediatric group.  It only took about 3 months.  Now I have front office and billing experience.  After I become a CPC, then I will settle on a specialty.   Just be patient.  You'll get there!


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## Sathish kumar

*Medical coder job in us for indian*

Hi everyone,

            I am Certified coder with 2 years experience in Medical coding and i am specialized in E/R coding and i trained in coding for facilities and also for providers, my question i am very interested to work in USA, can somebody who know about the migration help me out in this.....

Regards,
Sathish kumar


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## drewbart@sbcglobal.net

*Everyone has there own story....*

After months of learning and earning my certificate in Medical Coding and also passing the medical coding certification I am at a dead end and *very discouraged*.  I have previously worked in property casualty insurance for many years and have allot of office and systems experience yet unable to land any healthcare entry level position. (records Dept. receptionist, ect...or coding)  I have been persistant in my search with numerous applications, networking attempts through AAPC and have attended 2 CEU events.  I was persistant with e-mails, calls to Xternship sites listed on AAPC yet no one would return my e mails, phone calls. (very frustrating!) I did have one Xtern office which is an hour and a half away from my home send an e mail to contact their office.  I have spent 25 hours at this site making phone callls obtaining claim status with no plan in place to move forward with beneficial training towards billing, coding. An extern who has been going to this office since March advised he has been only doing claim status calls.  One day he was showed a little coding?  Thats all I see anyone who comes in do.  He's been going for over 4 months!! If anyone has any suggestions for me I would appreciate it as I am at a dead.   I am very discouraged and disappointed.  I would only recommend someone with medical office experience or who has contacts for employment enter into this field.  My experience has been Frustration.   Thank you.

 Also, does anyone know the purpose of the AAPC 800 case test to remove your _A_ and waive your apprentice requirement that no one passed?


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## bovapj@yahoo.com

*Lucky*

I must be one of the lucky ones, went to school an hour away for a year, did my internship at WGH and WMG, got my CPC-A in March 2011, and was hired in Feb 2012 for Billing and Coding for Urology and Surgery. Good luck to you all.!!


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## kml1764

You have to make your luck not just expect it to come to you.  You did that!


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## scranford2710

It can be very frustrating to get into the medical field these days.  When I entered the field approx 10 years ago you could easily get in without experience.  I still applied for 40 jobs a week for a month after finishing my externship, but eventually got a job as a receptionist.

Now as a practice manager, I will hire externs for receptionist positions in my larger clinics, if they complete the externship with us and if there is an opening.  Individuals who do not do an externship can be hired as "aides" and work in that position for 6 months to a year and will likely be promoted after that time period.

There are ways to get in...you just cannot expect to be put into your dream job without putting in some time and effort.


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## annehb8@comcast.net

*Very difficult to break in to coding field*

I am newly certified and can't even get anyone from the list of possible extern sites to respond to my inquiries. It's frustrating for sure. Even ads for medical receptionists say they want someone with medical office experience. I am willing and able to move anywhere for an entry level coding position but am thinking it is next to impossible to be hired. Next step - CNA program.


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## rthames052006

If any of you are in the Atlanta area, please send me your resume.  I have a physician who is looking for a coder to work in his office, his specialty is Ortho and Spine.  He is willing to take on a newbie....

So sometimes, maybe not too often, an employer comes along and is willing to train the right candidate!


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## cingram

whats the problem are you not getting interviews? or are you not applying for jobs because they say xxxx years of expierence? It took me 5 months from me getting out of school to me getting my first job and I was certified 3 weeks after school my first interview was with triwest you HAVE to apply for EVERYTHING let them deciede that you are not qualified not you deciede. I was able to land a job that wanted 5 years expierence and I only had 3 months of expierence. Anything has to do with your position apply for. I also found a lot of jobs on craigslist.


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## WilloKeays

Well.  I have contacted all of the Externships I know of in my area, and hospitals to see if they take on volunteer coders, and there are no openings.  I have applied to every coder job, receptionist job, records management job,  billing job, and still no luck.  I have even spoken to my own personal doctors  office managers and have left my resume in the event any openings come up.  I'm 1 class short of an AS in Medical Office Administration, so I'm going to go ahead and take that class to add this to my resume.  But I really don't know what else to do.


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## sandyloghouse

*Some What Relieved*

Thanks to you one and all who has expressed your frustrations. I am a 30yr experienced xray tech, laid off,and went back to school. Just got my CPC-A and was hoping to be employed by now. It's ironic in one field I am too experienced and the other not enough. But reading everyones comments have made me realize its not me. I was really questioning myself! Thanks


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## hopedendy

No not you! I have 15 years operating room,gi,and labor delivery experience. I have been a or surgery scheduler,biller/auditor for over three years and too have applied for every coding job i get emailed,texted or whatever. I have been certified over a year and I am very discouraged and disappointed.


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## kml1764

chadmessmann said:


> I would say your grammar and punctuation would be your dream broken. There are ways to get your "A" off your credential *without working a minute for someone else, maybe you can explore that option*.



How is that possible?  I know that an accredited 80-hr course will take off one year, but what about the second year?


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## kristin419

In 2010 I took a six month coding and billing course after taking a couple coding classes at a local community college. I took my exam and passed and found a billing job two months later. I now bill for a large hospital system. It seems to be easier to find a billing job than a coding job without experience. I still keep searching for that coding position...good luck to everyone!


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## TShurling

Someone mentioned getting the A taken off, I thought the only way you could do that now is by taking yet another test, coding 20 OR reports, etc. I work at check out and work with codes somewhat. I work with diagnosis codes and CPT as far as the E/M codes, EKGs, injections. I would love to know if there is a way to use that when I apply for coding jobs and how to get the A off? I took the AAPC course and passed that as well. Thanks!


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## TShurling

rthames052006 said:


> If any of you are in the Atlanta area, please send me your resume.  I have a physician who is looking for a coder to work in his office, his specialty is Ortho and Spine.  He is willing to take on a newbie....
> 
> So sometimes, maybe not too often, an employer comes along and is willing to train the right candidate!



You don't happen to know any physicians in the Savannah area by chance? Thanks!


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## WilloKeays

sandyloghouse said:


> Thanks to you one and all who has expressed your frustrations. I am a 30yr experienced xray tech, laid off,and went back to school. Just got my CPC-A and was hoping to be employed by now. It's ironic in one field I am too experienced and the other not enough. But reading everyones comments have made me realize its not me. I was really questioning myself! Thanks



I am 44 years old and understand your dilemma completely.  Too experienced for Marketing jobs, not enough for Coder jobs.  My husband passed away several years ago - now that I'm ready to get back to work - I can't.  It's not like I can rely on the income of someone else - I'm the only one to take care of me!

I am at the point where I'll take a part-time retail job through the holidays while I continue my search.  If they'll have me.  I might just have to not tell them about my previous work history.


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## sarroya33@yahoo.com

*Second class citizen Apprentice*



hopedendy said:


> No not you! I have 15 years operating room,gi,and labor delivery experience. I have been a or surgery scheduler,biller/auditor for over three years and too have applied for every coding job i get emailed,texted or whatever. I have been certified over a year and I am very discouraged and disappointed.



I am a new coder, and after many months of applying and being rejected to every possible position under the sun, I have to say that I too am quite disillusioned and discouraged as far as trying to break into the coding field goes, even with my 14 years of acute care background as a transcriptionist behind me.  I have found that the moment a prospective employer discovers that I am "only an apprentice", the door gets shut immediately.   The following is an excerpt from the latest email I received after I took their assessment test, and must have done well with it to warrant a second email with the next question of "_Are you fully CPC Certified, or is your status still CPC-A?_". I answered honestly that I was still considered an "A", despite my extensive background, but that in my opinion I was fully certified, and this was the answer I received   "_I would be happy to bring you on board, however it is not up to me. It is up to the client we have a contract with.  I have forwarded your message to the client hiring manager in an attempt to present you for consideration despite the fact that our contract with them clearly states not to submit an apprentice for consideration._" Unfortunately, this is an all too typical response so I think that it is understandable that my enthusiasm has waned considerably.  I really feel that there is little or no support for new coders from AAPC (at least in my humble opinion), and in fact by imposing this mandatory apprentice status they have done just the opposite and made it even tougher if not impossible for new coders to break into the field.  I wonder what will happen when the older coders all retire, and there is no one there to fill those places.  I remember standing in line for the luncheon buffet at the annual chapter seminar, and a biller-turned-coder told me that her required two years of experience that was needed to remove the apprentice status had been expunged in lieu of her billing experience, and she had not taken any formal training/education.  While a biller may be more familiar with the insurance nuances, does that make them any more capable of abstracting diagnoses and procedures from a patient report than an experienced transcriptionist?  Do they know what surgical instruments would be consistent with which surgical procedure? – a transcriptionist would.  Would they know the difference between dysphagia and dysphasia?  Would they know that a procedure should not be included in a physical examination, but could be billed if separated and titled as a procedure even within the same report?  These things are just as important as the insurance side of the picture, and therefore should hold just as much weight if AAPC is going to waive the apprentice status for some.  I find this very unequal and very unfair.  I feel very strongly that it would be better to do away with the apprentice label altogether.  The employers already state the number of years that they require for their company when hiring, so new coders would either qualify or not qualify, but if they took a chance and applied for the job, at least they would be looked at by their merit and achievements, and not disregarded because of an apprentice status.  After all, we took the formal training along with the debt of student loans, and then we took and passed the intensive exam to the standards that AAPC themselves set.  That in itself should make us fully certified.  Take this example, if a new driver takes a driver's education course, and passes their driving exam, that would make them fully certified to drive.  A 20-year-old may not have the years of experience behind the wheel of a car that 50-year-old might have, but he/she is still just as qualified to drive.  If a person is an intern or extern prior to taking their exam, yes, that would make them an apprentice.  But when one has passed the "certification" exam, then that by AAPC's own standards would make them fully certified in my opinion.


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## kd289

*Coding jobs*



Does any one from the AAPC in upper management EVER read these postings? I agree that it was all a  hype to get us to pay the $ to take the exam and classes and they should have been obligated to tell you when taking classes that it was a long and possibly impossible process to get  a job/career in this field due to so many others doing the same thing,not to mention noone will hire you w/o experience. Unless you are a young adult living at home can you work 3 months w/o pay to get the experience,much less not even get hired once this intership/externship is done ! They powers that be get the luxury of taking our yearly memberships $ and money the meetings/conferences cost. It is all ridiculous and a money racket !!!


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## DawnTaddeo

*Extensive background & still no coding job*

The frustration of getting hired as a CPC -A is out of control. I took the AAPC on-line CPC course over a yr ago and not only passed their course with a better than average grade but also passed their own CPC certification exam with a high score on the first try. Now I have been struggling and being passed over for jobs because I have the "A" behind my credential that indicates to potential employers that I have little to no experience.

I was the office manager, insurance coordinator and LPN in a specialty office for over 17 yrs. I did all of the billing/coding, auditing , tracking, appeals, accounts receivable and financial analysis. Every encounter had to be CODED accurately in order to get paid and to maintain the financial health of the practice. I kept our AR at less than 28-days for over 15 yrs. 

I decided to get my CPC certification to build my skills and have a career/credential that would be marketable in the case that my single physician employer decided to retire. I was so proud of my accomplishment and felt good that I would be able find another job quickly if the need arose.

Well, the need did arise. Now here I am at age 59 looking for someone to take me seriously as a potential employee. With my combined work experiences I have over 24 yrs. experience billing & coding medical claims yet I still can't get my foot in the door anywhere because that "A' says otherwise.

When you really think about it, this makes little sense that we would be subjected to this "A" roadblock after successfully passing a test that AAPC itself created as the standard for competency.

Once I took and passed my State Boards in Nursing, the state of PA considered me knowledgeable and competent enough to work with physicians to keep people alive.

Once I took my driving test, the state of PA recognized this as competency behind the wheel.

I just don't get why taking and passing the AAPC course/exam isn't good enough.

Rant over.


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## lorrpb

Dawn, you should be able to get the A removed based on experience. You never should have had the A to begin with. I encourage you to contact AAPC regarding getting the A removed based on experience.


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## lorrpb

kristin419 said:


> In 2010 I took a six month coding and billing course after taking a couple coding classes at a local community college. I took my exam and passed and found a billing job two months later. I now bill for a large hospital system. It seems to be easier to find a billing job than a coding job without experience. I still keep searching for that coding position...good luck to everyone!


You make a good point. Look for other paths into an organization, such as billing, admissions rep, even a call center. As you establish yourself within an organization, it will be easier to move into the coding department when an opening becomes available. I had a student with call-center experience whom I encouraged to take a call center job at a prestigious surgery center when she didn't get the coding job she wanted. Within a few months, the person who originally got the coding job left, my student got a transfer, and within 6 months was a coding coordinator for their new office.

I invite you to visit my blog and read the entries from August 2010 when I wrote a 3-part series about your coding career path.

Lorraine Papazian-Boyce, MS, CPC
AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer
MyBlog: luvtocode.blogspot.com


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## Gladys Merchan

*A new coder, hard to find a job*

I been applying every where, giving my resume to every medical office I see no luck,is very hard that once I finished school, then I face that they want at least 2 years of experience or they look at A for apprentice, no job offer.
Any ideas? out there..


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