Complete your CPC^® apprenticeship

When you pass the CPC exam, you receive your CPC-A credential, which signifies apprenticeship standing. You remain an apprentice until you fulfill the 2-year experience requirement, at which time you will submit proof of meeting the requirement, and your A will be removed.

Proof of Education or Experience

Proof of education or experience isn’t necessary to sit for AAPC exams. However, due to the level of expertise required of medical coders, AAPC expects certified coders to be able to perform not only in an exam setting but also in the real world.

Those who pass the CPC^®, COC^® exams but have not yet met this requirement will be designated as an Apprentice (CPC-A^®, COC-A^™ on their certificate.

A combination of tactics can be used to fulfill the Apprenticeship requirement. Proof of 80 contact hours of a medical coding preparation course may be combined with completion of CPC-A Practicode. This fulfills the two years experience required to graduate to CPC.

Alternatively, a medical preparation course or a year of the CPC-A Practicode program may be combined with one year of on-the-job experience, verified by one signed letter from your employer on letterhead.

Two-Year Apprenticeship

CPC-A Practicode Online Program (Deducts One Year)

Practicode is AAPC’s web-based program that uses redacted medical records to provide CPC-As with real-world coding experience. Over 14,000 CPC-A and COC-A students use Practicode annually.

Submitting proof of completing the CPC-A Practicode program (included in all AAPC training packages) deducts one year from the two years of experience required to graduate from CPC-A to CPC. This program may be completed while training for your certification exam or after.

80-Hour Medical Coding Preparation Course (Deducts One Year)

Completing AAPC’s 80-hour medical coding course or an equivalent course from an instructor or school deducts one year from the two years of experience required to graduate from CPC-A to CPC.

Proof of education can take the form of a letter from an instructor on school letterhead stating you have completed 80 or more hours, a certificate/diploma stating at least 80 hours, or an unofficial school transcript.

On-the-Job Experience (Deducts One -Two Years)

You must obtain and submit employment verification letter(s) verifying job experience using the CPT^®, ICD-10-CM, or HCPCS Level II code sets. Employment verification from previous employers, current employers, externships, or a combination of all three are accepted. Professional coding experience both before and after certification applies.

Submission requirements:

• Employer(s) verification of on-the-job experience using the CPT, ICD-10-CM, or HCPCS Level II code sets.

• Only employers, supervisors, or an HR department can verify time spent coding within an organization.

• Letter(s) of verification must meet these requirements:

  • Include coding experience achieved, and amount of time in that capacity

  • Submitted on company letterhead

  • Letter(s) must be hand signed, dated, and include current contact information for verification purposes

  • Letter(s) must be provided to member in a non-editable format (pdf) for member to upload

Download our employment verification form for easier submission. Letterhead and signatures are still required when using this template.

Submit proof of education or experience.

Proof of education or experience should be submitted to the Apprentice Removal Application only once ALL apprentice removal requirements have been met. Please allow 2-4 weeks for processing.

We require that the employment verification letter(s) contain the titles of the individuals composing it (supervisors and HR), their physical signatures (not digital screenshots), as well as their contact details such as email addresses and phone numbers.