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liquia3

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I just want to give some hope to all CPC-As and that Yes it is possible to find a job. I got my certification in Sep. 2013 and immediately I started applying every day to every single position I could see. Also I go every month to the local meeting and while there one of the experienced coders told me that in the hospital where she works there was an open position. So I applied and I got a job as a Reimbursement Specialist. Don't give up after you worked so hard to get this far.

Good Bless all of You and Best of Luck!.
 
Thank you for the encouragement! I just took my CPC exam Saturday and am waiting for the results. I am terrified about giving up my great paying job to end up making way less. I know I will start out low on the totem pole, but if CPC-A's start out at less than $14 to 15-ish an hour, I can't afford that much more of a pay cut.
 
Brandi- It really depends on your area. One of my first jobs was doing charge entry, making $11.50 an hour, but that is common for my low paying/low cost of living area. I quickly gained experienced and moved up making more.

But I wouldn't focus on the pay, but rather the experience it will give you. Stay in that job for 6months to a year, learn all you can and leverage that experience for a better paying job.

Good luck

Cordelia, DRG Auditor, CCS, CPC
 
BrandiJAnderson said:
Thank you for the encouragement! I just took my CPC exam Saturday and am waiting for the results. I am terrified about giving up my great paying job to end up making way less. I know I will start out low on the totem pole, but if CPC-A's start out at less than $14 to 15-ish an hour, I can't afford that much more of a pay cut.
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You have to realize that you do not enter coding for the money.

I got my first coding job 5 years ago (I was a dentist and very knowledgeable about all thing medical) and started as a certified coder on $12/hour.
5 years down the line I am still only making the same as what I would be paying my dental assistant now if was still in that profession.
No, the money is not good and I do live in a low wage state.

I'm thinking of becoming a server in a local restaurant. Way more money.

Sad isn't it?
 
Have to agree about servers making great money as I used to be a waitress. I used to work in a small restaurant. I fondly remember my best money making night there. I only waited tables for 4 hours and brought home $159! I didn't make that much every night but I always made at least a minimum of $75. Many people feel sorry for waitresses because they are paid such a small hourly wage...but those that feel sorry for them just don't realize how much money they actually make.
I can only imagine what servers would make on a busy night at a place like Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse or Olive Garden. I miss the money I made while waitressing. Writing about it makes me think about going back to that kind of work.
 
I just hired two CPC-As to work as per-diem coding assistants (about 2-3 days per week) at a wage of around $12-15 to start. The reason the wage is not the 40K per year you read in the magazines is that essentially, these coders are doing data entry. As they show me that they're excellent workers with a desire to learn, they'll be given those opportunities, with the salary to match. Liquia3, good for you! You did exactly the right thing--that was to get to your local chapter meeting and network. That is often how I'm able to meet and identify coders who I want to work for me.

I live on the coast of Maine, and yes, could make upwards of $500 per night waiting tables or bartending, because this is a resort area that draws lots of people with money to spend. But I've done that and it's exhausting, demeaning and filthy work. Sure, I'm paid a good salary now, (more than I could bartending....) but I've been doing this for 22+ years, and when I started out, the vast majority of my salary went to cover daycare.

It's a process to get where you want to be, not an automatic entitlement. As you take responsiblity for your continuing education, your contribution to your employer and your professionalism, the money will follow. Please remember that before you give up, unless all you're interested in is the money--because healthcare organizations only want to hire people who are committed to excellence, not just to punch the clock for the dollars.
 
Hmmm...

I am currently working as a waitress because I can't find ANY entry level jobs in the medical field. I've always done serving and bartending part time for extra money, in addition to my "real" office jobs, and occasionally full-time when between jobs.

I don't consider it demeaning or filthy work.

What I do find demeaning: sitting in office after office, for an interview, begging and praying for a part-time job that pays $9.00 an hour and being told by someone half my age that I don't have the requisite experience to answer their phones and file their paperwork and take out their trash.

I find it demeaning, condescending, and downright ignorant to be told over and over that I have to "start somewhere" and "get my foot in the door" when THOSE entry-level foot-in-the-door jobs are precisely the ones I cannot get because I have never worked in a medical office and am competing with THOUSANDS of people who have.

Look, I don't blame my school, I don't blame employers, I don't blame the AAPC. I do blame the economy and the politicians of both parties who have sold American workers down the river for decades.

So it appears that I will stay with restaurant work and hope for the best. The money is good, jobs are relatively easy to get, and hard work is recognized. I have zero stress and never think about my job when I'm not there.

Oh and zdwilliam, personal tip, if you do go back to waitressing, do NOT go back to waitressing if you plan to work at Olive Garden, Red Lobster or any other Darden-owned concern: the company changed their policies a few years ago that make it almost impossible to make good money there!

Cheers!
 
I have to agree with Pam and wassock on this one - you don't go into this profession for the money, but it gets to be good money once you have enough experience and the right title. As for those who are talking about going into, or back to, waiting on tables the same principle applies - would a brand new server know the menu/drinks well enough, be able to carry four to five plates in one trip and know everyone's desires on those first few tables? Had to do it awhile to get good at it and make those kind of tips, right? Same for this profession.

Heck, if I felt that way, I could go back to being a beer vendor at the Twins and Vikings games back in the day. Keep in mind these were 1990's prices and money, and for a good Vikings game, I could bring in almost two weeks worth of an office salary for just 3 1/2 hours of running up and down the aisles with cases of beer. Even nights when the Twins were lousy and couldn't draw flies, I still rarely walked out of the ballpark with less than $100 in earning. But that was just sporadic - what would I do to earn money the other days of the year? This is good, steady work that will pay bills - the patient flow is much steadier than the attendance at the ball park or the traffic in the restaurant. I say don't give up.
 
What I do find demeaning: sitting in office after office, for an interview, begging and praying for a part-time job that pays $9.00 an hour and being told by someone half my age that I don't have the requisite experience to answer their phones and file their paperwork and take out their trash.

I find it demeaning, condescending, and downright ignorant to be told over and over that I have to "start somewhere" and "get my foot in the door" when THOSE entry-level foot-in-the-door jobs are precisely the ones I cannot get because I have never worked in a medical office and am competing with THOUSANDS of people who have.

Look, I don't blame my school, I don't blame employers, I don't blame the AAPC. I do blame the economy and the politicians of both parties who have sold American workers down the river for decades.

First I apologize if you feel I insulted you. But I personally found it demeaning to be called "miss", "sweetie", "honey" and getting sworn at by drunk and entitled customers. Maybe that's just me. (BTW, you never call anyone 'honey' in my neck of the woods...that's considered rude). And my entry level coders don't empty the trash, answer the phone or do my filing. However, if I was jobless, had spent thousands of dollars on a coding education, and was offered a job that would help me get the experience, you better know I'd be the best trash-emptier in New England. It's all about what your end goal is....if you really, truly want to be a coder, you have to start at the bottom and you have to be OK with that. Come to think about it, I didn't start off waiting tables and bartending. I started off as a dishwasher and a bus girl. I think I've made my point.

However, I assure you that I am not condescending in an interview, nor am I half your age, and I am certainly far from ignorant. As a hiring manager I am looking for the best employee.

Healthcare cannot be outsourced, it's a hands-on proposition. Most organizations do not outsource their coding/billing to India or wherever, and my organization has many job postings available. It's just that everyone wants $20 and hour with full benefits and four weeks paid vacation. They don't want a part-time job, they want to be able to make their own hours and they can't think outside the box. And for every ten applicants I get for an entry-level position, nine of them don't know how to communicate, they don't present themselves as professionals, and they want the $20 per hour scenario mentioned above. That is incredibly unreasonable for entry level work. It is equally as disappointing for hiring managers like me to listen to everyone's frustration, and yet I am often unable to find the kind of staff that I believe are out there. It is not lost on me that $12-14 an hour is hardly a living wage, (reference above where I mentioned that I am not ignorant....) but there's not a single thing I can do about that, because my organization sets the wages--mine included.
 
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As a recently graduated student from an Inpatient/Outpatient medical billing and coding program I feel as though we all need to be realistic with what we're hoping to gain and wanting when getting into this career field. And the reality is it's not going to be an easy task...knowing and accepting that means we need to think outside of the box and not stop at simply Plan A. We went to school to be the best coders we can be that's true..BUT in order to accomplish that we may have to take a non coding position in order to work our way up to where we want to be, and alot of people aren't comfortable with that.

Networking is everything! But not only that you have to be truly aware of what is expected of you on all fronts in regards to being considered for a coding position. Don't limit yourself to wanting only a "coding" job, wanting it because you think its going to make you a fast millionaire or even getting into this field "just because" you want to work from home...those are unrealistic expectations. Working from the bottom up gives you even more knowledge and experience that will make an interviewer take a second glance at you. All ladders start with a bottom step in order to reach the top it takes one step at a time.

Yes, I see all the complaints that new graduates have, does it hinder me? Not in the least. Because I didn't go to school for nothing, and if being a filer...biller...registrar etc... is where I need to start my climb then so be it. You're learning with each step that you take. It would be far fetched of me to graduate school, take my certification in May and successfully pass and have the mentality "Hey, I'm a coder now..somebody BETTER hire me!" That's not realistic. But what IS realistic is me saying "Ok, I have my certification, what positions do I qualify for that will give me the experience I need to accomplish my ultimate goal?" in the meantime network till you're blue in the face, make sure you have that award winning resume and cover letter, brush up on interviewing techniques and work on having the confidence needed to present yourself accordingly when you DO get the opportunity.

Because for each minute we take being down and burdened because the coding world is not like we envisioned it to be getting started, is time taken away from not certified yet/newly certified coders doing what we need to do to get where we need to be. :)
 
Pam Brooks said:
MsGarner69. How do you feel about NH? :)
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lol Ms. Brooks, as much as I would LOVE to relocate right now, unfortunately I'm unable to. Maybe in the future when my youngest is out of the house you can ask me again, and I would immediately start packing...thus bringing much more knowledge with me when I arrive. :)
 
You misunderstood me...

You didn't insult me, Ms. Brooks, but you clearly misunderstood my point. Perhaps I was not clear. You say, rightly:

However, if I was jobless, had spent thousands of dollars on a coding education, and was offered a job that would help me get the experience, you better know I'd be the best trash-emptier in New England. It's all about what your end goal is....if you really, truly want to be a coder, you have to start at the bottom and you have to be OK with that.

That was the entire point of my post--and of my frustration. I am MORE than willing to start at the bottom and would be happy to take one of these jobs...that is what I just said, at length, in my post.

But the point is, I CANNOT GET THOSE JOBS. I live in an area with the highest per capita number of medical institutions in the country if not the world, and one less affected by the recession than many others, but I CANNOT GET HIRED in one of these jobs to answer phones, file records, or take out trash. Did you read where I wrote that I've applied to be a cashier and a dining room server? I can't get those jobs either. And I actually have experience in those areas, just not in a medical setting.

I have been flat out told by recruiters and staffing agencies and hr professionals that they cannot place me in a medical office in ANY capacity. And I don't blame them-- why should they when there are dozens of experienced medical receptionists, office managers, and billing specialists in line behind me, clamoring for those $10 an hour jobs?

You say that people have a sense of entitlement, they want $20 an hour with benefits and a flex work schedule. THAT IS NOT ME.

Please stop the lecturing on this subject. My former field was journalism, and I knew I had to start as proofreader, copy assistant, and similar jobs before becoming a full-fledged editor, which is what I was when I left the profession for what I thought was the more secure medical field. More fool me.

Again, I don't mean to be argumentative but I honestly feel that you and the other posters are not listening to what we new graduates are saying. I took great pains to explain that I am more than willing to start anywhere, while pointing out that "anywhere" does not exist in a meaningful sense, at least not for those of us with no experience in the medical field.
 
i was incredibly lucky to be one of the few people who found a coding job directly out of school. I had no working experience as a coder or in any healthcare setting for that matter besides kitchen help in a hospital and the school i went to did not require an intern/ externship so i really had no experience. i really enjoy my job and the people i work with. i do have to drive almost an hour to and from work but i feel its a small sacrifice for the experience and knowledge i am gaining and i honestly feel i get compensated appropriately for the work i do. I agree with Pam that most people tend to have the expectation of getting out of school and instantly making 20$ an hour from home which is not realistic at all. i agree that it is a hard field to get into but like every other profession there are ways to get your foot in the door. maybe you have to start out doing something like scheduling, front desk rep, or an entry level medical records clerk which may not be exactly where you want to be but its a step in the right direction which can get you familiar which different aspects of healthcare. you also need to keep in mind when a manager is going through the interview process they are also trying to get an idea of whether or not you will fit in with their current staff or if it is going to be the right position for you. i would like to think a manager isnt going to hire someone knowing they will not fit in with the rest of the group which will cause more harm then good so that in itself may be a blessing in disguise. maybe the manager could sense the job at hand would make you miserable or you would constantly butt heads with a current employee. Some girls i know are in the same situation, they keep applying for jobs and getting interviews and never get that final call back. I try to tell them to keep their heads up and that they should view each interview as an experience. Now they know what type of questions a potential employer may ask in an interview specifically for this type of work and they can be more prepared for the next interview.
 
This is really great. I have not graduated from my program yet, but this thread gives me a lot of hope :) I realize I will probably have to start at the bottom with a front desk office job, but I am ok with that. Whatever gets my foot in the door :)
 
Well said Pam! I have been in this field for over 25 years and it has been a financial struggle for most of them but with experience came better paying jobs. I love what I do so I just kept moving up (even when the pay was not good).
 
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