Wiki CPC-A looking for coding position

[Akjones85]

Hello.
My name is Anna Jones and I am a newly certified CPC-A as of May 2018. I live in Winston-Salem, NC. I am searching for a coding job. I am new to the medical field but have a background in Health and Fitness. I received my Bachelor's in Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in August of 2008. Since then I have worked in Fitness, Hospitality, and Customer Service, Assistant Manager, and Administration positions. My experience in these different areas add to my new credential. I am used to having to multi-task and adapt to new jobs quickly. I've always had an interest in the medical field and coding sparked my interest and I am very excited to start my career in this vast and always changing field. It's been a difficult search because most places require at least 2 years of experience. How are we supposed to get experience without the opportunity of getting hired? The constant struggle. I have been interning at a Billing and Coding office for the past 3 months to gain "experience" all voluntary and no pay. It is at Optimed Hospitalists PLLC in Davidson NC. There I have been:
• Processing, auditing and editing hospital, wound care, and skilled nursing charges.
• Payment posting.
• Insurance billing.
• Posting and adjustments of payment from carriers and patients.
• Assisting coding manager with other necessary tasks.
It has been helpful to learn my way around the EMR systems and to become familiar with the different insurances and really just the day to day function of a billing and coding office. I am hoping that posting my resume on here may help? Any advice is greatly appreciated. From what I've read, it's tough to get a coding job right off the bat and you are better off applying for any job to get your foot in the door. Still the struggle is real with "no medical office experience". I am considering doing Practicode. It seems I am not the only one in this boat. Just going to keep trucking! Thank you for anyone who views my resume!!
Sincerely,
Anna Jones CPC-A

 

[Pathos]

When I got my job, the requirement was to get my CPC within a year. I took the exam and passed, and in that sense already had a job requiring a CPC certification.
I have read that some companies actually prefer Apprentices over senior coders, due to trainability and candidates not being too set in their own ways. I can't point to which company though, but I would not despair and keep looking!

Otherwise, yes you might be best off getting your foot in the door by a temporary lower position (front desk, MOS, registration, etc.) and then work your way up. The Practicode could help, however I don't know if that would be enough to attract interviews and ultimately a coding job. Perhaps your previous contact at Optimed Hospitalists PLLC could help you out, if nothing else perhaps some additional pointers too. If I was the hiring manager, I would prefer to hire someone who has a proven skill set and shown work ethic, rather to gamble on someone random.

Best of luck!