What is the Apprentice status?

Unless you have two years of medical coding experience prior to taking the CPC exam, you will receive the CPC-A credential when you pass. The “A” indicates apprenticeship status, which requires two years of experience to graduate from the designation.

Upon submitting proof of two years of coding experience, your apprentice status will be dropped from your credential. Practicode and Project Xtern both provide medical coding experience that AAPC will apply to your apprenticeship requirement, reducing your apprenticeship period by one year.