Everyone go over to our Facebook page and congratulate her when you have a chance. This is totally awesome that so many of you are getting your credentials! Congratulations to LaRae! Congratulations to your instructors for doing such a great job of preparing our students! Congratulations to me for being smart enough to have all of you as students, graduates, and instructors. We are so cool!
http://www.facebook.com/TheAndrewsSchool?sk=wall&filter=1
Congrats LaRae! What a great accomplishment. I remember when I saw the word "pass" on the AAPC website, I started doing the happy dance. I hope you do the happy dance too and celebrate the holidays as a CPC-A!
LaRae, maybe you'd better explain what you mean by "I turned in 2 letters from previous employers so this is a CPC." Some of our students are not aware of the way the CPC/CPC-A system works. If anyone else gets here first and wants to beat her to it, that's okay too. :)
Unless you have on-the-job experience, after you pass the CPC exam you are considered an apprentice (CPC-A). To have the "A" removed, you can submit 2 letters (1 from an employer and 1 from a co-worker) which outlines your coding experience and amount of time as a coder. The other option is to submit proof of completion of at least 80 hours of coding education (ask Linda about this) and 1 letter of recommendation from an employer which verifies 1 year of coding experience. There is information on the AAPC website regarding this and a form letter to use.
I contacted 2 people who I knew would give me a glowing recommendation and asked if they would sign the letter, which I drafted per the AAPC requirements. I emailed it and they returned the letter after printing it on the required letterhead. They also added in extra information about my job performance, which I will use as a letter for future employment :).
I contacted AAPC and asked at what point do I turn in my letters. They said to send them in before signing up to take the CPC exam so they can verify and approve the letters. Doing this in advance ensures that when you pass the exam, your certificate states "CPC". Otherwise, they would have to reissue another one after you pass the exam that does not have the "A".
You are probably asking "If she has experience, what is she doing here at Andrews taking this course?" I do have expereince but with the constant regulation and coding changes, I wanted to make sure I knew as much as I could about coding in 2012. (Believe me, a lot has changed since the last time I did any coding). Also, you can never have too much education and information to give you an advantage.
I hope this information helps. Good luck to all who take the exam.
Congratulations, LaRae!
I knew you would do a great job on the exam!
Debby