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Experience for removing the A from our CPC

Experience for removing the A from our CPC

by Aaron Ga -
Number of replies: 4

I was reading on on the AAPC website regarding getting experience to have our A removed from out CPC -A and noticed the area that mentioned we can do the practicode course and also the following to count as 2 years experience for the removal of our apprentice status: 

"If another course is to be utilized, the following must be provided:

AAPC requirements

Instructor letter on school letterhead verifying completion of at least 80 contact hours.

Certificate/diploma stating at least 80 contact hours (not CEUs)

Unofficial school transcript showing at least 80 contact hours"

My question being will the Andrews school program count towards the 80 school program to remove a year?

I don't have any coding experience professionally so I will have to likely go the practicode route as well unless I get lucky with a potential employer. 

Re: Experience for removing the A from our CPC

by Glenda Hickman -
Yes, this course does qualify for the educational credit and will count for one of the two years required to remove the apprentice tag on the CPC exam. That said, we do not recommend Practicode for most of our students. Far better to be paid for a year of work than to pay for the additional practice you don't need.

Here's the really important part. Most employers do not actually care significantly about the -A on the CPC. The ones who absolutely, full-stop, will not hire a CPC-A still won't hire you if you drop the -A with our course and Practicode. It's not the -A those employers care about, it's the work experience. You're still not going to have work experience on your resume. Both Practicode and our course are accepted in lieu of work experience by AAPC, but they don't count as anything other than education on your resume. 
 
At the same time, the CPC and the CPC-A are the exact same credential.  Most employers are not going to repeat the credential both ways in the job listing, they're just going to list "CPC" as a requirement or preference.  If you have the CPC-A, you still meet that qualification.  
 
Most employers will also list 1-2 years of experience as a requirement.  Unless they phrase it so there's no question ("We will not accept anyone with less than 2 years of experience," for example), you'll want to apply anyway.  You don't have to meet every single bullet point in the requirement list to apply.  The worst that happens is being rejected or not hearing back at all.  You've spent some time on the application and it didn't work out.  But you also will learn a little with each application you put out, you'll get better at the next one and the next one and the next one, and you'll find some employers who will look past that lack of experience.  It's like the practice you're putting in with each question and report you code in the course.
 
You're going to be up against other applicants, and sometimes they will have both the credential and the experience, plus whatever else is in the requirements.  But sometimes they'll crash in the interview, or refuse the job offer, and the employer will go back to the people who met some but not all of their requirements.  Or maybe your application catches their attention and they give you the chance at the same time as those other "perfect" applicants.  Don't write yourself off from applying just because you don't have work experience yet or just because you still have the -A on your credential.  

Re: Experience for removing the A from our CPC

by Aaron Ga -
Thank you for all the information Glenda!

That is very encouraging news. I am really enjoying the program thus far, I have just been doing some research on the local job market in my greater Cincinnati area and saw a few "no cpa-a need apply" type descriptions in job postings but they were far from the majority. I have been trying to find some entry level medical admin related positions to help network and enhance my resume thus chances of landing that first coding job while in school.

I find I meet 90% of the requirements for the positions but lots of places seem to be very hard line on the "experience must come from a hospital, private practice, or other lab related type" I have a mountain of administration, clerical and customer service and tech support experience both in person and over the phone, so I'm well qualified for an entry level position as a medical receptionist(or similar adjacent roles) otherwise. The interviews have felt like applying at NASA though with all the many rounds and hoops, heh.

I am just trying to make the best use of my time while in the program so i have the best chance of hitting the ground running and landing a good coding or billing position as soon as possible after the certifications are complete. I am always open to recommendations on what positions to look out for to try and get some good medical experience added to my tool set.

Re: Experience for removing the A from our CPC

by Dawn Ki -
Thanks for asking this question, Aaron! I just started the program a month ago and was wondering the same thing.

Re: Experience for removing the A from our CPC

by Aaron Ga -
No problem =) glad it was helpful for us both.