Apprentice designation and CPC certification - close the door to opportunity!

I applied thru Indeed to a recruiter for a Navy hospital coding job and received 13 pages to fill out, which I did. The 8-pg coding assessment test was completed and all were faxed back. The response I got was, can't hire an apprentice. I said I was an apprentice in the application, I said I was an apprentice in my resume submission and took a lot of time to take their coding assessment test, only to have the application tossed back because I was an apprentice, they said nothing about how I did on the coding assessment. I was very upset about having spent a lot of time completing everything they asked for, and faxing back 13 pages, only to discover they apparently didn't even look at my assessment, because when I followed up, their response was "would you be interested in taking our coding assessment so that we can assess your skill level at this time?"

Then I applied for a health unit coordinator position at a hospital, night shift, got an interview a month after applying and now two months later have not heard anything back and have followed up four times with phone calls with no response. The job is still listed and I was told there were 4 other applicants besides myself, but not one of us is competent enough to be hired as a HUC? 

And then a part-time HIM job was advertised, but they are going to EHR/EMR in May, so why would I apply for that job, only to be laid off??? 

It seems that coders who are saying "keep at it" don't understand it is impossible to find a job today without experience! The more time that goes by between my certification and job applications must be a red flag, but I know for sure the apprentice designation has hurt my chances of employment and I have been a transcriptionist for decades!!!!  What is taught in coding courses and what is coded in the real world are two different things? I completed AAPC's course, have paid thousands of dollars for the course, the books, the credentialing exam. Isn't being certified a "baseline" assessment of competency?

I dress well for interviews, I answer all their questions, including what are my strengths and weaknesses, why should we hire you, what did you do at your last job that made an impact on patient care, and kept my composure the entire time, with a smile on my face.  I am not a confrontational person, and I had worked at one of the places hiring, with excellent annual reviews.  What gives? 

And don't even suggest volunteering, who can do that these days?