A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Graduated have not taken my CPC or CCS exam yet - Anonymous

Posted: Jan 01, 2013

Hello everyone. I graduated last Sept with my coding degree and intend to take my CPC or CCS certification test or possibly both eventually. I am wondering if anyone who is currently coding has been able to had a hard time finding their 1st position out of school ? My school was not helpful when it came to career services and the hospital where I interned was too small to hire me after graduation. I have applied to some of my local hospitals only to be told you have to have minimum of 2 years experience and the certification (either CPC or CCS) if no company is willing to give me that 1st chance how am I supposed to get experience ?

I cannot find a job and I have my CCS - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I have my CCS, but every place I have applied to has told me "no" because I don't have experience. I've done job shadowing, volunteering, and now am working in medical records, but I still am unable to land a coding job. I've even applied out of state and to more rural areas but am told they need someone who has experience. It's very frustrating. I am fully aware that there will be a certain poster on this board who will reply to my post telling me it's my fault that I have not landed a coding job. I know several others who are unable to get their first coding job. I'm about to give up and do something else.

Don't give up - me

[ In Reply To ..]
Have you tried doctor's offices or billing services? I will be looking soon and will try anything to get some kind of experience, small clinics, part-time. I would be very happy to work in medical records at a hospital. I met a nurse recently who told me that medical records is a good place to start, noting that you will have an inside advantage when a job opening comes up. She encouraged me to bide my time, that the money is great and it will be worth the wait. I don't expect to start out as a coder with no experience, will be happy if it happens, but just want to get my foot in the door. Billing clerk, claims clerk, anything to do with insurance reimbursement just to get some experience, keep trying, wish you well in the new year.

Thank you for your encouragement. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I appreciate your words of encouragement and to not give up. I have tried a few doctor's offices, but in my area there just aren't many jobs. I am more than willing to relocate, so I think my next step will be to apply to every doctor's office in the USA! I am not giving up yet, almost there, but hopefully 2013 will be my year.

I think in part the economy is to blame, because - each job has so many applicants. -sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Everything from parking lot attendants to receptionists to entry-level clerk jobs can pick and choose among hundreds of candidates, so they all want prior experience. Not even just RELATED experience, they want specific experience in THEIR field, on THEIR software. It's beyond frustrating for me - all I want to do is just find a decent non-MT job, and so far, no luck.

It's that supply-and-demand thing. As an MT in the past, I never had trouble getting a job because MTs were few and far between, and were highly valued, so at my first job, I was hired sight-unseen over the phone, while I was still in school!

The other part of the supply-and-demand problem is the trade schools. They're taking advantage of this rotten economy, and luring desperate job-seekers into their schools, with all sorts of promises about high pay and plenty of jobs, when that isn't the case anymore. By cranking out all these students (in MT, coding, medical assisting, etc., they're just contributing to the glut of potential employees. The schools win, because they can get rich by promising everybody $60K incomes. The MTSOs win, because they have a never-ending supply of new workers who are desperate enough for a job that they'll work for next to nothing. And now that appears to be happening in coding, too. I take the fact that there are now MTSOs getting into coding, and that coding service companies are starting to spring up, as a red flag.

In a normal economy, someone with all your training should be a sought-after employee. Smart employers know that a well-trained newbie like yourself is an asset, and worth putting a little on-the-job training time into, if for no other reason than to train you in their way of doing things.

I think the fact that you're in Medical Records is a good start, because at least you've got a foot in the door. Many hospitals prefer to hire and promote from within, so I think that gives you a little bit of an advantage.

If you can hang in there, I'll bet that eventually, if things ever turn around for the better in this country, you'll finally land the job you want.

You need to take those exams - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
Employers need for you to be certified. They have to demonstrate to Medicare and regulatory agencies that they do everything possible to code and bill correctly.

When you have neither certification nor experience, taking a chance on you is too risky. If you had one or the other, there would be less risk. Even so, many employers will not bother with an experienced, noncredentialed codr because those coders often refuse to test later. Employers also know that there are many graduates who cannot code. When the failure rate on those exams is about 50%, you can understand the employer's need to see you pass one or more before agreeing to hire you.

You have probably followed the expectations about the job that your school taught you, especially in terms of thinking you needed years of experience before testing. However, that thinking is incorrect. Students need to be ready to test right when they graduate. And they need to expect to take both the CPC and CCS.

The requirements for the CCS changed today. Students must now attend a school offering take certain courses to qualify for the exam, or wait until they have 2 years of experience.

What tests did your school tell you to take?

She is certified - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
The OP stated she had a CCS but is still having difficulty getting her first coding job. Please re-read her post.

The original poster is not certified. The person below her who responded is.... - NM

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

Sorry about that - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
It was my mistake. You seem to be very familiar with the CPC and CCS credentials, and I was wondering if you could go into a bit more detail in regard to the requirements for each exam. I have a CPC and work in HIT because I could not find a coding job but the reason was not the credential, it was the work experience (at least 2 years). The employers in my town recognize the CPC and do not require people to have a CCS. From what I gather from AHIMA, the CCS is an advanced level credential and they don't recommend attempting the exam without experience. Please don't start with how well Andrews prepares its students, I've heard that and would like some honesty here. If the exams are tough, I think people would like to know that instead of being told to waltz right out and get certified with a snap of the fingers. I know there is a fee for both exams and I know that memberships are required in both organizations if you are certified by both. To me, it seems as if there is a lot of red tape to cut through to become certified and maybe other new students feel the same. I don't think I am as dedicated as others as I was only obtaining training so that I could work a few more years because my MT job ended, so I am happy where I am, but for others who sincerely want to code and nothing else will do, it would be nice to have all of that outlined by someone who has been there, done, that. I also think some honesty would be in order with the people who are having trouble landing that first job without experience. MTs know how tough it is, coders need to know that too instead of being told that it is their fault. This post was long, but thanks in advance.

More detail on credentialing exams - is on their websites

[ In Reply To ..]
All the information on the CCS and CPC, as well as all the other credentialing exams offered by the AAPC and AHIMA, is readily available on their websites. That is where you should go to find it.

Regardless of what employers in an area claim to require, having MORE or BETTER credentials is never a bad thing.

Yes, the exams are tough. No one here ever said they weren't. But, yes, we do recommend getting prepared to take them, even though they are tough.

You are incorrect in your belief that you have to be a member of both organizations. You have to be a member of AAPC, but not of AHIMA.

Yes, there IS a lot of red tape involved in the exam. If you are unable to sort it out, then you're not going to be a very good coder, either. Passing the exam requires figuring out the requirements. And paying for the exam. Period.

You said you didn't think you were "as dedicated as others as I was only obtaining training so that I could work a few more years." You might not be aware of it, but that is likely to be one reason no one hired you for coding. Would YOU want someone who projected that attitude? Employers don't. And now you're, what, blaming US for your experience?

You also said it would be nice to have "all of that outlined by someone who has been there, done that." Well, who do you think we are? Imposters? And what exactly do you think we've been doing here?

That is exactly who we are and exactly what we've been doing. Amazingly, you have rejected every word of it. Now you're, what, saying we never said any of it? Or that we're not qualified to say it?

I wouldn't worry about the CCS, if I were you. You would not be able to pass it, anyway, because you took an outpatient-only course. You need to have taken inpatient for the CCS.

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