Well, made the 1st step towards networking, taking exam, and researching a position. Became a member and hope to schedule to take the CPC ASAP. Now, I guess the next step is to locate an area Chapter and attend meetings? Do any of you current or past students attend these?
Yes, I definitely attend my local meetings. Once you get your certification, some of the meetings (at least in my chapter) allow you to earn CEUs for FREE!!
Also networking is awesome at these meetings. I graduated Andrews in July, took my exams, and have my certifications. However, I am still attending a local community college to get my Associate degree in HIT so that I can take the RHIT certification exam. Part of the HIT program is a type of work experience that I have to set up on my own through a local acute care hospital. How did I figure out who to talk to in order to set this up? I asked the President at my local AAPC chapter meeting if she worked at the hospital. She didn't but she walked me over to someone who did. I then talked to this person who exchanged emails with me and is going to help arrange a meeting for me with her boss to see if we can set this up for next fall. How awesome is that?
So, yes, I would recommend attending your chapter meetings. They do fun stuff plus you can learn so much when they have doctors come in to do presentations. I just attended one with an Interventional Radiology physician where explained the ins and outs of varicose veins and the treatment of those. It was awesome! The one before that was the only female trauma surgeon at our hospital taking us through 24 hours of a trauma patient. I love learning so this kind of stuff is awesome to me.
Sorry to go on and on. Good luck with your studies and your certification exams!!! Coding rocks!!
Deb
I'm joining this week. Meetings are very much not my thing, but I'm looking forward to stepping back out into the world, and this is part of it.
I've joined and my CPC test is scheduled for the first part of March. I would have liked one sooner, but there just weren't any in the state. And...with the holidays and all, March will be here before I realize it, so it's all good. I've got to travel to the southern part of the state, so I'll be hitting some awesome cajun food while I'm there.