Question
Hi Nan,
Thank you so much for the speedy response.
To answer a few of your questions:  Yes, I want to be a coder. Yes, I have applied through a few Temp agencies, they have replied that I need experience 1st.  No, I am not finacially able to open my own business, nor do I feel confident in this field yet.
Yes, I have also applied for contract postions,no luck.  
I have offered to volunteer at only one doctors office, however, I have not checked w/non-profit clinics. I will definetely do that next.  
Yes, I did check w/esight.  I didn't really see anything for medical coding from home.
I will take your advise and post the question below & check for other responses.
If you have any other ideas, please let me know.
Thanks,
Kathleen
Followup To
Question -
Hi,

I am disabled. Prior to becoming disabled I have over 20 years experience in the business field. My counselors recommended a medical coding job.  I went to college for a year, passed my AAPC coding exam and am now certified as a CPC-A.  I have run into a major brick wall getting hired as a coder who can work from home.  No one wants me because I don't have prior exerience as a Medical Coder. I have applied for over 50 different positions.  Please help find a way to bridge the gap of experience to get a job as a Medical Coder from home.
Thanks for your consideration.
Kathleen
Answer -
Hi Kathleen:

Well first of all, I hope you WANT to be a medical coder... since you have so much experience in another field is there some reason you cannot continue in the career you already have established?  Too many VR programs discourage people who have become disabled from pursuing the careers they have already built.

If you do want to continue to look for a midical coding job, I understand that lack of experience is the barrier you are running into.  The strategy then would be to try to find a way to develop some experience -- obviously -- but through some means other than full time work.  

Let me ask a couple questions. Have you looked into temporary work?  That is, work through an agency that supplies people for temporary positions.  That might give you a chance to develop some experience.

A second idea is to  look for contract work.. that is, to skip the employment route and market your skills directly -- with your background in business you might be uniquely qualified for this.

I usually recommend building a track record through volunteering.. but I am not sure how useful this is in your case.  It might be worth the effort to contact some nonprofit medical clinics to see if they have programs like that and could use the vollunteer help... and then present it as employment.. which in fact it is.. on your r閟um?

Finally if you could find others doing the same type of work you might get some pointers.  I will look around a bit for you.  In the meantime take a look at eSight Careers Network www.esight.org which has tons of articles about overcoming barriers to employment for people with disabilities.  Try searching on medical coding or similar terms.  I will also check it out to see if there have been articles on this topic there.  You can also ask that site to post your question to the entire membership in their weekly newsletter (without revealing your identity) -- I know there are several members who do the sort of work you are looking for.

In the meantime tell me more about the types of employers you have applied to and how.  I may have pointers for approaching them better.

Nan Hawthorne

Answer
I wantedd to follow up on my promise to check a couple things out.

The only article I found on eSight was "A Basketful of Home-based Businesses" -- just use the search to find it.  I think posting your dilemma on that site will be very helpful.  I will let them know I told you to contact them.

A few sites I found that might help.. after all, everyone has to start somewhere.

Medical Coding and Billing
http://www.medicalcodingandbilling.com/

The All I Need
http://www.theallineed.com/ad-self-help-2/self-help-004.htm

Can I Work from Home?
http://transcription.andrewsschool.com/hwork2.shtml

And of course go back to the people who told you to do this and ask about placement seervices.  It would be the least they could do.

Nan Hawthorne