Training for an AAPC certification requires a foundation of knowledge in three subjects we call the essentials, medical terminology, anatomy, and pathophysiology.

If you have formal education or training in medicine or you have over two years of experience working in the field, you can skip the essentials and start your certification training. If you don't, AAPC offers individual courses in each of these subjects, or you can take one longer course we call the Fundamentals of Medicine, which covers all three topics.

We strongly recommend these classes because having this foundation of knowledge in all three topics is necessary for you to follow the lessons in your certification training course. We've also found that those who have taken the essentials are better prepared for the certification exam as you will be tested on each topic.