Medical Record Technicians
Overview
Introduction
In any hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, permanent records are created and maintained for all the patients treated by the staff. Each patient's medical record describes in detail his or her condition over time. Entries include illness and injuries, operations, treatments, outpatient visits, and the progress of hospital stays. Medical record technicians, also known as medical records and health information technicians and health information management technicians, compile, code, and maintain these rec...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
The salaries of medical record technicians are greatly influenced by the location, size, and type of employing institution, as well as the technician's training and experience. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual earnings of medical records and health information technicians were $40,350 in May 2018. Salaries ranged from less than $26,550 to more than $66,260.
In...
Work Environment
Medical records departments are usually pleasantly clean, well-lit, and air-conditioned areas. Sometimes, however, paper or microfilm records are kept in cramped, out-of-the-way quarters. Although the work requires thorough and careful attention to detail, there may be a constant bustle of activity in the technician's work area, which can be disruptive. The job is likely to involve frequent rou...
Outlook
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment in this field will grow by 11 percent, much faster than the average for all careers, through 2028. The demand for well-trained medical record technicians will grow rapidly and will continue to exceed the supply. This expectation is related to the health care needs of a population that is both growing and aging and the trend toward more techn...