Medical Records Clerk Courses and Schools
Health care is one of the few industries that provides reliable employment in today's economy. Many hospitals, clinics and private practice offices are hiring medical records clerks to meet the administrative demands of the medical field. Read on to find information about medical records clerk courses and schools.
What You Need to Know
Medical records clerks are responsible for ensuring the order, maintenance and accessibility of the health records that doctors, patients, pharmacies and other medical providers need. This requires a range of training and skills, including customer service, attention to detail, medical terminology, organization and discretion.
<table border="1"><tr><td><b>Courses</b></td><td> Health care principles and terminology, medical administration, business, English, mathematics, history, science, computer applications, medical records management, medical office procedures, anatomy, medical coding</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Schools</b></td><td> Offered primarily at 2-year colleges, often with flexible schedules (daytime, evening or weekend classes) and formats (online, on-campus)</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Median Salary (2017)*</b></td><td> $39,180 (<i>for medical records and health information technicians</i>)</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhichProgramsWillINeedToTakeToBecomeAMedicalRecordsClerk">Which Programs Will I Need to Take to Become a Medical Records Clerk?</h3><p>Medical records clerk programs are commonly offered at the certificate, diploma and associate's degree levels. A Medical Office Professional Certificate program or a Medical Records Clerk Certificate of Achievement might be available. You might also be able to find a Medical Billing and Coding Career Diploma. An associate's degree in healthcare management or an Associate of Applied Science in Medical Reimbursement and Coding could be two additional options.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatWillILearn">What Will I Learn?</h3><p>You'll gain the knowledge and skills necessary to assemble, organize and manage patient healthcare records. Associate's degree programs will also include general education courses, such as English, mathematics, history and science. You'll learn customer service and appointment management. The curriculum will also teach you how to organize patients' medical histories and results, and keep track of statistical data with computer software. You'll become proficient in the medical jargon necessary to communicate with health care professionals. The curriculum will also teach you about these areas of interest:
</p><ul><li>Computer applications
</li><li>Medical terminology
</li><li>Management of medical records
</li><li>Medical office procedures
</li><li>Anatomy
</li><li>Medical coding
</li><li>Medical administration
</li><li>Billing procedures
</li><li>Medical transcription
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhichSchoolsOfferTheProgram">Which Schools Offer the Program?</h3><p>Many career institutes and 2-year colleges offer medical records clerk programs. Frequently, these programs are offered as on-campus programs. You generally can find schools that give you the option of taking day, evening or weekend classes, and most programs begin multiple times a year. These schools offer medical records clerk coursework:
</p><ul><li>Bryant & Stratton College (Multiple locations)
</li><li>De Anza College (Cupertino, CA)
</li><li>The College of Health Care Professions (Multiple locations in TX)
</li><li>Seattle Colleges (WA)
</li><li>Wake Technical Community College (Raleigh, NC)
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatAreTheEntryRequirements">What Are the Entry Requirements?</h3><p>The standard admission requirement for medical records clerk programs is a high school diploma or GED. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, some schools may look for applicants that have taken courses in high school that are relevant to the medical field, such as mathematics, anatomy and biology (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). Some programs also require that you complete prerequisite coursework in keyboarding and pass a college-entry examination.</p>