Medical Record Technician
In order to ensure that patients receive optimal care, hospitals hire medical record technicians to input and maintain all relevant data about treatment outcomes, surgical interventions, observations, and diagnoses. These digital records are constantly updated and used for a variety of purposes ranging from insurance & billing to monitoring a patient's health. Given the enormity of this task, some hospitals prefer to hire those with pre-existing training rather than provide on-the-job training. This is why securing a formal education before applying to become a medical record technician is strongly recommended.
Becoming a Medical Record Technician
At the very least, you'll want an associate degree from a community college, university, or vocational school. Through your coursework, you'll not only learn database management, statistics, and computer science, but you will also master extensive medical and insurance jargon, anatomy, physiology, and various legal aspects of the health care industry.
Job Outlook As a Medical Record Technician
The US Department of Labor predicts extremely favorable growth for this particular occupational field. Not only are baby boomers retiring in droves (thus needing more and more medical attention), but the larger general public is also much more aware of modern medicine and health. 50 years ago, many people only visited the hospital under the most extreme circumstances. Nowadays, some people go in to have every single symptom analyzed regardless of how innocuous it might be. While such overcautious measures might contribute to rising health-care costs, it bodes well for anyone with training as a medical record technician. Expect the current median salary of $25,000 a year to increase substantially in the coming years.
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