Medical Records Technician

Types of Degrees Medical Records Technician Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many health information/medical records technology/technician graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	3,854
Undergraduate Certificate	3,305
Basic Certificate	2,394
Bachelor’s Degree	70

What Medical Records Technician Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, health information/medical records technology/technician majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to health information/medical records technology/technician:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a health information/medical records technology/technician student include the following:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

What Can You Do With a Medical Records Technician Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with health information/medical records technology/technician:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians	13.5%	$40,350

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Medical Records Technician?

The major attracts more women than men. About 93% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of health information/medical records technology/technician majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	226
Black or African American	794
Hispanic or Latino	491
White	1,976
International Students	45
Other Races/Ethnicities	322

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician. About 1.2% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Medical Records Technician Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to health information/medical records technology/technician is $44,010. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Medical Records Technician

Some degrees associated with health information/medical records technology/technician may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to health information/medical records technology/technician have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	48.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	11.0%
Some College Courses	20.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	20.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	0.5%

Online Medical Records Technician Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 451 schools offered some type of health information/medical records technology/technician program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	180	51
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	1
Associate’s Degree	327	104
Bachelor’s Degree	7	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	5	2
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Medical Records Technician Worth It?

The median salary for a health information/medical records technology/technician grad is $44,010 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 10% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $82,200 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Medical Records Technician

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to health information/medical records technology/technician.

Major	Number of Grads
Health Care Management	16,886
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder	10,149
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	8,186
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant & Medical Secretary	8,049
Medical Office Assistant/Specialist	4,893
Medical Office Management/Administration	3,555
Hospital & Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	3,088
Health Information Management	2,688
Other Health & Medical Administrative Services	1,870
Medical/Health Management & Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,176
Medical Reception/Receptionist	781
Long Term Care Administration/Management	275
Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant	224
Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist	198
Clinical Research Coordinator	127
Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk	94
Medical Staff Services Technology/Technician	23
Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor	20
Health/Medical Claims Examiner	15
Disease Registry Data Management	8

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.