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 2019-2020 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	3,723
Undergraduate Certificate	2,953
Basic Certificate	1,823
Bachelor’s Degree	66

What Medical Records Technician Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to health information/medical records technology/technician were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

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

Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician majors often go into careers in which the following 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

health information/medical records technology/technician majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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

A major in health information/medical records technology/technician will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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?

People with a health information/medical records technology/technician degree often go into the following careers:

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 92% 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	200
Black or African American	673
Hispanic or Latino	449
White	2,031
International Students	32
Other Races/Ethnicities	338

Geographic Diversity

Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician appeals to people across the globe. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Medical Records Technician Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician majors often go into careers with median salaries of $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 2019-2020, 465 schools offered a health information/medical records technology/technician program of some type. 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)	187	53
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	337	100
Bachelor’s Degree	7	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	7	3
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	28,132
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder	8,648
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant & Medical Secretary	8,181
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	6,986
Medical Office Assistant/Specialist	4,793
Hospital & Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	4,284
Medical Office Management/Administration	3,474
Health Information Management	2,978
Other Health & Medical Administrative Services	2,148
Medical/Health Management & Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,087
Medical Reception/Receptionist	693
Long Term Care Administration/Management	409
Clinical Research Coordinator	303
Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant	243
Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist	141
Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk	114
Medical Staff Services Technology/Technician	28
Health/Medical Claims Examiner	15
Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor	12
Disease Registry Data Management	10

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.