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Medical Records Specialists

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Compile, process, and maintain medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements of the healthcare system. Classify medical and healthcare concepts, including diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment, into the healthcare industry's numerical coding system. Includes medical coders.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $51,140 Median per year · $24.59/hr Most earn $37,000–$81,150

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Release information to persons or agencies according to regulations.
  • Maintain or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information.
  • Schedule medical appointments for patients.
  • Process patient admission or discharge documents.
  • Process and prepare business or government forms.
  • Scan patients' health records into electronic formats.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
8% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 14,000 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • General medical and surgical hospitals25.9%
  • Offices of physicians17.8%
  • Management of companies and enterprises6.9%
  • Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)4.9%
  • Management, scientific, and technical consulting services4.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Medical Records Specialist is an entry-level job. Most people qualify with a high school diploma plus a certificate or apprenticeship in medical coding or health information, and it usually takes about 6 months to 1 year to be ready for this work.

  1. High school diploma or GED

    4 years

    Build a foundation in biology, computers, and English, since you will read medical documents and enter data all day.

  2. Medical coding or health information certificate program

    6 months - 1 year

    Learn medical terminology, diagnosis and procedure coding systems, and health privacy rules, which are the core skills employers look for.

  3. Medical Records Specialist

    Ongoing

    Compile, review, and code patient records for a hospital, clinic, or billing company, following legal and privacy rules.

Where it can lead

  1. Medical Records Supervisor

    2-4 years of experience first

    You take on leading a team, checking the work of others, and handling records policies and audits, which requires strong accuracy and people skills.

  2. Health Informatics Specialist

    2-4 years of experience first

    You shift from processing records to designing and managing the health data systems behind them; this usually calls for a master's degree in health informatics.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology and anatomyThese classes teach body systems and medical language, which makes learning diagnosis and procedure codes much easier later.
  • Take computer or business classesKeyboarding, word processing, and spreadsheet skills are used daily in records work.
  • Volunteer at a hospital, clinic, or nursing homeVolunteering shows you how records, patient check-in, and privacy rules work in real healthcare settings.
  • Get a part-time job in an office or front desk roleFiling, answering phones, and handling paperwork build the accuracy and organization skills this career needs.
  • Join a health occupations club or HOSA chapter if your school has oneClubs like this connect you with health careers, workshops, and sometimes local employers.

In college

  • Take medical terminology and anatomy coursesKnowing prefixes, suffixes, and body systems is the foundation for reading and coding medical records.
  • Enroll in a medical coding or health information certificate programA certificate is the usual training route into this job and can often be completed in about 6 months to 1 year.
  • Seek a campus job in an office, library, or records departmentWorking with documents, databases, and confidentiality rules gives you relevant experience while you study.
  • Look for a healthcare internship or externshipAn internship in a hospital, clinic, or billing office lets you apply coding skills to real records.
  • Practice accuracy with timed data entry or coding exercisesEmployers value precision, so regular practice helps you build speed without sacrificing correctness.

Tips for getting started

  • Practice typing and learn spreadsheet basics now. Accurate, fast data entry matters a lot in this job, and you can build both skills at little or no cost.
  • Look for certificate programs at community colleges or career schools and check whether they prepare you for a professional coding credential. Ask an advisor which local employers hire their graduates.
  • Get a feel for the work before you commit: volunteer or shadow at a clinic front desk or hospital records office, if one is open to students.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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