Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician

Types of Degrees Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many health information/medical records technology/technician graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	4,388
Associate Degree	3,511
Basic Certificate	2,444
Bachelor’s Degree	61
Graduate Certificate	30
Master’s Degree	28

What Health Information/Medical Records Technology/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

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

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 Health Information/Medical Records Technology/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 a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician?

This major is dominated by women with about 84% of recent graduates being 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	15
Black or African American	12
Hispanic or Latino	7
White	18
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	9

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Health Information/Medical Records Technology/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. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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 Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician Programs

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)	172	56
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	1
Associate’s Degree	313	109
Bachelor’s Degree	8	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	4	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

Majors Related to Health Information/Medical Records Technology/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	29,812
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder	9,463
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	9,252
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant & Medical Secretary	7,299
Medical Office Assistant/Specialist	4,140
Hospital & Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	3,686
Health Information Management	2,960
Medical Office Management/Administration	2,810
Other Health & Medical Administrative Services	2,008
Medical/Health Management & Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,278
Medical Reception/Receptionist	913
Clinical Research Coordinator	328
Healthcare Innovation	197
Long Term Care Administration/Management	182
Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk	140
Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant	114
Regulatory Science/Affairs	94
Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist	79
Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor	35
Medical Staff Services Technology/Technician	32
Healthcare Information Privacy Assurance and Security	8
Disease Registry Data Management	6
Health/Medical Claims Examiner	4

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.