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

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to health information/medical records technology/technician and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

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

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in health information/medical records technology/technician should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

A major in health information/medical records technology/technician prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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

As you progress with your health information/medical records technology/technician degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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?

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

The major attracts more women than men. About 84% 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	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 careers associated with health information/medical records technology/technician require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for health information/medical records technology/technician careers below.

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.