What do you enjoy most about your medical records clerk career?

What do you enjoy most about being a medical records clerk? What do you dislike the most? Is it challenging? Are there many opportunities to learn and advance?

What keeps you at your job?

I love doing Medical Record Clerk you get the chance to learn more about what you doing. You have different types of work to do and it's a challenge job and you become professional in what you doing and you care about your Medical Record Clerk room.

Host said: What do you enjoy most about being a medical records clerk? What do you dislike the most? Is it challenging? Are there many opportunities to learn and advance?

What keeps you at your job?

I'm very interesting in my job that I perform and you get to meet different kinds of people and learn more about them. You get to know how your patient treat you by in person or on the telephone.

Host said: What do you enjoy most about being a medical records clerk? What do you dislike the most? Is it challenging? Are there many opportunities to learn and advance?

What keeps you at your job?

I not in Medical Records anymore but what I use to love about the position is working with flexibility. 2:30-11pm were the best hours for me. If I couldn't work that night then I would switch day shift with someone. Perfect!!!!

Host said: What do you enjoy most about being a medical records clerk? What do you dislike the most? Is it challenging? Are there many opportunities to learn and advance?

What keeps you at your job?

I enjoy working in the medical records department, I've worked for 18 years, I know have the position of being a Medical Records Supervisor for a large Company. I started out being a file clerk, then i soon mover up being a Release of Information Specialist. i enjoy working in the Medical Records field. it was challenging at times but live is a challeng, if you set goals for yourself you can make it.If i had to do it all over again I would choose being in the medical records department. You can start off being a file clerk, mover uo to be a ROI Specialist, then to become a Manager. There are many things that you can do in the medical records dpet.These are a few position. ROI Specialist, Loose Material, File Clerk, Front Desk Clerk, and much More. Don't give up...Set goals...you can make it no matter what you do....You must have organizational skills in order to be successful in the medical records dept. Thanks, A Medical Records Queen F.

what does a medical records clerk earns appro.

Host said: What do you enjoy most about being a medical records clerk? What do you dislike the most? Is it challenging? Are there many opportunities to learn and advance?

What keeps you at your job?

I'm really struck by the poor writing in these replies. Do these replies truly reflect the quality of the writing of those in the field? Do those in the medical records field really lack the writing (or proof reading) skills that is reflected here?

Frankly, I'm put off from the field in light of what I see here.

I Agree with Career Changer. Now I am having second thoughts about the whole thing. Somebody please give me something that I can work with. I would hate to continue to feel this way about becoming a medical records clerk.

Yolanda in Bronx, New York said: I Agree with Career Changer. Now I am having second thoughts about the whole thing. Somebody please give me something that I can work with. I would hate to continue to feel this way about becoming a medical records clerk.

These replies are only a small reflection of the field. I am a current R.H.I.T. student and love it so far. My plan is to work in a hospital in the records department, and possibly move over to coding. My guess is spelling should be at the top of their list to work in the field. Interesting to say the least.

I like being a Medical Records Clerk because it is being involved
in work that is meaningful and purposeful. I like being a trusted
employee in the Medical Records Department handling the confidential
medical records.

It is a challenging position filing, assisting other coworkers,and departmental/ hospital staff, locating and faxing records, answering the telephone, picking up, delivering and electronically tracking in medical records in the Medical Records department at a hospital. You need to file accurately. You need to be able to stand and walk most of the day. It is a physically demanding job--reaching up to a higher shelf, bending to a lower shelf, and sometimes lifting a box down from a high shelf in storage. You need to able to push a heavy cart of records. You must be responsible and reliable.

I dislike filing in a basement of a hospital alone, at night.

There are opportunities to learn and advance as a Medical Records Clerk.
In order to advance, you need to earn a credential, and keep your
certifications current.

What's that old saying? "Find a job you love and you will never work a day of your life."
I've worked in the M.R.'s field for 14-years now, and it's the most rewarding job that I've ever had; in fact, it's NOT a job. I love it so deeply that I've only missed 1 day of work due to sickness, and I've never taken any vaction or P.T.O. I "fell into" the job by accident. I was a temp. working primarilly in banking & finance. I was asked to fill in for a few days at a doctor's office, and the minute I walked through the door I was hooked. My temp. assignment grew into weeks which soon grew into months, and very shortly, I was hired on and I've never looked back.
I worked in two doctor's offices for the next five years, then got promoted to the hospital that owned our practices. Due to my experience, I was put in charge of the ED records. Within nine-months I was in charge of the entire hospital's records: 1,400,000 charts and 1,000 doctors on staff. Working in M.R.'s in a hospital is vastly different than working in a doctor's office, yet the responsibility is still basically the same - strict attention to detail, legal issues, time restraints, goal setting, team-work, net-working, anything to get the job done. After two years, I was hired on to a private practice owned by seven doctors, and I was happy to return to that more intimate setting. When you work M.R.'s in a doctor's office you have much more closer contact with the doctors, and especially the patients, as well as other doctor's offices, funeral homes, insurance companies, and police/law offices. The job is very demanding, very physical, and you get pulled in five different directions at the same time. The interruptions are maddening, and it can get very, very frustrating. My personal pet peeve? Patients who have several different names, nicknames, aliases, etc., all of which are "used" depending on which doctor thay are seeing at any given time, and for "whatever" reason they are being seen.

Victor's post was dead-on! I've worked in MR's for 7-years and STILL can't figure out why patients use fake names at the doctor's office! I am asking every patient out there: WHY?! WHY do you tell your PCP that your name is "Betty," your cardiologist, "Nancy," Your OBGYN, "Veronica," then your dermatologist "Wilma?!" I've heard patients brush it off with, "Oh, my nickname in high school was Buffy, yet my husband calls me Honey. etc." Or my personal favorite, "My name is whatever I tell you it is!" ENOUGH! YOU might think it's trendy or cute but your DOCTORS don't! God gave you one name so use it and stick with it! And enough with the four hypenated last names, too! It only makes it TWICE AS WORSE! I've seen patients get referred for life-threatening treatment & use completely different first & last names! How do you expect your doctors to figure out exactly "who" you are?! Here's a news flash: Use the name on your insuarance card! It's the LAW, especially if it's medicare! So remember THAT the next time you get referred to a specialist becuase your doctor thinks you might be dying! Use your REAL name - it just might save your life, Tony aka Mike aka Steve aka Jerry aka Norman aka Randy aka Carl aka Leonard aka William aka Lewis aka Rodney aka Charles aka Andrew aka Dennis aka Zachary aka Peter aka Barry aka...!!!

Wow... I've got an interview tomorrow. It's pay is only $10.27 with a 2% raise in a few months. And its a 20 min drive from home. :( Oh well. Can't be a bum forever.

Good luck, Jess, and don't let the previous post scare you away, though there ARE true. We have many patients in our clinc - both male and female - constantly using different names, and it is frustrating. You are extremely busy, trying to help many people at the same time only to be asked to suddenly stop to help locate a chart or records on a patient who signed into the front desk as "Mrs. X," yet when you can't locate any such patient they finally admit that their real name is "Mrs. Z." It makes no sense whatsoever, so get used to it. You'll also run into a lot of "Name Alerts" - different patients ALL with the SAME name! You'll meet identical twins with the exact same names and DOB's, so again, hold onto your sanity and try to not to ask yourself why a patient would do this. Good luck!

Really getting a kick out of all these posts from Medical Records workers. And to think that MY office was the only office that had to tolerate patients with fake names! Just this last week we had a patient that came in with chest pains and was sent to the hospital via 911. What happened when they admitted her through the ER into the hospital? You guessed it... she gave a completely different first and last name (her first was a nickname, and the second was part of two last names). The hospital called our office to get records faxed over, yet we had no idea who the patient was. That is until I finally figured out the name switch.

If you want a job that provides satisfaction and recognition, do not be a Medical Records Clerk...or anything in the field. The care givers (nursing, lab, x-ray, etc) are the staff who get the recognition. Medical Records is a support department, and I am speaking from 35 years of experience...as a clerk, coder and now Director.

Daphne54 in Castro Valley, California: So you are saying that it isn't worth becoming an R.H.I.T? Sounds to me like you have moved upon the ranks over the years. How much do you make salary as a director? Do you work in a hospital or elsewhere? Please elaborate as to why you are knocking the profession?

Well, I would say that I was able to move up in the field, went from RHIT to RHIA, make about $130,00 a year with great benefits BUT,
I hope people are really taking the time to know what makes them tick.
And, what rewards and recognition do they need to feel they have made a contribution to the hospital and life in general.

After all of these years of working in a support department, someone could feel (me) that they should have been in the caregiver role or better yet, not healthcare. There are much more pleasant places to be all day. I have worked in 7 hospitals and in the end they are all the same. The Medical Records (HIM) field is great if you are content with being behind the scenes and getting very little recognition.

Kandice,

If you really want to work Medical Records then my best suggestion is to register yourself with a Medical/Temp. Staffing Agency and you can get placed directly in the Records Dept. of either a Hospital, Clinic, Doctor's Office, etc. If you work hard you stand a very good chance of being hired on as a full-time employee. That's how I did it 15 years ago. Good luck!

Kevin,
Thank you for your idea of medical/temp staffing. I will pursue that option. I read somewhere (maybe this blog), to try volunteer. The problem is all the hospitals close to me don't place volunteer's in medical records. I'm not afraid to start at the bottom, but seems like nobody will consider you unless you have experience. I apprenticed for 2 years in my current job ( dog grooming & boarding kennel) before I set out in my own business while taking care of elderly father after mother passed on. Talk about hard work and dedication and not to mention not all dogs love getting groomed.

I found a job listing for a Medical Records Clerk in a local hospital and it only lists "h.s. diploma, basic pc skills, strong customer service and organizational skills" as requirements. I'm sure that a medical terminology or billing course would be helpful. Are these courses generally required these days or can you learn on the job?

Tea,

Welcome to the Team! In my opinion, if it's an "entry-level" postition to get your foot in the door of a MR's department, then you can basically learn the ropes and proceed from there - Yes, you can learn on the job! Try and learn as much as you can from other MR's employees as their "inside" knowledge can help you greatly. Try not to let them "boss" you around too much as MR's employees tend to be a bit "teratorial" in the sense that they base "longevity" on who knows more and who is in charge. It is, without questions, a very, very stressful job as attention to detail is of the UTMOST (ie: think "legal" - one screw-up/mistake can cost your Doctors a hefty fine from HIPAA as well as your job, itself). Take FULL advantage of your direct Supervisor/Administrator's experience and learn as much as you can! The other courses you mention would help you if you want to proceed furhter outside of MR's. Oh, and by the way, be fully prepared to be interupted every 20 -30 seconds! Good luck!

Kevin,
I have purchased the book being a medical records health information clerk. So I have been reading it and curious to know which type of filing method is mostly used terminal or middle digit filing? I just received the book a couple of days ago and so have not gotten thru alot of yet. My med record number from my surgery just 2 months ago has 10 digits- so how would that be filed ? Anyway, I'm motivated just hoping I can catch a break and get started somewhere. Thanks for your input ~ greatly appreciated!

Kandice,

Great hearing back from you! "TDO" (or Terminal Digit Order AKA "Numeric") is basically used in hospitals, or very large clinics. Most Doctor's office's use "Alpha" - the patient's last name first, first name last. Assuming that most offices are still using paper charts and not "EMR" (Electronic Medical Records) then you're pretty much covered, but at some point ALL facilities will be completely EMR. One of the reasons I left the hosptial that I worked at was because I was in charge of - and had to track - 1,400,000 charts with over 1,000 Doctors on staff. The private Doctor's office that I now have worked at for nearly 7-years still has paper charts but roughly 70,000 (with only 8 Docs on staff)so obviously much easier to track and maintain. As far as the books/manuals that you are reading, keep it up! As much as you can learn, all the more, just make sure that the books/manuals are current. I've seen some being sold with extremely outdated information! Good luck! Keep in touch! Kev

I went thru the process with local Hospital for volunteering in medical records office, they called for me to start 3 days after I found out my husband has pancreatic cancer. SO i had to postpone it all for now...my life is upside down right now. NOt part of God's plan for me right now.
I'll check back occasionally to see what's listed on this post. Thanks Kevin for all your advice.!:)

I have worked in medical offices for many years, PLEASE use your birth given name nicknames
are not acceptable, if the nameon your ins. card is different than what you check into
the office with you will receive a bill, much time is wasted in trying to retreive a chart
without the proper name, both first and last have to match. To this day I still dont' understand why people do this, and I agree it is a common problem.

Sandie,

Great post, and you are, indeed, preaching to the choir here! Patients need to use their REAL NAMES! NO nicknames, double or tripple names, hypenated names, "married" names, "divorced" names, aliases, etc.! This is addressed and mentioned in the preceeding posts, and MY GOD, is it maddening! Just yesterday, I wasted 2-hours of my very precious time searching for a medical record on a patient that called into our doctor on call, comlaining of a serious, SERIOUS med. reaction AND SHE GAVE A FAKE NAME!!! I was so furious that I couldn't "logically" locate her chart, and then... I finally figured it out! If there are ANY patients out there reading this, then by all means, please indulge me/us: WHY do you do it?! Other than pretending to be "someone" that you're not, why, why, WHY(???!!!) do you do this?

Kevin In Northridge, CA said: Tea,

Welcome to the Team! In my opinion, if it's an "entry-level" postition to get your foot in the door of a MR's department, then you can basically learn the ropes and proceed from there - Yes, you can learn on the job! Try and learn as much as you can from other MR's employees as their "inside" knowledge can help you greatly. Try not to let them "boss" you around too much as MR's employees tend to be a bit "teratorial" in the sense that they base "longevity" on who knows more and who is in charge. It is, without questions, a very, very stressful job as attention to detail is of the UTMOST (ie: think "legal" - one screw-up/mistake can cost your Doctors a hefty fine from HIPAA as well as your job, itself). Take FULL advantage of your direct Supervisor/Administrator's experience and learn as much as you can! The other courses you mention would help you if you want to proceed furhter outside of MR's. Oh, and by the way, be fully prepared to be interupted every 20 -30 seconds! Good luck!

Hi Kevin.

Sorry for the delay. Just wanted to say thank you for the welcome and your response. I didn't apply for the job. Kind of scary about the potential legal issues with this type of work but I guess as with any job, there are always things that you have to pay special attention to and if you keep up to date on 'the rules', you can succeed. Still looking into the medical billing. Glad that I found this forum.

Thanks again,

"tea"

Tea,

Thank for keeping in touch, and of course I wish you all the best. I admit that the job is not "exactly" for everyone - I've had workers literally walk out and quit because of the stress. I sincerely hope that I didn't scare you off.

By the way, my offer is still open: I want to hear personally from any and all patients that can give me a decent answer as to why they give fake names/aliases while at their Doctor's office...

Hello,

I saw Medical Records Clerk/Part-time File Clerk and it only listed a high school diploma as a requirement. Is there anything else that I might need in order to apply to the job posting? I don't want to apply and be underqualified. I am just looking for a job that can help me pay for my schooling at the moment.

hipchick61 in Rochester, New Hampshire said: Their is someone like you on every blog I read. Perhaps you need a hobby, or is this it? Clearly you haven't anything to offer. Move on.

Well, hipchick61, you did the old 'their' 'they're' mistake, so attention to detail isn't your forte either, it would appear. Misspellings, incorrect grammar, poor sentence structure and things along those lines seem to me to be a serious issue when working in a field where accuracy is supposed to be so important. I had a job scanning medical records this summer and the atrocious errors the medical transcriptionist made at one doctor's office could qualify as a danger to the patient's care. That's scary from a patient's point of view.

Kevin
Whats your opinion about the following program-I am thinking of enrolling with the hope that its worth it.:
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orthridge, CA"]Kandice,

Great hearing back from you! "TDO" (or Terminal Digit Order AKA "Numeric") is basically used in hospitals, or very large clinics. Most Doctor's office's use "Alpha" - the patient's last name first, first name last. Assuming that most offices are still using paper charts and not "EMR" (Electronic Medical Records) then you're pretty much covered, but at some point ALL facilities will be completely EMR. One of the reasons I left the hosptial that I worked at was because I was in charge of - and had to track - 1,400,000 charts with over 1,000 Doctors on staff. The private Doctor's office that I now have worked at for nearly 7-years still has paper charts but roughly 70,000 (with only 8 Docs on staff)so obviously much easier to track and maintain. As far as the books/manuals that you are reading, keep it up! As much as you can learn, all the more, just make sure that the books/manuals are current. I've seen some being sold with extremely outdated information! Good luck! Keep in touch! Kev

For those of you that have worked as a Medical Records Clerk, what was your hourly wage? I hear it can be as low as $10.00.

Shamika,

Your salary is based on a few factors: 1). Is is a hospital or a doctor's office? If it's a hospital, most are non-for-profit, and the salaries are shockingly low-ball. The same "logic" if the hospital is also owned by a governing healthcare Mgt. system (or possibly by the actual city or state where you live). 2). If it's a doctor's office, they tend to pay a bit higher (in some cases twice as much depending on your experience), however, if the office is owned or governed by a hospital (see above #1), your best bet is to look for a job where the doctor's office is a privately owned, private practice. The Doctors (or most of them) will be managing partners meaning they own it, they are your boss, and they call the shots. They truly appreciate hard work and will reward you accordingly. That would be my best advise to you. Best of luck to you. Kev

Shamika,

Hey was up?
My highest wage back in 2006 was 12 per hour as a temp. Then I was hired on permmanently at 14.50 w/ benefits.
Then, I resigned and went to a private practice earning 10.00 p/t, then I was hird at a Non-Profit, making 14.00 p/h full-time in Berkeley. Matter of fact all three were in Berkeley. Now what I am doing is Legal filing. Part-time, @ 12.00 ph.
I suggest you get up on EMR, most HMO, and even private has made (or in the process of transitioning ...Hope this helps

Robert

I will be starting Monday working in the medical records department I know how to file and I just finished my medical coding diploma September 11, 2011. My graduation is October 28, 2011. i am gonna go in there and learn all I can Learn. I only have one shot. I could not get a job in coding. So I will try this to get my foot in the door and move up when coding position is available or I may like medical records and say forget about medical coding.

Career Changer in San Mateo, California said: I'm really struck by the poor writing in these replies. Do these replies truly reflect the quality of the writing of those in the field? Do those in the medical records field really lack the writing (or proof reading) skills that is reflected here?

Frankly, I'm put off from the field in light of what I see here.

This is a blog and the importance here is that people actually enjoy what they do; not the fact that they may have misspelled a word. As a healthcare provider, I misspell words sometimes; after all, no one is perfect. As long as it does not hinder the quality of care I provide to my patients; I don't think anyone that is not shallow really cares.

Respectfully,

Lyfe-Support :)

Hello,
I'm currently volunteering as a medical records clerk at Volunteers in medicine. I've only been there since the beginning of the year, but I would love the chance to get an actual job doing it. If there's anyone out there in the Jacksonville Fl area who knows someone that's hiring and is willing to give a beginner a chance, please send me an e-mail at shalondagraves@aol.com. I would greatly appreciate any help that I can get. I like the job because I know what I do is important.

coder123 in Broomfield, Colorado said: Well, hipchick61, you did the old 'their' 'they're' mistake, so attention to detail isn't your forte either, it would appear. Misspellings, incorrect grammar, poor sentence structure and things along those lines seem to me to be a serious issue when working in a field where accuracy is supposed to be so important. I had a job scanning medical records this summer and the atrocious errors the medical transcriptionist made at one doctor's office could qualify as a danger to the patient's care. That's scary from a patient's point of view.

There not they're. =)

I am working towards a Health Information Assistant Degree from a local college. I plan to graduate in Fall of this year. I am just hoping I can find a job when I do. There are some who have already graduated and have had no luck. I do not understand that. This field is very interesting and popular. All I lack is the experience.

HI - So I've spent my whole career as an Administrator in several different office settings. Recently I 'fell into' an Admin position at a privately owned Pediatric Office. Just a doctor being supported by family. I'm getting a lot of medical records request and I'd like to create some sort of system for handling the requests in a timely manner. Is there a book to read or a process that someone can share that their smaller office may use.

Hello everyone, I am almost finishing my associates degree i graduate in november hopefully from health care field. So far I have had a good experience with my online classes but I was wondering when thinking about getting a job as a medical record or something that is begginer position do they look at if you studied on an actual college or do they not care if it was online?

Kevin, are you are still working in this field? the last post is like eight months ago. I really want to get in the field. Am close to Northridge and wonder if you know of anything around here. thanks.

Will the electronic medical records course teach you everything you need to know about medical records?