What are the Educational Requirements for a Medical Records Clerk?

A medical records clerk creates patient charts, organizes patient records, and maintains a large filing system both in hard copy and on the computer. These clerks retrieve files for doctors, nurses and technicians. They keep a log of files that have been signed out. Most medical records clerk positions are entry-level jobs.

High School

Medical records clerks must have a high school diploma or equivalent. This is typically the only educational requirement. However, since employers list several other requirements and preferences in their job postings, any matching skills you learn give you an edge in the hiring process.

English

It's important to be proficient in English as well as detail-oriented. A medical records clerk must spell names and medical information correctly, and he should alphabetize a large number of files.

Computer Skills

Taking computer courses is recommended since a medical records clerk creates spreadsheets, and he does data entry and word processing.

Office Skills

Learning office skills and customer service also is advisable, since the medical records clerk takes phone calls and in-person requests for files throughout the day.

Medical Terminology

Familiarity with medical terminology is sometimes specified in job postings, an educational requirement which can be satisfied with a technical school course.

Spanish

Health care facilities which have a large percentage of Hispanic clients usually prefer a certain degree of fluency in Spanish.