This career is expected to grow 20 percent—faster than average—through 2018. Medical records and health information technicians are needed because insurance companies, courts and regulators are increasingly scrutinizing medical tests and procedures.

Job growth will be strongest in home health care, outpatient care, and nursing and residential care. Cancer registrars will be in high demand as the population ages. Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in highest demand.

In 2008, medical information technicians earned an average salary of $30,610. The middle 50 percent earned $24,290 to $39,490. The highest 10 percent earned more than $50,060. Technicians in hospitals and nursing care facilities earned the most. Those in doctors’ offices earned the least.

Every time a patient receives health care, a record is maintained of the observations, interventions and outcomes. Medical records and health information technicians organize and evaluate these records for completeness and accuracy.

Technicians make sure medical charts are complete, that forms are completed, properly identified and authenticated. They often input patient and billing information in the computer. They use computer programs to analyze data to improve patient care, control costs or provide documentation for legal actions or research studies.

Some medical records and health information technicians specialize in coding patient medical information for insurance purposes (coders or coding specialists) or in maintaining databases of cancer patients (cancer registrars).

Medical records and health information technicians usually have an associate degree. Some technicians become Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT), which will boost their pay and prospects.

You can advance in the field by specializing or by being promoted to a management position. Most coding and registry skills are learned on the job, but some schools offer certificate programs in coding or include coding as part of the associate or bachelor’s degree for health information technicians.

Licensing: To earn the RHIT, technicians must pass a written exam offered by the American Health Information Management Association. To take the exam, candidates must graduate from a two-year associate program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

There are a few formal two-year certificate programs for cancer registry approved by the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA). Certification in coding is available from the Board of Medical Specialty Coding and the Professional Association of Healthcare Coding Specialist (PAHCS). The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) offers three distinct certification programs in coding.

Entering the Field: Certificates and associate degrees can lay the foundation for medical coding and records. The RHIT certification post-degree is extremely useful. Coursework towards the associate’s degree usually includes medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, legal aspects of health information, health data standards, coding and abstraction of data, statistics and database management.

Career Changers: This is an excellent career choice for anyone with experience in another health care career, such as nursing, or for anyone who has proficiency with computers and records management in any office environment.

Those who earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health informatics can move quickly into well-paying managerial positions.

Salary and growth data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For more information on careers for medical records and health information technicians, salaries, and job prospects visit: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Medical Records and Health Information Technicians, at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos103.htm

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