How to hire medical records specialists
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures, or treatment into computer. • Maintain or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information. • Process patient admission or discharge documents. • Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained. • Release information to persons or agencies according to regulations. • Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel. • Review records for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations. • Scan patients' health records into electronic formats. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Postsecondary nondegree award] • Strong reading comprehension, critical thinking, active listening, speaking, writing and active learning skills • Working knowledge of administrative, English Language, customer and personal service and computers and electronics • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $24.59 an hour ($51,140 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for medical records specialists
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures, or treatment into computer. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to maintain or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to process patient admission or discharge documents. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What medical records specialists do
- Enter data, such as demographic characteristics, history and extent of disease, diagnostic procedures, or treatment into computer.
- Maintain or operate a variety of health record indexes or storage and retrieval systems to collect, classify, store, or analyze information.
- Process patient admission or discharge documents.
- Protect the security of medical records to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
- Release information to persons or agencies according to regulations.
- Retrieve patient medical records for physicians, technicians, or other medical personnel.
- Review records for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with regulations.
- Scan patients' health records into electronic formats.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for medical records specialists
- Typical education to start: Postsecondary nondegree award (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
- Job outlook: +7.8% over ten years, faster than average · about 14,000 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay medical records specialists
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $63,960 |
| Washington | $62,270 |
| California | $61,810 |
| New York | $61,720 |
| Minnesota | $61,530 |
| Alabama | $43,810 |
| Arkansas | $41,740 |
| Mississippi | $41,500 |
See medical records specialists pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Medical Transcriptionists
- Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- Medical Assistants
- File Clerks
- Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other
- Computer Occupations, All Other
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Statistical Assistants
- Pharmacy Technicians
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.