Medical Records Specialist Resume Examples & Templates
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Medical records specialists, sometimes called medical records technicians, are highly trained professionals responsible for the accurate and secure management of medical records. They’re responsible for ensuring the accuracy, integrity and security of patient medical records in both digital and physical formats.
They’re also responsible for creating, maintaining and updating patient records, as well as ensuring compliance with medical records regulations. They may also be responsible for releasing information to authorized personnel, including physicians, insurance companies and other medical personnel.
You need a great resume if you want a job as a medical records specialist and we’re here to help you build one. Use our medical record specialist resume examples and guide to learn how to write a resume for a medical records specialist effectively.
Start by editing this medical records specialist resume sample or explore our library of resume templates to find the best medical records specialist resume template for you.
Medical records specialist sample resume (text version)
Joan Martinez
Phoenix, AZ 85003
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com
Professional Summary
Dedicated and results-driven medical records specialist with a decade of comprehensive experience in managing, organizing and maintaining patient health records. Adept at overseeing the entire lifecycle of medical records, from accurate data entry and meticulous record maintenance to efficient document retrieval. Proven expertise in implementing quality assurance measures and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.
Work History
November 2020 – Current
Calvary Healing Center – Phoenix, AZ
Senior Medical Records Specialist
- Implement a comprehensive training program for 10 medical record specialists, resulting in a 20% increase in staff efficiency and accuracy.
- Conduct regular audits of patient records, achieving a 98% accuracy rate and maintaining full compliance with health care regulations.
- Identify and address inefficiencies in medical record retrieval, leading to a 25% reduction in average retrieval time, measured through time-tracking data.
September 2016 – October 2020
Select Medical – Phoenix, AZ
Medical Records Specialist
- Managed and organized medical records for an average of 500 patients.
- Maintained a 99.5% accuracy rate in medical record entry, measured through regular audits and error tracking.
- Implemented an efficient electronic health record (EHR) system, resulting in a 35% reduction in record retrieval time, improving staff productivity and patient care.
June 2013 – August 2016
Banner Health – Phoenix, AZ
Medical Records Specialist Assistant
- Assisted in entering patient data into electronic health record (EHR) systems.
- Improved the efficiency of document retrieval by implementing an organized filing system, resulting in a 25% reduction in average retrieval time.
- Supported the medical staff, patients and visitors in retrieving and understanding medical records.
Skills
- HIPAA compliance
- Electronic Health Records (EHR)
- Record organization
- Data entry
- Medical terminology
- Audit preparation
- Problem-solving
- Communication
Education
Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
Bachelor of Science Health Information Management
Certifications
Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) – (Updated 2023)
Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) – (Updated 2023)
5 essentials of a top medical records specialist resume
Contact details
Add your contact information to the top of your resume; otherwise, hiring managers won’t know how to contact you for an interview. Display your contact information like so: Your full name, then your city, state and ZIP code, followed by your phone number and professional email address. Add your LinkedIn profile and professional website (if you have them) last.
Personal statement
A personal statement is also known as a professional summary. This is where you introduce yourself and highlight your top qualifications for the job in three to five sentences. A resume for a medical records specialist must include a professional summary with appropriate skills and it should touch on how long you’ve been in the industry. If you’re just starting your medical records specialist career, use a medical records specialist resume objective instead.
Here’s an example of a good medical records specialist resume summary:
“Medical records specialist with 10+ years of experience in managing patient records and health information. Proven track record of providing efficient data collection and entry services while ensuring accuracy and quality. Skilled in filing, maintaining and organizing patient medical records in accordance with legal and ethical standards. Exceptional ability to manage time and multitask to complete multiple projects in a timely manner. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build strong relationships with patients, staff and health care professionals.”
Skills
You’ve got to let potential employers know what skills you bring to the table. Create a separate section for your job-relevant skills and display them with bullet points to make them easy to read. Our medical records specialist resume sample includes hard and soft skills.
Medical records specialists must possess strong attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, communication and computer skills, as well as a comprehensive understanding of medical terminology and medical records regulations and laws.
Work history
Your resume must include an employment history section, whether or not you have professional experience as a medical records specialist. In reverse-chronological order, list current and previous employers and provide business names, locations and the dates you worked for each.
Include three bullet points of measurable accomplishments for every job you list. If you’re applying for your first job as a medical records specialist, it’s acceptable to highlight relevant extracurricular activities, coursework, presentations, volunteer experience and community service.
Your work achievements might look like this:
- Successfully digitized over 15,000 medical records over a three-year period, reducing the time it took to locate patient records by 70%.
- Improved patient satisfaction scores by 20% through the implementation of new medical records processes.
- Saved the organization $20,000 in the first three months by streamlining the medical records system.
Education
Hiring managers want to see your education credentials, so a medical records specialist resume must include an education section. Add all the educational institutions you’ve attended after high school and display the name of the schools and the years that you graduated in reverse-chronological order. If you did not attend college, list your high school information and the classes you’ve taken since graduating.
A medical records specialist typically needs to have at least a high school diploma or its equivalent, although some employers may require a college degree in a related field, such as health information technology.
Many employers also require certification in health information or medical records management, such as Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) or Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) credentials. Additional certifications, such as Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA) and Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), are also highly desirable.
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Action words for a standout medical records specialist resume
Action words strengthen resumes because they tell the hiring manager exactly what you did and convey confidence. Use them with numbers to make a more substantial impact.
Here’s a sample of perfect action words for a medical records specialist resume:
- Organize
- Maintain
- Verify
- Process
- Record
- File
- Update
- Research
- Retrieve
- Analyze
Want more inspiration? We have 800+ resume examples to help you create the perfect resume for a medical records specialist job.
Top skills for a medical records specialist resume
Review the job description carefully and match the required skills to the skills and traits that fit you.
Skills for a medical records specialist resume include:
- Knowledge of HIPAA compliance
- Computer proficiency
- Attention to detail
- Organizational skills
- Time management
- Ability to handle sensitive information
- Problem-solving
- Data entry
- Medical terminology
- Ability to work independently
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Certifications for a medical records specialist resume
Potential employers of medical records specialists prefer certification because it demonstrates knowledge and proficiency in the area of medical records management. Aspiring medical records technologists typically obtain certification from specific medical records specialist programs, such as the Certified Medical Records Specialist (CMRS) program offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
Certifications include:
- Certified Medical Records Technician (CMRT)
- Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS)
- Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)
- Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA)
- Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
Medical records specialist resume FAQ
What does a medical records specialist resume look like?
There is no standard medical records specialist resume template; you can use any of our resume templates and customize them for the job you want. A good resume for a medical records specialist will look much like the medical records specialist resume sample on this page and will contain your contact information, skills, employment history, education and certifications, if applicable. A medical records specialist resume might also contain sections for awards and honors if the job candidate has them to display.
Here are some ideas for making your medical records specialist resume unique:
- Highlight any experience you have working with electronic medical records systems.
- Demonstrate your knowledge of medical coding and HIPAA compliance.
- Showcase any certifications or additional training you have in the medical records field.
- Include any specialized skills you possess, such as experience with document imaging or data entry.
- Describe how you have gone above and beyond in your role as a medical records specialist in the past.
- Emphasize any experience you have with medical records management or organization.
- Highlight any experience you have working with different medical software.
- Detail any volunteer work or internships you have done in the health care field.
What qualifications should I include on my medical records specialist resume?
Your medical records specialist resume should include your relevant qualifications, such as a degree in health information management, experience with electronic medical records (EMR) systems, knowledge of medical coding and billing software, and any certifications related to medical records management. Additionally, any experience with data entry, customer service and recordkeeping should be highlighted.
What should I include in my medical records specialist resume cover letter?
To write a good cover letter for a medical records specialist resume, include a brief introduction to your professional background and qualifications, like “I am a highly motivated and experienced medical records specialist with a strong background in medical records management and maintenance,” followed by an explanation of why you are interested in the position, like, “I am highly motivated to work as a medical records specialist due to my strong interest in the health care field and my desire to help ensure accurate and efficient medical recordkeeping.”
Close your medical records specialist cover letter by expressing your appreciation for the opportunity and expressing your eagerness to discuss your qualifications further. For example, “With my background in medical records administration and my passion for helping others, I believe I can be a great asset to your team.”
Try our Cover Letter Builder to write a professional cover letter fast.
Do’s and don’ts for building a medical records specialist resume
- Use measurable achievements to describe your medical records specialist abilities and experience. For example, “Developed and implemented a new system for tracking medical records, which resulted in a 20% increase in productivity.”
- Use action words such as “archive,” “classify” and “catalog” to make an impact on your medical records specialist resume.
- Tailor your resume to your target medical records specialist job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your medical records specialist resume.
- Format your medical records specialist resume so that it’s easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your medical records specialist experience and skills.
- Boast about your medical records specialist experience and skills. Instead, emphasize past work achievements, like “Led a team of five medical records specialists in creating a new system for managing patient records, resulting in a 60% reduction in errors.”
- Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience that do not pertain to a medical records specialist.
- Forget to proofread!
Top 4 tips for acing a medical records specialist interview
Learn about the institution.
It’s vital to take the time to learn about the institution or company’s history, goals, values and people before the jobinterview. Doing so conveys interest, passion and commitment — traits that can set you above the competition. Plus, a glimpse of the company culture early on will help you know what to expect and can boost your confidence.
Here are some things to consider when researching a clinic or hospital:
- Types of medical records systems the clinic or hospital uses.
- Their policies and procedures for medical records management.
- The amount of training and support offered to staff for medical records management.
- Their approach to patient privacy and confidentiality.
- The ability to access medical records electronically.
- The availability of a health information management department.
- The type of medical records retention and storage policies.
- The type of coding and classification systems used.
- The type of audits and quality assurance measures used.
- The availability of electronic health records and other related technology.
Practice at home.
Practice really does make perfect. To practice for your medical records specialist job interview, start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as:
- What Did You Like Least About Your Last Job?
- What Quality Do You Feel Will Most Likely Contribute to Your Success?
- Why Did You Choose This Career?
Possible behavioral questions include:
- Why Should We Hire You Over Other Candidates?
- Tell me About a Time When You Were Forced to Think on Your Feet.
- Tell Me About a Time When You Had To Cope With a Stressful Situation.
Don’t forget to practice answers to medical records-specific questions, such as:
- Describe the processes you have used to ensure accuracy when entering data into medical records.
- How do you handle complex medical records and ensure they’re properly filed?
- How have you stayed up to date on changes to medical records standards and regulations?
- What is your experience utilizing electronic medical records systems?
- What methods do you use to protect patient confidentiality?
- Have you ever had to resolve discrepancies in medical records? If so, what steps did you take to resolve them?
Write down two or three possible answers as you review potential questions, then review them with a friend or a family member in a mock interview so you can get comfortable with the questions and memorize your answers.
Ask questions.
You should always have at least three questions ready to ask every job interview you encounter; those who do tend to get hired more often than those who don’t because they show motivation, keen interest and thoughtfulness.
Some questions you might ask for a medical records specialist job are:
- What type of electronic health records (EHR) system does the clinic use?
- How often are patient records updated and entered into the EHR?
- What type of workflow processes are in place to ensure accuracy of patient data?
- Are there any specific privacy and security protocols in place to protect patient data?
- How often are medical records audited for accuracy and compliance?
Gather references.
You’ll need professional references quickly if the hiring manager offers you the job after the interview. Having them ready will save you stress and time, so prepare a list of two former colleagues and a former manager who are willing to speak to your abilities to perform the job of a medical records specialist and who you know will give you a stellar review.
Cover letter examples for the next step in your medical career
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Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Medical Records Specialists
- Coursera. Article. What is a Medical Records Technician (+ How to Become One)
- Institute of Medical and Business Careers (IMBC). Blog. What Does a Medical Records Specialist Do?
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Medical Records Specialist Resume Example
Kellie is a Certified Professional Resume Writer with extensive experience in digital media. She is passionate about helping job seekers navigate their careers. She earned a B.A. in English and writing from Temple University.
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