A medical secretary is specially trained in understanding the medical terminology and procedures required in a medical health environment. A health record technician is trained specifically on the creating and managing of medical records.
Duties of a Medical Secretary:
- Makes patients appointments and informs the doctors and patients of required information
- Creates correspondence, case histories and other medical records for patients
- Manages a patients confidential records
- Manages the billing, medical insurance and all financial documents
Duties of a Health Record Technician:
- To manage the patients records
- To analyze records for budgeting, insurance estimates, court cases and medical research
Work Requirements:
Both medical secretaries and health record technicians work with other health care professionals in the doctor’s office, hospital or in clinics. These jobs require little physical strength as the majority of the job is performed while seating in front of a computer. The duties of a medical secretary and health record technician are usually carried out during regular working hours, but in some cases may require working extended hours.
Types of Work Environments:
- Doctor’s office
- Hospitals, clinics
- Government agencies
- Community care access centers
Personality Requirements:
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Organized individual
- Excellent computer skills
- Excellent people skills
Education: 1 – 3 years post-secondary
High School or College Diploma
Certification:
Health Records Technicians must be certified by the Canadian Health Record Association in ALL Provinces
Courses taken during high school which will assist you in a career as a Medical Secretary:
- Computer
- Biology
- Math
- English
Job placement – after 1-3 years of post-secondary education your chances of finding a job are considered - Good
Canada requires an increasing supply of medical services, due to Canada’s aging population. There is a on-going need for medical secretaries and health record technicians.
Wages:
Average annual income: $35,000 to $50,000
Links:
Canadian Health Records Association
http://www.chra.ca
Canadian Institute for Health Information
http://www.cihi.ca
Canada’s Health Informatics Association
http://www.coachorg.com
The Electronic Child Health Network
http://www.echn.ca
Canadian Health Network
http://www.canadian-health-network.ca
The American Health Information Management Association (US)
http://www.ahima.org
Job Futures: Clerical Occupations
http://jobfutures.ca/noc/141.shtml
