Medical Records
(Female, Age 26) from Milford, CT
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 26 who works as a Medical Records in Milford, CT. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Medical Records |
|---|---|
| Salary | $14,400 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 37.5 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Milford, CT |
| Years Experience | 5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a group of cardiologists and vascular surgeons. We have about seven different offices located in Connecticut. I’m not sure exactly how many people are employed here, but I’d say 30-40.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I prepare patient charts for appointments, organize and file charts, use electronic medical records, send records to other doctors, answer phone calls, etc.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
No benefits
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Extremely under-compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
It’s very necessary for everyone here to work well with everyone else, as we’re in constant contact with each other. I like my coworkers, so I don’t mind this, and the main area I work in is very quiet.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in an office that is about a twenty minute drive from my home. I have my own desk in a room I share with one other person. I’m able to keep my area organized, and I like that.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 5
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | I’m not at work yet. |
| 8am to 9am | I arrive at work at around 8:30. I first need to print copies of the doctors’ schedules for the next day, and determine which charts need to be physically pulled and which are electronic. I prepare the out guides, which are red plastic sheets we use to mark the place of a chart that has been pulled, so we know who took it and when in case we need to look for it. |
| 9am to 10am | I print the superbills for the next day, which our billing department uses to keep track of what kind of appointment or test a patient has so that they can charge them accordingly. I answer a phone call from a medical assistant, requesting the chart of an “add-on,” or a patient that has been added to the schedule. I then begin to pull the charts for the next day. |
| 10am to 11am | It’s a coworker’s birthday, so we share a fruit platter and talk about American Idol and Survivor for half an hour. I return to the chart room and finish pulling the charts. I use the electronic medical records system to locate charts that were missing from the file room, and attach the superbills to the charts I have pulled. I then pile the charts onto a cart and wheel them to our upstairs office. |
| 11am to 12pm | I send out medical records that have been requested by other doctors. When a patient has an upcoming appointment with another doctor, that office calls and asks for copies of their office notes, EKGs, tests, blood work, etc. I fax this information directly from the electronic system if it has been scanned in, or from the physical chart if it has not. During this time, I am called for two more add-ons, and a law firm calls to request status updates on a records request from last week. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Lunch. |
| 1pm to 2pm | I begin to scan paperwork for patients. When a patient has a test or blood work done outside our office, or is seen in the hospital, we receive a copy of the results or a summary of their stay. All of these items must be scanned into our electronic medical records system. I first sort the piles into stacks for each doctor, and begin to put them through the scanner. |
| 2pm to 3pm | I continue to scan paperwork. Once the paperwork is scanned in, it must then be sorted into the appropriate patient chart and categorized as a discharge summary, lab, outside test, etc. Each chart must be called up from the system using a unique number. As I sort the scanning into the charts, I receive a call from an insurance company, requesting records on one of their clients. |
| 3pm to 4pm | I am asked to put the medications into the computer for one of the doctor’s Monday lists. This involves calling up the patient’s chart and ensuring that the medication list in the computer is identical to the one given on the doctor’s last note. I am also asked to print out a copy of the last office note for each patient, as well as any testing that occurred after the last note, so that the doctor can have a paper copy. |
| 4pm to 5pm | I am asked to go to the switchboard and answer the phones. Patients call into our main number, and I am responsible for transferring them to the appropriate secretary/office – our secretaries travel, so the person they’re looking for might actually be in another town today. I switch those calling for medical records into the department’s voice mail. Before leaving, I forward all lines to our company’s answering service, and call to confirm that the transfer was successful. |
| 5pm to 6pm | I leave work at 5:00. |
| 6pm to 7pm | Home. |
| 7pm to 8pm | Home. |
| 8pm to 9pm | Home. |
| 9pm to 10pm | Home. |
| 10pm to 11pm | Home. |
| 11pm to 12am | Home. |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Family referral
What was the application process?
I was hired without any application process.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
No, I didn’t need an interview.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
N/A
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. The coworker who trained me still works with me, and whenever I have a question, she is always available.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I needed to learn the HIPAA law, how to use the electronic medical records system, how to use the telephone and fax system here, where charts are kept and how to keep them organized, how to prepare charts for doctors, and who in the office is responsible for which jobs.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
No. My degree is in English, and I don’t much use it here.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend they speak to other people involved in the field they wish to work in. I obtained my position through word of mouth.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
The applicant would need to be very organized, professional, computer savvy, and detail-oriented, and would need to work well with others.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Training, yes. Education, no.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s better to do it correctly from the beginning than it is to have to correct yourself.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, in a way. It’s allowing me to save money and not causing me a lot of stress. I was able to complete a bachelor’s degree while working here because of the flexibility. In the long run, though, I don’t see myself doing this type of work.
What are your current career goals?
Next year, I’m going to be teaching English in Japan. I’m not sure if I’ll stay there more than a year, but if/when I return, I’d like to work in publishing.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
N/A
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | This was my first job. |
| Prior Job 2 |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.8 | Albertus Magnus College | B.A., English |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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