MEDICAL RECORD ADMINISTRATOR

Dedication Opportunity Challenge Impact Rewards

Medical Record Administrators in the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) can choose from a variety of challenging opportunities within the PHS and several other federal programs. Clinical care, policies, standards and guidelines, and program management are among the paths to pursue.

PHS priority needs are for medical record administrators in primary care facilities, such as acute/ surgical medical centers, general hospitals, community health centers and ambulatory health clinics in the Indian Health Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and National Institutes of Health. Medical Record Administrators may also be assigned to programs outside the PHS such as the U.S. Coast Guard, Health Care Finance Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. These opportunities offer a broad range of work experience in multi-disciplinary clinical settings which include clinical care, policy and guideline development and enforcement, and program management.

As Offices of the PHS Commissioned Corps or as Civil Service employees, medical record administrators earn a competitive salary and generous Federal benefits, and can choose assignments or agencies without losing their PHS tenure.

Student Medical Record Administration Programs

Medical Record Administration (MRA) Students enrolled in the final two years of an accredited medical record administration training program can gain paid, professional experience through the Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (COSTEP). COSTEP students work for 31 to 120 days in clinical as well as administrative settings.

Continuing professional education for PHS medical record administrators is encouraged through degree program course work, conferences, seminars and program provided training.

AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES

Indian Health Service (IHS)

The IHS employs Medical Record Administrators in a variety of settings. The MRA's assists in providing comprehensive care to 1.4 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives in more than 250 hospitals and clinics nationwide. In these facilities, the IHS operates fully accredited, modern and well equipped medical record departments, which provide a variety of career opportunities to the MRA. The IHS employs more PHS Commissioned Officers than any other federal agency. The IHS medical record administrators work together in a stimulating cross cultural environment where they are an equal and respected partner of the health care team. Most IHS facilities are west of the Mississippi, including the Northern Plains States, the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Medical record administrators are needed to work at the NIH's Clinical Center, a 540 bed research hospital and laboratory complex in Bethesda, MD, providing specialized care to patient's participating in research trials.

Opportunities for MRA's are more limited in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) than in other agencies. In these and other agencies, additional opportunities are afforded to those MRA's with advance educational degrees.

Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS)

The Immigration and Naturalization Service Health Care Program (INS HCP) plans, directs, and provides health care to detained aliens while they are in the custody of the INS. MRA's assigned to the INS-HCP are members of a small but elite health care team. Assignments are available to PHS Commissioned Officers at medical facilities located in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California. Officers assigned to the INS HCP should be fluent in Spanish or willing to learn the language.

Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

The BOP employs medical record administrators in a variety of correctional settings. Opportunities are available through the Commissioned Corps or Civil Service and range from supervised positions for new graduates to challenging supervisory administrative positions for the experienced MRA. The BOP is considered to be an internal model for correctional techniques. The facilities are progressive in design and many are located near or in metropolitan centers like Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. Other, like the facilities Allenwood, PA, Sheridan, OR, and Raybrook, NY provide a rural setting.

U.S. Public Health Service medical record administrators make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans while building challenging health careers. To learn more, call the PHS Recruitment Program at 1-800-279-1605.