The records clerk job description generally involves the administrative duties of filing and retrieving documents and information, often of a sensitive nature. There are different record clerk jobs, depending on the industry in which the clerk is employed. Each industry requires a different skill set from its records clerks.
Most commonly known are the medical records clerk jobs. These workers handle sensitive patient information and must ensure patient privacy. Health records clerk jobs involve collating, organizing, retrieving and filing patient medical records. They may also serve at the front desk, greeting patients and accepting co-payments.
Attention to detail is needed for in a medical records clerk job. Any missed information in a patient’s record can lead to serious health complications. Medical records clerk jobs often lead to billing and medical coding jobs.
Record clerk jobs in law enforcement are also common. The duties include more administrative duties than in medical records clerk jobs. Not only will these clerks maintain criminal files, jail records and prisoner records, they also perform secretarial duties like transcription of officer records, data entry and generating reports when needed. Mail and front desk duties may also be included.
Legal records clerks perform duties similar to a paralegal. They will create, deliver, retrieve and index records and prepare files for storage. Understanding of records management software may be needed and the job may involve traveling to offsite locations for long-term storage of closed case files. These records clerk jobs can often lead to paralegal positions.
Records clerk jobs at government agencies involve handling public records and court documents as they relate to the local town, county or state. These workers may be responsible for filing and retrieving birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and notices of divorce. Title clerks often handle records of ownership for government entities.
Records file clerk jobs can also involve the scanning and indexing of electronic documents. When sensitive documents are transferred to electronic format, they must be destroyed to ensure private records are not made public. This may be accomplished through private recycling programs or through document shredding.
Private corporations also have records clerk jobs to handle sensitive corporate documents. The position involves records keeping along with administrative and accounting skills. These workers must maintain customer accounts, track billing and receipts along with employee files. Some records clerk jobs involve the responsibility of creating annual reports, online corporate filings, accounting and executive transactions.
