Medical internship vs medical records clerk

The differences between medical interns and medical records clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a medical internship and a medical records clerk. Additionally, a medical internship has an average salary of $50,843, which is higher than the $32,491 average annual salary of a medical records clerk.

The top three skills for a medical internship include patients, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a medical records clerk are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Medical internship vs medical records clerk overview

	Medical Internship	Medical Records Clerk
Yearly salary	$50,843	$32,491
Hourly rate	$24.44	$15.62
Growth rate	16%	11%
Number of jobs	127,692	129,998
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Associate Degree, 29%
Average age	37	45
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical internship do?

When it comes to a medical internship, one of the primary duties is to attend to the patients' needs while under a more experienced physician's supervision. During this period, the medical interns must rotate in various fields of specialties or departments for exposure. Aside from learning and observing, there are also instances when medical interns are required to produce necessary reports and documentation, communicate with patients and families, and take part in more challenging cases.

What does a medical records clerk do?

Medical records clerks are employees in hospitals or clinics who manage office records. They are in charge of creating, updating, and filing patient-related medical records and other related documents. They ensure that all documents are correctly filled out and labeled before storing them safely in their respective storage areas. They may also be in charge of digitizing forms for easier access to files and back up purposes. They ensure that medical records are exact and updated. Medical records clerks should be organized and must always be on top of all tasks related to patient or medical records.

Medical internship vs medical records clerk salary

Medical interns and medical records clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Internship	Medical Records Clerk
Average salary	$50,843	$32,491
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $77,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Rochester, NY
Highest paying state	New York	Alaska
Best paying company	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between medical internship and medical records clerk education

There are a few differences between a medical internship and a medical records clerk in terms of educational background:

	Medical Internship	Medical Records Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Associate Degree, 29%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Health Care Administration
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Medical internship vs medical records clerk demographics

Here are the differences between medical interns' and medical records clerks' demographics:

	Medical Internship	Medical Records Clerk
Average age	37	45
Gender ratio	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.2% Asian, 9.7% White, 50.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between medical internship and medical records clerk duties and responsibilities

Medical internship example responsibilities.

Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Room patients, vitals, schedule, injections, clia waive tests, womb care ,
Learned how to triage patients and make sure they are ready for the doctor to see.
Organize and fill patient medical records, telephone triage, schedule appointments, and provide patient education.
Organize, prep, and assist patients in putting on heart monitors for EKG and heart rate readings in the lab.
Assist physicians in taking blood pressure, EKG, ultrasound, measuring heart beat and recording all vitals in physical examinations.

Medical records clerk example responsibilities.

Manage transition from in-house transcription system to outsource transcription service.
Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Perform infant labs and update the system with results, triage incoming patients, perform necessary resuscitation to baby and mom.
Provide information to medical facilities and patients when necessary and respond to subpoenas and other general release of patient information.
Experience in CPT and ICD-10 coding.

Medical internship vs medical records clerk skills

Common medical internship skills

Patients, 34%
Patient Care, 10%
Vital Signs, 6%
Surgical Procedures, 4%
Surgery, 4%
EKG, 3%

Common medical records clerk skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 7%
Medical Terminology, 6%
HIPAA, 5%
Patient Care, 4%

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Medical Internship
Medical Internship vs Medical Records Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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