How To Become A Medical Records Custodian: What It Is and Career Path

What is a medical records custodian and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Candace Keck

The average medical records custodian salary is $32,178. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become a medical records custodian. Medical records custodians with a Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 11% and produce 23,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a medical records custodian?

Candace Keck

Clinical Assistant Professor, Website

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of medical assistants is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. This positive job outlook ensures future job opportunities and career stability.

ScoreMedical Records CustodianUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,178

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.16%

Asian 7.50%

Black or African American 11.01%

Hispanic or Latino 17.22%

Unknown 4.05%

White 59.06%

Gender

female 80.25%

male 19.75%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a medical records custodian

Explore medical records custodian education requirements

Most common medical records custodian degrees

Bachelor's

32.6 %

Associate

29.0 %

High School Diploma

17.4 %

Start to develop specific medical records custodian skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	31.75%
Patient Appointments	13.21%
Front Desk	6.92%
HIPAA	5.77%
Subpoenas	4.23%

Complete relevant medical records custodian training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical records custodians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical records custodian based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical records custodian resumes.

Research medical records custodian duties and responsibilities

Manage transition from in-house transcription system to outsource transcription service.
Register new patients and update existing patient demographics by collecting detail patient information including personal and financial information.
Organize and coordinate medical records management, including completing legal questionnaires and being in compliance with HIPAA regulations.
Implement a system to bill and collect records' copying fees while adhering to HIPPA guidelines and regulations.

Prepare your medical records custodian resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical records custodian resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical records custodian resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable medical records custodian resume templates

Build a professional medical records custodian resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical records custodian resume.