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Medical records

Clinical Coder

Translating patients' information into code to enable detailed analysis

How this role makes a difference

Every time a patient has a hospital appointment, information is gathered on their medical condition and how they’ve responded to treatment. Their individual data becomes part of a mass of data which is used for important analysis.

Analysis reveals patterns such as which treatments work with different kinds of people, how long treatments take, what resources are needed and how a hospital is performing. You could be the technician that translates patients’ information into code to make this analysis possible.

Useful skills
Attention to detail
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Precise
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Problem solving
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Instructing others
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Decisive
Skills & attributes

The kind of work you’ll do

  • Accessing patient records and notes
  • Identifying medical terms and translating into the correct code
  • Locating missing information on records
  • Inputting codes into digital databases
  • Monitoring the frequency of conditions and what happens to people
  • Providing the data to ensure funding is received for each treatment completed
  • Providing the data to report the performance of the hospital

What you can bring to the role

An interest in learning about health and medical treatments.

The ability to focus, take in complex information and make accurate decisions.

A mature attitude to handling important and personal information.

The ability to work independently and produce high quality work with good attention to detail.

The skill to help others understand and work with technical information.

The maturity to assess different responses to a problem and select the correct solution.

An ability to work under time pressure.

You could also be right for this role if you have any of the following interests:

- science

- caring for others

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

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*according to ONS

Future career opportunities

When you first begin work as a clinical coder you will provide support to senior colleagues.

As your career progresses you could become a senior clinical coder yourself, a team leader, supervisor, trainer or auditor.

How to get into this role

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

  • A T-level in Science after your GCSEs. 
  • An apprenticeship in clinical coding after finishing school or college. 

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

In this role you become an expert at what’s involved in medical treatments without ever carrying out an operation. You’ll be relied upon for the detailed knowledge you have of every aspect of treatment. You’ll also be responsible for sticking to strict requirements and deadlines, set by the NHS, and the World Health Organisation.

Discover
technicians who
do this role

Chloe Flevill

Clinical Coder

Chloe Flevill
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