Jobs for Diploma in Health Records and Information Technology Graduates

Data behind the health system

Every patient visit, diagnosis, test and bill produces records, and the Diploma in Health Records and Information Technology trains the people who manage them. Students learn medical terminology, disease classification and coding, records management, health statistics, health information systems and data protection. The course is offered by KMTC and other accredited colleges, typically over three years.

Regulation

Health records and information professionals are regulated under the Health Records and Information Managers Act, 2016, which established a board to register and license practitioners. Hospitals and counties increasingly expect health records officers to be registered, so complete the board's requirements after you graduate.

Jobs to look for

• Health records and information officer in county, private and mission hospitals
• Medical coder and claims processor for hospitals and insurers, where accurate ICD coding directly affects payment
• Data clerk, HMIS officer and data officer in health programmes and NGOs
• Records officer in research projects and clinical trials

Entry requirements

Public places, including KMTC, are applied for through KUCCPS. The usual minimum is a KCSE mean grade of C (plain) with specified grades in English or Kiswahili and Mathematics or a science subject.

Skills employers value

Health facilities are moving from paper files to electronic medical records, so experience with an EMR system and with DHIS2, the national health information platform, makes a candidate stand out. Insurance billing and coding knowledge is highly valued by private hospitals. Because health records contain sensitive personal data, employers also expect you to understand confidentiality and the Data Protection Act, 2019.

Career path

Officers progress to senior health records officer and health records manager. A degree in health records and information management, health informatics or a related field opens management and analytics roles, including monitoring and evaluation in health programmes. Strong Excel skills and basic data analysis help you move towards those analyst positions.

Applying

Counties recruit in batches, while private hospitals and insurers hire throughout the year; watch both. Keep your registration documents and a short summary of the systems you have used ready for applications.