The File Clerk

The File Clerk is an entry level position in a Medical Record Department. I honestly feel like it's one of the most important positions because it functions as the spokes on a wheel. You need the spokes in a wheel to strengthen the wheel but also disperse the weight and pressure of the moving unit.

The File Clerk is responsible for moving, storing and retrieving information and that's the most important thing to information being used. Here is a list of a few of the job functions of a File Clerk:

• Place materials into storage receptacles, such as file cabinets, boxes, bins, or drawers, according to classification and identification information.
• Answer questions about records or files.
• Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary.
• Perform general office duties such as typing, operating office machines, and sorting mail.
• Eliminate outdated or unnecessary materials, destroying them or transferring them to inactive storage, according to file maintenance guidelines or legal requirements.
Find and retrieve information from files in response to requests from authorized users.
Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order.
Keep records of materials filed or removed, using logbooks or computers.
Perform periodic inspections of materials or files to ensure correct placement, legibility, or proper condition.
Assign and record or stamp identification numbers or codes to index materials for filing.
Gather materials to be filed from departments or employees.
Track materials removed from files to ensure that borrowed files are returned.
Modify or improve filing systems or implement new filing systems.
Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed.
Enter document identification codes into systems in order to determine locations of documents to be retrieved.
Design forms related to filing systems.
Retrieve documents stored in microfilm or microfiche and place them in viewers for reading.
Operate mechanized files that rotate to bring needed records to a particular location. 

Being a File Clerk can be the start, a foothold, in an HIM career. I know several people that began as file clerks, went to school and are now credentialed HIM professionals.

There's always a beginning...