HEALTH RECORD TECHNICIAN III

Exam Code: 7MHJ9

Administering Department: Department of State Hospitals

Exam Type: Servicewide, Open

Final Filing Date: Continuous

Class Code: 1873

CLASSIFICATION DETAILS

HEALTH RECORD TECHNICIAN III – Salary Range: $4,048.00 - $5,518.00 per month.

Salary updated as of: July 1, 2020

View the Health Record Technician III classification specification

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Final Filing Date: Continuous

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. The cut-off-dates are the first Friday of

each month. All completed applications and Training and Experience examinations

submitted by each cut-off-date will be processed for that administration.

Note: Applications and examinations may be processed on a flow basis prior to the cut-

off-date to meet the hiring needs of the department.

Dates printed on envelopes by mobile barcodes or equivalent mobile print technology

are not acceptable proof of the date the application and any other required documents

or materials were filed.

Who Should Apply:

Applicants who meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin may apply for

and take this examination. Once you have taken this examination, you may not retake it

for six (6) months.

Unless otherwise stated on this bulletin, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications by

the Final Filing Date or cut-off-date stated above.

How to Apply:

Applicants are required to submit an Examination Application (STD 678), found at

www.calcareers.ca.gov, either by mail, in person, or via email to the address listed

below.

Once your application has been submitted, you must complete the Training and

Experience (T&E) following the instructions below under, Taking the Examination.

Examination Services staff will screen each application. Applicants meeting the

minimum qualifications will be admitted into the examination. Applicants must submit

the STD. 678 as well as the T&E. Failure to do so will result in a delay in the

examination process.

The preferred method to apply is by emailing your STD 678 to:

HealthRecordTechnicianIII@dsh.ca.gov

Electronic signatures are acceptable.

Indicate the Classification on your Examination Application (STD 678).

You may apply by mail or in person to:

Department of State Hospitals – Sacramento

Attn: Selection Services Unit MS-14

1215 O Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

In person hours: Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm (excluding State holidays).

Special Testing Arrangements:

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, please

contact the testing department listed in the Contact Information section of this bulletin.

Bulletin Revised: 6/30/2021

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on

this exam bulletin to be accepted into the examination. Part-time or full-time jobs,

regardless of whether paid or volunteer positions, and inside or outside California state

service will count toward experience.

Education Requirements: Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade. (Additional

qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year

basis.)

AND

Two years of experience performing the duties of a Health Record Technician II

(Specialist) or Health Record Technician II (Supervisor)

POSITION DESCRIPTION

This is the second supervisory level in this series. As a supervisor, under general

direction, plans, organizes and assigns work areas to record coders and abstractors;

resolves difficult technical abstracting and coding problems; analyzes quality control

activities; acts as a consultant to records personnel in hospitals, laboratories, clinics and

registries; conducts training activities and workshops; gives lectures; and consults with

and advises superiors on operational matters.

EXAMINATION SCOPE

This examination consists of the following components:

Training and Experience Evaluation – Weighted 100% of the final score.

The examination will consist solely of a Training and Experience Evaluation. To

obtain a position on the eligible list, a minimum score of 70% must be received.

In addition to evaluating applicants’ relative knowledge, skills, and ability, as

demonstrated by quality and breadth of education and/or experience, emphasis in each

exam component will be measuring competitively, relative job demands, each

applicant’s:

Knowledge of:

1. Knowledge of basic medical terminology, human terminology and human

anatomy.

2. Knowledge of health record systems and methodology used by health facilities.

Bulletin Revised: 6/30/2021

3. Knowledge of classification of morbidity and mortality information for statistical

purposes.

4. Knowledge of various record systems used by health facilities.

5. Knowledge of diagnostic techniques and modes of therapy as well as gross

anatomy and medical terminology.

6. Knowledge of an understanding of the principles of effective supervision and

maintenance of good public relations.

7. Knowledge of a supervisor’s responsibility for promoting equal opportunity in

hiring and employee development and promotion and for maintaining a work

environment that is free of discrimination and harassment.

Ability to:

1. Ability to understand and conform to specific basic principles and rules of health

data abstracting and coding.

2. Ability to meet and deal tactfully with the public.

3. Ability to communicate effectively.

4. Ability to benefit from academic and in-service training and job experience.

5. Ability to analyze situations accurately and take effective action.

6. Ability to plan, organize, train and direct the activities of a group of health record

technicians.

7. Ability to effectively promote equal opportunity in employment and maintain a

work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION

A Servicewide, Open eligible list for the HEALTH RECORD TECHNICIAN III

classification will be established for use by all state agencies.

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list in order of

final score regardless of exam date. Eligibility expires 12 months after it is established.

Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Veterans’ Preference will be granted for this examination. In accordance with

Government Codes 18973.1 and 18973.5, whenever any veteran, or widow or widower

of a veteran achieves a passing score on an open examination, he or she shall be

ranked in the top rank of the resulting eligible list.

Veterans status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR).

Information on this program and the Veterans’ Preference Application (Std. form 1093)

is available online at the following website:

https://www.jobs.ca.gov/CalHRPublic/Landing/Jobs/VeteransInformation.aspx

Additional information on veteran benefits is available at the Department of Veterans

Affairs.

Bulletin Revised: 6/30/2021

Career credits are not granted for examinations administered on an Open or

Promotional basis.

PREPARING FOR THE EXAMINATION

Here is a list of suggested resources to have available prior to taking the exam.

1. Employment History: Employment dates, job titles, organization names and

addresses, names of supervisors or persons who can verify your job

responsibilities, and phone numbers of persons listed above.

2. Education: School names and addresses, degrees earned, dates attended,

courses taken (verifiable on a transcript), persons or office who can verify

education, and phone numbers of persons or offices listed above.

3. Training: Class titles, certifications received, names of persons who can verify

your training, and phone numbers of persons listed above.

TAKING THE EXAMINATION

Step 1. Submit your application following the instructions above.

Step 2. Click on this link to take the Health Record Technician III examination.

Once your application has been received and it has been determined that you

meet the Minimum Qualifications for entrance into the examination, your

examination will be processed, and you will receive your exam results by mail

within 4 – 6 weeks of the cut-off-date stated above.

TESTING DEPARTMENTS

Department of State Hospitals, State of California

CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions relating to this exam should be directed to:

Department of State Hospitals

Selection Services Unit

Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm (excluding State Holidays)

Phone: 916-651-8832

Email: HealthRecordTechnicianIII@dsh.ca.gov

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped

with a TTY Device.

Bulletin Revised: 6/30/2021

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age,

ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right of family care and

medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital

status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation,

race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related

medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

DRUG-FREE STATEMENT

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free State work place. Any

applicant for State employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this

objective, because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the

rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the

California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment

Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account at the following

website:

http://www.CalCareers.ca.gov/

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this

examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not

assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this

bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who

pass will be ranked according to their score.

The Department of State Hospitals reserves the right to revise the examination plan to

better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination

was planned change. This examination may be canceled by the Department of State

Hospitals at any time prior to the establishment of the employment list. Such revision or

cancelation will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will

be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications

including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgement, the ability to work

cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the

assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open

examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history

and fingerprinting may be required.

Bulletin Revised: 6/30/2021

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date,

must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental

promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) servicewide promotional, 5)

departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must

be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the

bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12

grade may be

demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education

Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3)

certification form the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high

school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to

graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of

business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.