Last updated on July 27th, 2023 at 03:31 pm
One of the medical-related courses you can pursue in Kenya is health records- which basically leads to a career as a records manager/controller in a medical facility(you’ll be managing health records electronically/manually).
But is health records marketable in Kenya?
Well, here is my opinion about health records course in Kenya when it comes to job prospects for those who do the course…
Is health records marketable in Kenya?
The short answer is NO!
Health records is not a very marketable course in Kenya and you’re unlikely to get a meaningful job with this course if you do it because hospitals and other medical centres only need a few health records professionals to manage their databases.
In fact, if you look around, you will notice that even some big level 5 hospitals only employ less than 5 staff in the records department.
In the same breath, smaller hospitals will have 1-2 records management professionals (and sometimes none).
So in a nutshell, taking health records may not be the best decision if you’re looking for a course that guarantees you a job soon after finishing college.
Of course, I know why many form 4 leavers find the course attractive..
One, you do not need very high grades to take the course (You just need a Mean Grade of C- in KCSE to be admitted for a certificate in health records course at KMTC)
Secondly, it is not a tough course as Nursing or Pharmacy or even Clinical medicine – you don’t have to grasp difficult concepts like when you’re taking the aforementioned courses.
There is another reason:
You see, your work will simply be to manage patient’s and related records in the institution you will be working for so you don’t have to handle sick people – some of us definitely fear touching blood, vomit, or puss so we cannot become nurses or doctors.
I can continue and continue so let me just stop there..
So, what course can you do instead of health records?
I will share a list of other medical courses at KMTC you can consider depending on your grades below:
Courses you can enroll in instead of health records in Kenya
We all know that most medical courses are super marketable in Kenya so go through the following list and see if you are qualified for any of these courses:
Diploma in Kenya Registered Nursing and Midwifery or Diploma in Community Health Nursing
Nursing is one of the best medical courses and you cannot go wrong with nursing in Kenya (and even outside Kenya).
Here are the minimum entry requirements for this course at KMTC:
KCSE Mean Grade: C
Additional requirements:
English or Kiswahili – C plain
Biology/Biological Sciences- C plain
Physics/Physical Sciences / Chemistry / Mathematics – C- (minus)
I should add that you have the option of starting at the certificate level for the nursing course if you do not meet the qualifications I have indicated above.
Here are the minimum entry requirements for the Certificate in Community Health Nursing course at KMTC.
KCSE Mean Grade: C- (minus)
Additional requirements:
English or Kiswahili – C- (minus)
Biology/Biological Sciences- C- (minus)
Physics/Physical Sciences OR Chemistry OR Mathematics – D+ (Plus)
Diploma in Radiography and Imaging (Medical Imaging Sciences)
A Diploma in Radiography and Imaging leads to a career as a radiographer/medical imaging officer.
If you don’t know it, a radiographer is the staff you find in the imaging department of a medical facility- they take images such as Ultrasound, X-rays, and more to help clinicians and doctors correctly diagnose what patients are ailing from.
For that reason, most hospitals need an in-house radiographer (and they often employ several) so there are more opportunities for students who take the course than those who pursue health records.
Here are the minimum entry requirements for this course at KMTC:
KCSE Mean Grade: C
Additional requirements:
English or Kiswahili – C plain
Biology/Biological Sciences- C plain
Physics/Physical Sciences– C plain
Chemistry OR Mathematics – C- (minus)
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Diploma in Dental Technology
I also feel that there are more employment and self-employment opportunities for dental health professionals than heath records personnel so you can also consider taking a course in dental technology at KMTC.
Bear in mind that, with this course, you will get the skills you need to work as an assistant to a dental doctor in a public hospital or in private practice.
You can upgrade to a full dental course at a University like MKU later on (Mt Kenya University) – they do accept a Diploma in Dental Technology for their Dentistry degree.
Please note KMTC does not offer a certificate course in the above 2 courses (Radiography and Imaging and Dental Technology) so you may have to do something different if you do not have the required qualifications to be accepted for these programmers.
Is health records marketable in Kenya? Recap
Of course, we all want to do a marketable course to avoid ‘tarmacking’ indefinitely after graduating.
Unfortunately, health records is one of the least marketable medical courses in Kenya and I don’t really recommend it unless you know what you’re doing.
Instead, you can go for courses such as Nursing, Dentistry, or even Radiography & Imaging- these are way more marketable in comparison to health records and have better prospects.
I have previously listed the minimum qualifications for each of these courses to help you make an informed decision.
Good luck.
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Requirements for bachelor of medicine and surgery (All you need to know)
Certificate in clinical medicine in Kenya [The truth about the course]