Medical Transcriptionists
What Medical Transcriptionists Do
Transcribe medical reports recorded by physicians and other healthcare practitioners using various electronic devices, covering office visits, emergency room visits, diagnostic imaging studies, operations, chart reviews, and final summaries. Transcribe dictated reports and translate abbreviations into fully understandable form. Edit as necessary and return reports in either printed or electronic form for review and signature, or correction.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 0.8%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- English Languageimportance 4.5/5
- Administrativeimportance 4.3/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.8/5
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.0/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.7/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 2.1/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.1/5
- Mathematicsimportance 1.8/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.8/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.6/5
- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks4.5/5
- E-Mail4.4/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants96% skill match
- Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks95% skill match
- Interpreters and Translators94% skill match
- Acupuncturists94% skill match
- Self-Enrichment Teachers93% skill match
- Proofreaders and Copy Markers93% skill match
- Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials93% skill match
- Family Medicine Physicians93% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.8/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.5/5
- Instructingimportance 2.1/5
- Service Orientationimportance 2.1/5
- Persuasionimportance 1.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Allscripts healthcare automation software
- Boston Bar Systems Corporation Sonnet
- Bytescribe Development Company WavPlayer
- Calendar software
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Crescendo Systems Corporation MedRite-XL
- Crescendo Systems DigiScribe-XL
- Database software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Achievement Orientation
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ConventionalHigh
- SocialMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- RealisticLow
- ArtisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where medical transcriptionists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Chico, CA5.94× national avg
- 2Redding, CA4.68× national avg
- 3Johnson City, TN4.40× national avg
- 4Gainesville, FL4.00× national avg
- 5Charlottesville, VA3.37× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative AssistantsCareer Change
- Paralegals and Legal AssistantsCareer Change
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative AssistantsCareer Change
- Tax PreparersCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
- Ultimate Medical Academy (Clearwater, FL)grads earn ~$30,765
- DeVry University-Illinois (Lisle, IL)grads earn ~$40,853
- Ultimate Medical Academy (Clearwater, FL)grads earn ~$29,056
- Western Governors University (Salt Lake City, UT)grads earn ~$111,643
- University of Phoenix-Arizona (Phoenix, AZ)grads earn ~$54,365