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Medical Transcriptionists

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.

Watch this work See majors and colleges
Other titles employers use

Clinical Medical Transcriptionist · Documentation Specialist · Medical Language Specialist · Medical Scribe · Medical Transcriber · Medical Transcriptionist · Pathology Transcriptionist · Radiology Transcriptionist

Inside the work

What you would actually do.

6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.

  • Return dictated reports in printed or electronic form for physician's review, signature, and corrections and for inclusion in patients' medical records.
  • Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material.
  • Identify mistakes in reports and check with doctors to obtain the correct information.
  • Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology.
  • Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries.
  • Distinguish between homonyms and recognize inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine.

Who it suits

Would this work hold your attention?

This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing, helping and analytical work.

Organizing
Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Analytical
Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems

Skills and strengths

What you would get good at.

Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.

Core skills

  • Active Listening
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Writing
  • Monitoring
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking

Subjects to know

  • English Language
  • Administrative
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Medicine and Dentistry

Useful strengths

  • Oral Comprehension
  • Written Comprehension
  • Speech Recognition
  • Written Expression
  • Near Vision

Working day

Picture yourself doing it.

These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.

How this job scores on four measures of working conditions, out of five
MeasureOut of 5What that means here
Close to other people3.1 Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder
On your feet2.8 Mostly seated
Talking face to face4.9 Continuous — the job is conversations
Working with your hands4.1 Handling tools, instruments or materials

Preparation

How people prepare for this work.

Employers usually ask for a postsecondary certificate. Other routes may also lead into the field.

  • A certificate or some college 72%
  • High school or less 17%
  • A two-year degree 11%

Tools of the work

Technology you may use.

  • Medical software
  • Word processing software
  • Data base user interface and query software
  • Office suite software
  • Electronic mail software
  • Web platform development software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Presentation software

Opportunity near you

See where this work is growing.

Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.

Selected stateCalifornia
People doing this work
6,400
Job openings each year
1,110
Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
−1.5%
Compare every available state
State People doing it Job openings each year Expected change
California 6,400 1,110 −1.5%
Florida 4,730 820 7.7%
New York 4,590 50 11.4%
Texas 4,200 730 6.1%
Arizona 2,950 510 10.9%
Tennessee 1,820 310 4.6%
New Jersey 1,660 290 —
Pennsylvania 1,510 260 −6.8%
Oregon 1,290 220 5.7%
Washington 1,250 210 −4.6%
Colorado 1,240 210 5.1%
Iowa 1,230 210 −3.9%
Georgia 1,120 190 13.1%
Indiana 1,090 190 −7.6%
Illinois 1,060 180 −12.4%
Missouri 1,010 170 −8.2%
Virginia 1,010 170 −5.6%
Connecticut 910 160 4.6%
North Carolina 830 140 1.2%
South Carolina 830 140 1.2%
Michigan 820 140 −11.8%
Ohio 800 140 −10.1%
Louisiana 730 130 −6.4%
Oklahoma 590 100 —
Idaho 580 100 5.5%
Wisconsin 570 100 −6.6%
Nebraska 550 90 5.8%
Kentucky 540 90 −10.0%
Minnesota 430 70 −12.2%
Utah 400 70 17.6%
Maryland 380 60 −5.0%
New Mexico 380 70 11.8%
Alabama 370 60 −7.5%
Kansas 350 60 −12.5%
South Dakota 300 50 −6.3%
Arkansas 250 40 −7.4%
West Virginia 250 40 −16.7%
Nevada 220 40 −12.0%
Mississippi 210 40 −4.5%
North Dakota 200 30 −13.0%
Massachusetts 190 30 5.6%
Delaware 150 30 —
Montana 150 30 —
Puerto Rico 130 20 —
Rhode Island 90 20 −10.0%
Alaska 80 10 —
New Hampshire 70 10 —
Maine 60 10 −14.3%
Wyoming 50 10 −16.7%

Career to college

Build a path toward this work.

Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.

CareerMedical Transcriptionists
Most direct field Health administration

Where to study

Colleges with strong activity in these fields.

Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.

UT

Western Governors University

Degrees each year
1,116
Admit rate
Not reported
Annual cost after aid
$13,000
Open college NH

Southern New Hampshire University

Degrees each year
1,064
Admit rate
96%
Annual cost after aid
$37,000
Open college FL

University of Central Florida

Degrees each year
333
Admit rate
40%
Annual cost after aid
$10,000
Open college NC

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Degrees each year
263
Admit rate
80%
Annual cost after aid
$14,000
Open college MD

University of Maryland Global Campus

Degrees each year
221
Admit rate
Not reported
Annual cost after aid
—
Open college NY

CUNY Lehman College

Degrees each year
197
Admit rate
55%
Annual cost after aid
$7,000
Open college FL

Florida International University

Degrees each year
180
Admit rate
59%
Annual cost after aid
$11,000
Open college CA

California State University-Long Beach

Degrees each year
146
Admit rate
47%
Annual cost after aid
$10,000
Open college

Compare every college offering health and medical administrative services

Keep exploring

Careers with something in common.

Compare paths that use similar training and strengths.

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