Medical Transcriptionists

Career Overview

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.

Also Known As

• Medical Scribe
• Medical Transcriptionist
• Radiology Transcriptionist
• Transcriptionist

Alternate Job Titles

• Certified Medical Transcriptionist
• Clinical Medical Transcriptionist
• Clinical Scribe
• Data Transcriber
• Documentation Specialist
• Emergency Medical Scribe
• Medical Assistant Scribe (MA Scribe)
• Medical Language Professional
• Medical Language Specialist
• Medical Record Transcriber
• Medical Records Clerk
• Medical Scribe
• Medical Stenographer
• Medical Transcriber
• Medical Transcription Editor

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

• 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.
• Set up and maintain medical files and databases, including records such as x-ray, lab, and procedure reports, medical histories, diagnostic workups, admission and discharge summaries, and clinical resumes.

Knowledge You'll Use

You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:

• English Language
• Administrative
• Computers and Electronics

Essential Skills

Success in this career requires strong skills in:

1. Active Listening
2. Reading Comprehension
3. Writing

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Speech Recognition
• Written Expression
• Near Vision
• Oral Expression
• Information Ordering
• Selective Attention
• Category Flexibility
• Perceptual Speed

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Cautiousness
• Integrity
• Achievement Orientation

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

• Support
• Relationships
• Achievement
• Working Conditions
• Recognition

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)

On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

Education Details: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Experience Required: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

• eClinicalWorks EHR software
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft ASP.NET
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft Word

Tools & Equipment

• Desktop computers
• Desktop transcribers
• Dictaphones
• Laser facsimile machines
• Laser printers
• Multi-line telephone systems
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Postage meters
• Transcribing equipment

Work Environment

• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks

Salary & Job Market

Salary Percentile	Annual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)	$26,370
Median	$37,550
Top Earners (90th percentile)	$53,890

Workers Employed Nationally: 43,070

Related Careers

If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:

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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.