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.
Medical Transcriptionists earn a median of $19.43/hr — about $40,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.58/hr; the top 10% earn $26.90/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; time pressure is a real part of the job; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0.8% of medical transcriptionists are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, people-focused and analytical.
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Quick questions
- How much does a medical transcriptionist make?
- The median pay is $19.43 per hour — roughly $40,500 a year, with the real range running from about $13.58/hr (10th percentile) to $26.90/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a medical transcriptionist?
- The typical entry-level education is: Post-secondary certificate. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
- What does a medical transcriptionist actually do all day?
- 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.
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