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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.
Computer skills. Medical transcriptionists must know how to operate electronic health records (EHR) systems and should be comfortable using software to prepare reports.
Critical-thinking skills. Medical transcriptionists must assess medical reports and correct any inaccuracies and inconsistencies in finished drafts.
Listening skills. Medical transcriptionists must pay attention to hear and interpret the intended meaning of dictations.
Time-management skills. Medical transcriptionists must organize their schedules well because they may need to produce transcriptions under tight deadlines.
Writing skills. Medical transcriptionists need a good understanding of English grammar in order to ensure that transcribed reports are correct.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
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91% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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89% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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81% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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77% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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73% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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72% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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71% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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70% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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69% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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100% | Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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61% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
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81% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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78% | Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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75% | Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |
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72% | Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |
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72% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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69% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
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100% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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98% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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95% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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89% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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87% | Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job? | |
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85% | Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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85% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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84% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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81% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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78% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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78% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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73% | Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job? | |
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70% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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69% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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69% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? | |
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66% | Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job? | |
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65% | Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting? | |
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65% | Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers? |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
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96% | Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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87% | Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. | |
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85% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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83% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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80% | Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. | |
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75% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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73% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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71% | Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. | |
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69% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. | |
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66% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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65% | Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. |
Medical transcriptionists, sometimes referred to as healthcare documentation specialists, use electronic devices to convert voice recordings from physicians and other healthcare workers into formal reports. Transcriptionists also may edit medical records for accuracy and return documents for review and approval.
Medical transcriptionists typically do the following:
Medical transcriptionists use a variety of equipment to produce reports. The most common is speech recognition technology, which involves specialized software that automatically prepares an initial draft of a report. The transcriptionist then listens to the voice file and reviews the draft for accuracy, identifying any errors and editing the report, as necessary. A less common technology requires these workers to use audio-playback equipment for listening to and transcribing dictation. Transcriptionists also use word-processing and other software to prepare the transcripts, as well as medical reference materials when needed.
Medical transcriptionists must be familiar with medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology. Additionally, they must have knowledge of English grammar in order to ensure that their transcriptions are correct. Transcriptionists’ ability to understand the healthcare worker's recording, to correctly transcribe that information, and to identify inaccuracies in the transcript is critical to preventing ineffective or even harmful treatment.
Medical transcriptionists who work in physicians’ offices may have other duties, such as answering phones and greeting patients.
Medical transcriptionists held about 49,000 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of medical transcriptionists were as follows:
| Administrative and support services | 37% |
| Offices of physicians | 34 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 12 |
| Management, scientific, and technical consulting services | 2 |
Administrative and support services includes companies that provide transcription services and temporary help firms.
Medical transcriptionists may work from home, receiving dictation and submitting drafts electronically. Their work may be stressful because they need to ensure that reports are accurate and completed within a quick turnaround time.
Most medical transcriptionists are full time, but part-time work is common. Medical transcriptionists who work from home may work outside typical business hours and may have flexibility in determining their schedules.
Medical transcriptionists typically need postsecondary education that leads to a certificate. Prospective medical transcriptionists must know basic medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and rules of grammar. Some choose to become certified.
Employers may prefer to hire transcriptionists who have completed postsecondary education in medical transcription. Medical transcription programs may be offered online as well as in person by vocational schools, community colleges, and career institutes. They vary in length but typically may be completed in less than 1 year; programs that lead to an associate's degree may take longer.
Programs typically include coursework in anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, laws relating to healthcare documentation, and English grammar and punctuation. These programs may include the opportunity to gain experience through supervised transcription. Prospective transcriptionists who are familiar with medical terminology from working in other healthcare occupations, such as nursing assistants or medical secretaries, may become proficient through refresher courses and training.
Although certification is not required, some medical transcriptionists choose to become certified. For example, the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity offers the Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) and the Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist (CHDS) certifications. Both certifications require passing an exam and are valid for a specified number of years. In order to recertify, individuals must earn continuing education credits.
The RHDS certification is for recent graduates with little experience who work in a single specialty environment, such as a clinic or a physician’s office. The CHDS certification is for transcriptionists who currently hold the RHDS designation. In addition, CHDS candidates must have a specified number of years of experience in acute care, including experience handling dictation in various medical specialties.
Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to decline 4 percent from 2022 to 2032.
Despite declining employment, about 8,100 openings for medical transcriptionists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Technological advances in speech recognition and electronic health records (EHR) software allow physicians to document some information in the moment, reducing the need for medical transcriptionists. In addition, these technologies increase medical transcriptionists' productivity, allowing more transcription by fewer workers.
Meanwhile, as healthcare providers seek to cut costs, some will contract out transcription services and not do in-house transcription.
For more information about medical transcriptionists, certification and for a list of accredited medical transcription programs, visit
Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of medical transcriptionists.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners |
Court reporters create word-for-word transcriptions at trials, depositions, and other legal proceedings. Simultaneous captioners provide similar transcriptions for television or for presentations in other settings, such as press conferences and business meetings, for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. |
Postsecondary nondegree award | $63,560 |
|
Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars |
Health information technologists and medical registrars advise organizations on computerized healthcare systems and analyze clinical data. |
Associate's degree | $58,250 |
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Information Clerks |
Information clerks perform routine clerical duties, maintain records, collect data, and provide information to customers. |
See How to Become One | $38,710 |
|
Interpreters and Translators |
Interpreters and translators convert information from one language into another language. |
Bachelor's degree | $53,640 |
|
Medical Assistants |
Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks, such as scheduling appointments and taking patients’ vital signs. |
Postsecondary nondegree award | $38,270 |
|
Medical Records Specialists |
Medical records specialists compile, process, and maintain patient files. |
Postsecondary nondegree award | $47,180 |
|
Receptionists |
Receptionists do tasks such as answering phones, receiving visitors, and providing information about their organization to the public. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $33,960 |
|
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants |
Secretaries and administrative assistants do routine clerical and organizational tasks. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $44,080 |