How to become a Medical Transcriptionist

Official title: Medical Transcriptionists

Also called: Clinical Medical Transcriptionist, Documentation Specialist, Medical Language Specialist, Medical Scribe, Medical Transcriber, Medical Transcriptionist, Pathology Transcriptionist, Radiology Transcriptionist, Scribe, Transcriptionist

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.

Main tasks

• 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.
• Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care facility records.

How to become one

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.

Typical education to start: Postsecondary nondegree award

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Medical Transcriptionist.
• Certificate or associate's degree: Postsecondary nondegree award. Programs such as Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $40,410 a year The middle half earn $34,150 to $48,000.
• About 42,000 people work in this job now, and about 40,200 are projected by 2035. (-4.4%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Medical Transcriptionist?

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.

How much does a Medical Transcriptionist earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $40,410 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $34,150 to $48,000.

Is a Medical Transcriptionist a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 4% by 2035, from about 42,000 to about 40,200 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Medical Transcriptionist?

Not always. 45% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Postsecondary nondegree award; Medical Transcriptionist.

Will AI change the work of a Medical Transcriptionist?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.