Careers > Medical Transcriptionists

Medical Transcriptionists

$34.73K Median Salary 6.6K Job Openings (Annual Projection) -7.4% Job Growth

Find Colleges for this Career Find Certificates for this Career

About This Career

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.

Reported Job Titles

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

Career data shown for:

Skills You'll Need

Click on skills to find related courses.

Abilities

Oral Comprehension

Written Comprehension

Speech Recognition

Near Vision

Written Expression

Oral Expression

Information Ordering

Category Flexibility

Selective Attention

Deductive Reasoning

Finger Dexterity

Inductive Reasoning

Perceptual Speed

Problem Sensitivity

Speech Clarity

Knowledge

English Language

Administrative

Computers and Electronics

Medicine and Dentistry

Skills

Active Listening

Reading Comprehension

Writing

Monitoring

Critical Thinking

Judgment and Decision Making

Speaking

Time Management

Technology Skills

Word processing software

Video creation and editing software

Medical software

Voice recognition software

Data base user interface and query software

Electronic mail software

Spell checkers

Office suite software

Operating system software

Spreadsheet software

Accounting software

Desktop communications software

Internet browser software

Presentation software

Calendar and scheduling software

Web platform development software

Information retrieval or search software

Tools

Dictation machines

Franking or postage machines

Special purpose telephones

Laser fax machine

Notebook computers

Laser printers

Desktop computers

Personal computers

Abilities

Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Knowledge

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Administrative: Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Medicine and Dentistry: Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Skills

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Technology Skills

Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Video creation and editing software: YouTube
Medical software: Henry Schein Dentrix; Medical condition coding software; Medical procedure coding software; MEDITECH software
Voice recognition software:
Data base user interface and query software: Blackboard software; Database software; Microsoft Access; Yardi software
Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook
Spell checkers: Spellex AccuCount; Sylvan Software Complete Medical Pharmaceutical Spell Checker
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Accounting software: Billing software; Bookkeeping software; Intuit QuickBooks; Sage 50 Accounting
Desktop communications software: Edmodo
Internet browser software: Web browser software
Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Calendar and scheduling software: Appointment scheduling software
Web platform development software: Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Information retrieval or search software: LexisNexis

Tools

Dictation machines: Dictation equipment
Franking or postage machines: Postage machines
Special purpose telephones: Multi-line telephone systems
Laser fax machine: Laser facsimile machines
Notebook computers: Laptop computers
Laser printers: Computer laser printers
Desktop computers:
Personal computers:

Related Careers

Word Processors and Typists

$44.33K Salary -36.1% Job Growth

Medical Records Specialists

$47.18K Salary

Emergency Medical Technicians

$36.68K Salary

Pharmacy Technicians

$37.79K Salary 4% Job Growth

View All