Careers / Medical Transcriptionists

Medical Transcriptionists — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$40,410

United States, 2025

Employment

41,550

United States, 2025

Typical education

Post-Secondary Certificate

Job Zone 3

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

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.

O*NET code
31-9094.00
Job zone
3
Experience required
None

Typical 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.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$28,250
10th
$34,150
25th
$40,410
Median
$48,000
75th
$55,950
90th

10th percentile

$28,250

25th percentile

$34,150

75th percentile

$48,000

90th percentile

$55,950

Most important skills

  • Active Listening4.1
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Writing3.9
  • Monitoring3.1
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.0
  • Time Management3.0
  • Speaking3.0
  • Critical Thinking3.0
  • Active Learning2.9
  • Social Perceptiveness2.8
  • Complex Problem Solving2.6
  • Coordination2.5

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 8 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

8

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Active Listening4.14.1Not selected4.1
Reading Comprehension4.04.0Not selected4.0
Writing3.93.6Not selected3.6
Speaking3.03.1Not selected3.1
Critical Thinking3.03.1Not selected3.1
Monitoring3.12.9Not selected2.9
Time Management3.02.8Not selected2.8
Judgment and Decision Making3.02.6Not selected2.6

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
San Francisco, CA$58,2406802025
San Jose, CA$57,4202002025
Norwich, CT$55,890302025
Portland, ME$55,320302025
Hartford, CT$54,8301002025
Rapid City, SD$53,840302025
Santa Rosa, CA$53,330502025
Nashville, TN$50,4003102025
Madison, WI$50,310802025
MN$50,0302702025
Chico, CA$50,0201202025
Milwaukee, WI$49,7801902025
Wilmington, NC$49,590302025
Bridgeport, CT$49,5601102025
WI$49,1505902025
Minneapolis, MN$48,9601302025
Las Vegas, NV$48,8901402025
Evansville, IN$48,840702025
ME$48,600802025
Modesto, CA$48,490502025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Medical Transcriptionists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.