What is a Medical Transcriptionist?
Career Description 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.
Life As a Medical Transcriptionist: What Do They Do?
- Perform data entry and data retrieval services, providing data for inclusion in medical records and for transmission to physicians.
- Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care facility records.
- Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines.
- Decide which information should be included or excluded in reports.
- Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology.
- Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material.
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What Every Medical Transcriptionist Should Know
Medical Transcriptionists state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
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.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Related Job Titles
- Medical Transcription
- Clinical Medical Transcriptionist
- Senior Medical Transcriptionist
- Transcription Specialist
- Certified Professional Coder (CPC)
What Kind of Medical Transcriptionist Job Opportunities Are There?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 57,400 jobs in the United States for Medical Transcriptionist. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Medical Transcriptionist. The BLS estimates 6,400 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Medical Transcriptionist are Alaska, Colorado, and Maryland. Watch out if you plan on working in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, or Oklahoma. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Medical Transcriptionists Make A Lot Of Money?
The salary for Medical Transcriptionists ranges between about $21,840 and $51,780 a year.
Medical Transcriptionists who work in Alaska, Maryland, or Minnesota, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Medical Transcriptionists in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $33,780 |
| Alaska | $49,420 |
| Arizona | $32,050 |
| Arkansas | $32,490 |
| California | $40,480 |
| Colorado | $38,640 |
| Connecticut | $36,570 |
| Delaware | $33,220 |
| District of Columbia | $31,270 |
| Florida | $35,440 |
| Georgia | $33,540 |
| Hawaii | $29,070 |
| Idaho | $29,940 |
| Illinois | $33,020 |
| Indiana | $32,600 |
| Iowa | $34,630 |
| Kansas | $32,630 |
| Kentucky | $36,110 |
| Louisiana | $31,040 |
| Maine | $35,710 |
| Maryland | $43,070 |
| Massachusetts | $36,610 |
| Michigan | $32,410 |
| Minnesota | $43,200 |
| Mississippi | $31,640 |
| Missouri | $34,910 |
| Montana | $31,120 |
| Nebraska | $35,290 |
| Nevada | $34,450 |
| New Hampshire | $40,000 |
| New Jersey | $44,200 |
| New Mexico | $37,510 |
| New York | $42,020 |
| North Carolina | $34,050 |
| North Dakota | $35,930 |
| Ohio | $38,170 |
| Oklahoma | $39,250 |
| Oregon | $39,270 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,770 |
| Rhode Island | $37,620 |
| South Carolina | $34,740 |
| South Dakota | $35,100 |
| Tennessee | $32,830 |
| Texas | $36,780 |
| Utah | $36,110 |
| Vermont | $40,790 |
| Virginia | $34,110 |
| Washington | $39,240 |
| West Virginia | $34,470 |
| Wisconsin | $38,080 |
| Wyoming | $39,470 |
What Tools & Technology do Medical Transcriptionists Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Medical Transcriptionists:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Data entry software
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Microsoft Windows
- Spreadsheet software
- Database software
- FileMaker Pro
- Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS
- Corel WordPerfect
- PCC EHR
- Voice recognition software
- dBASE Plus
- Allscripts Misys Healthcare Systems
- Calendar software
- Electronic medical record EMR systems
- Integrated Systems Management OmniMD
Becoming a Medical Transcriptionist
What education is needed to be a Medical Transcriptionist?
What work experience do I need to become a Medical Transcriptionist?
Who Employs Medical Transcriptionists?
The table below shows the approximate number of Medical Transcriptionists employed by various industries.
References:
Image Credit: Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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