Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist

Types of Degrees Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many medical transcription/transcriptionist graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	56
Undergraduate Certificate	21
Associate Degree	2

What Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, medical transcription/transcriptionist majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in medical transcription/transcriptionist should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist Majors

A major in medical transcription/transcriptionist prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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.

Abilities for Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist Majors

Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 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).

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist

Some careers associated with medical transcription/transcriptionist require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to medical transcription/transcriptionist have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	11.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	55.5%
Some College Courses	25.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	7.7%

Online Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	35	6
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	10	3
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Medical Transcription/Transcriptionist

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to medical transcription/transcriptionist.

Major	Number of Grads
Health Care Management	29,812
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician	10,462
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder	9,463
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	9,252
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant & Medical Secretary	7,299
Medical Office Assistant/Specialist	4,140
Hospital & Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	3,686
Health Information Management	2,960
Medical Office Management/Administration	2,810
Other Health & Medical Administrative Services	2,008
Medical/Health Management & Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,278
Medical Reception/Receptionist	913
Clinical Research Coordinator	328
Healthcare Innovation	197
Long Term Care Administration/Management	182
Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk	140
Medical Office Computer Specialist/Assistant	114
Regulatory Science/Affairs	94
Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor	35
Medical Staff Services Technology/Technician	32
Healthcare Information Privacy Assurance and Security	8
Disease Registry Data Management	6
Health/Medical Claims Examiner	4

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.