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Medical Transcription

A program that prepares individuals to execute verbatim medical conference minutes, medical reports, and medical orders. Includes instruction in dictation and simultaneous recording, analysis of notes and visual evidence, medical terminology, data processing applications and skills, formal medical report and correspondence formats, professional standards, and applicable law and regulations.

Types of Degrees Medical Transcription Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Medical Transcription may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	13
Associate’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	42

What Medical Transcription Majors Need to Know

Programs in Medical Transcription emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Transcription graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Medical Transcription emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 2.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 2.7 / 5; level 2.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Medical Transcription program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Time Management — Importance 3 / 5; level 2.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Medical Transcription careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Transcription graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.8 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Transcription professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Crescendo Systems Corporation MedRite-XL	Medical software	—
Speech recognition software	Voice recognition software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Allscripts healthcare automation software	Medical software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Crescendo Systems DigiScribe-XL	Voice recognition software	—
SpectraMedi EasyFlow	Medical software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Precision Data Solutions VoicePower	Word processing software	—
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite	Office suite software	—
Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking	Voice recognition software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Transcription graduates include:

• Scribe
• Medical Language Specialist
• Medical Records Clerk
• Medical Language Professional
• Documentation Specialist
• Provider Scribe
• Ophthalmic Scribe
• Radiology Transcriptionist
• Transcription Specialist
• Medical Assistant Scribe (MA Scribe)
• Data Transcriber
• Transcriptionist
• Transcribing Machine Operator
• Certified Medical Transcriptionist
• Pathology Transcriptionist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Medical Transcription graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Postsecondary certificate	38.9%
Some college courses	33.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	16.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Transcription?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92.9% of Medical Transcription degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	52	92.9%
Men	4	7.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Medical Transcription graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	35	62.5%
Asian	2	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	5	8.9%
Black or African American	10	17.9%
Two or More Races	2	3.6%
Race Unknown	2	3.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Transcription Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Medical Transcription graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,041
4 years	$36,054
5 years	$40,847

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,847 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Medical Transcription Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Medical Transcription graduates earn a median of $36,054 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	28,347
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	11,963
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician	11,828
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder	10,171
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary	7,771
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	3,494
Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other	3,168
Medical Office Management/Administration	2,900
Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator	2,781
Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,195
Medical Reception/Receptionist	844

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.