Medical transcriptionists listen to dictated recordings from physicians and other healthcare providers, then transcribe them into clear, accurate written reports such as patient histories, discharge summaries, and diagnostic reports. They must understand medical terminology, anatomy, pharmacology, and procedures well enough to catch errors or inconsistencies in dictation and format documents to meet legal and institutional standards. Strong listening skills, attention to detail, and fast, accurate typing are essential to the role.
| Entry level | $29,000 |
| Median | $36,000 |
| Senior | $46,000 |
| Top 10% | $55,000 |
| Job growth | -6% |
| Professionals in the USA | 45,000 |
| Typical hours/week | 35 hrs |
| Remote work share | 75% |
| Annual job openings | 5,500/yr |
| Demand | Moderate |
Speech recognition and AI transcription tools now handle the bulk of routine dictation, drastically reducing demand for traditional transcriptionists. The remaining work is shifting toward editing and quality-checking AI-generated drafts rather than typing from scratch.
Automation exposure: Verbatim transcription of clear audio, standard formatting, and basic terminology insertion are now largely automated by speech-to-text engines integrated into EHR systems.
The human edge: Understanding context, catching clinically dangerous errors, interpreting heavy accents or poor audio quality, and applying nuanced medical judgment remain difficult for AI to fully replicate.
Figures are estimates for exploration — verify current data with BLS.gov.