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Medical Transcription

Types of Degrees Medical Transcription Majors Are Earning

Those studying 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 develop 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 built by 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.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3 / 5; level 3.1 / 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
Narratek Smartype	Word processing software	—
Integrated Systems Management OmniMD	Medical software	—
g-net solutions MTP	Voice recognition software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Crescendo Systems DigiScribe-XL	Voice recognition software	—
Voice recognition software	Voice recognition software	—
Medical terminology databases	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
SpectraMedi EasyFlow	Medical software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Transcription graduates include:

• Transcriptionist
• Transcribing Machine Operator
• Ophthalmic Scribe
• Medical Transcription Editor
• Medical Record Transcriber
• Medical Language Specialist
• Medical Transcriber
• Medical Scribe
• Clinical Medical Transcriptionist
• Registered Medical Transcriptionist
• Transcriber
• Medical Stenographer
• Emergency Medical Scribe
• Medical Assistant Scribe (MA Scribe)
• Clinical Scribe

What Can You Do With a Medical Transcription Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Medical Transcription commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Medical Transcriptionists	0.1%	$47,251	$38,635–$55,867

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

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. Wages typically rise 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?

Looking purely at 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
Medical Office Assistant/Specialist	4,419
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

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.