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Medical Transcriptionists

Occupation · SOC 31-9094.00

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.

Also called: Medical Scribe · Medical Transcriptionist · Radiology Transcriptionist · Transcriptionist · Clinical Medical Transcriptionist · Documentation Specialist · Medical Language Specialist · Medical Transcriber · Pathology Transcriptionist · Scribe · Certified Medical Transcriptionist · Clinical Scribe

Job family: Healthcare Support Occupations

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Download .md

A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch /roles/role-31-9094-00/context.md directly.

AI work map

A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.

Often handed to AI

Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.

  • Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines. · 2.9%
  • Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology. · 1.6%
  • Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries. · 0.4%
See how AI is used here →

Use as a copilot

Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.

  • Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material. · 2.0%
See collaboration patterns →

Keep a human in the loop

Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.

  • Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines. · 97.2% need a human
  • Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material. · 96.9% need a human
  • Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology. · 96.3% need a human
See the boundary tasks →

61st-percentile task overlap — yet about 7,400 openings a year (-4.9% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 2985% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

Measure Rank vs all occupations Percentile Score
Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High 78th 1.1
LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High 83rd 0.9
AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low 24th 0.1

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.8), with simple added tooling (β 0.9), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.

Historical automation estimate (2013)

A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.

Frey–Osborne probability 0.9 · 76th percentile among occupations · High

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology. 3.5%
Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material. 2.4%
Distinguish between homonyms and recognize inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine. 0.8%
Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care facility records. 0.7%
Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries. 0.4%
Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines. 0.3%

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

Outlook Declining · -4.9% by 2034
Projected annual openings 7,400
Employment 2024 → 2034 43,900 → 41,800

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

53% mean task exposure (2025)
91st percentile of 427 placed occupations
−8 pts shift 2023 → 2025
International occupation (ISCO-08) Task exposure (2025) Most tasks fall in
Medical Secretaries · 3344 53% Gradient 3

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Working with AI in this job

How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.

Augmentation vs. automation 29.9% working with AI · 62.6% handed to AI
Most common way people use AI here Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction
Typical AI autonomy 3.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently
Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) 56.3%

What people delegate to AI

The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.

Task How Usage
Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines. Directive 2.9%
Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material. Iteration 2.0%
Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology. Directive 1.6%
Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries. Directive 0.4%

Where a human is still needed

Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.

Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines. 97.2%
Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material. 96.9%
Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology. 96.3%
Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries. 89.5%

What people most often hand AI here

Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.

  • Help me take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines.

    From: Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines. · 2.9% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material.

    From: Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material. · 2.0% of measured AI use · task iteration

  • Help me review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology.

    From: Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology. · 1.6% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries.

    From: Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries. · 0.4% of measured AI use · directive

Tasks

All 15 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

Work activities

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

English Language 4.5
Administrative 4.3
Computers and Electronics 3.8
Medicine and Dentistry 3.0
Customer and Personal Service 2.7

Abilities

Oral Comprehension 4.3
Written Comprehension 4.1
Speech Recognition 4.0
Written Expression 3.9
Near Vision 3.9
Oral Expression 3.8
Information Ordering 3.3
Category Flexibility 3.1
Selective Attention 3.1
Problem Sensitivity 3.0
Deductive Reasoning 3.0
Inductive Reasoning 3.0
Perceptual Speed 3.0
Finger Dexterity 3.0
Speech Clarity 3.0
Flexibility of Closure 2.9
Manual Dexterity 2.6
Speed of Closure 2.3
Arm-Hand Steadiness 2.3
Far Vision 2.3
Auditory Attention 2.3

Essential skills

Active Listening 4.1
Reading Comprehension 4.0
Writing 3.9
Monitoring 3.1
Speaking 3.0
Critical Thinking 3.0
Active Learning 2.9
Learning Strategies 2.1

Transferable skills

Judgment and Decision Making 3.0
Time Management 3.0
Social Perceptiveness 2.8
Complex Problem Solving 2.6
Coordination 2.5
Instructing 2.1

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

Showing the top 40 of 42.

Tools & technology

Example Category
eClinicalWorks EHR software Medical software Hot technology
Microsoft Access Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Microsoft ASP.NET Web platform development software Hot technology
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software Hot technology
Microsoft Office software Office suite software Hot technology
Microsoft Outlook Electronic mail software Hot technology
Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation software Hot technology
Microsoft Windows Operating system software Hot technology
Microsoft Word Word processing software Hot technology
Allscripts healthcare automation software Medical software
Boston Bar Systems Corporation Sonnet Word processing software
Bytescribe Development Company WavPlayer Word processing software
Calendar software Calendar and scheduling software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite Office suite software
Crescendo Systems Corporation MedRite-XL Medical software
Crescendo Systems DigiScribe-XL Voice recognition software
Database software Data base user interface and query software
dBASE Plus Data base user interface and query software
Electronic medical record EMR systems Medical software
Email software Electronic mail software
Emmaus MPWord Word processing software
FileMaker Pro Data base user interface and query software
g-net solutions MTP Voice recognition software
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS Medical software
Integrated Systems Management OmniMD Medical software
Medical terminology databases Information retrieval or search software
MedQuist DocQment Enterprise Platform Medical software
Narratek Smartype Word processing software
Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking Voice recognition software
Patient billing software Billing and invoicing software
PCC EHR Medical software
Precision Data Solutions VoicePower Word processing software
Prognosis Innovation Healthcare ChartAccess Medical software
SpectraMedi EasyFlow Medical software
Speech recognition software Voice recognition software
SpeedType Word processing software
SpeedUp Trans Word processing software
Spellex AccuCount Spell checkers
Sylvan Software Complete Medical Pharmaceutical Spell Checker Spell checkers
Sylvan Software DropChute Pro Desktop communications software

Showing the top 40 of 43.

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled 5.0
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams 4.9
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate 4.8
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team 4.6
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks 4.5
E-Mail 4.4
Contact With Others 4.4
Telephone Conversations 4.3
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals 4.3
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls 4.1
Time Pressure 4.1
Health and Safety of Other Workers 3.9
Frequency of Decision Making 3.8
Freedom to Make Decisions 3.8
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General 3.7
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities 3.6
Spend Time Sitting 3.6
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers 3.6
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results 3.5
Exposed to Disease or Infections 3.4
Written Letters and Memos 3.3
Physical Proximity 3.1
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions 3.0
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People 2.8
Spend Time Standing 2.8
Degree of Automation 2.7
Spend Time Walking or Running 2.7
Consequence of Error 2.6
Conflict Situations 2.5
Level of Competition 2.4
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable 2.1
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions 2.1
Exposed to Hazardous Conditions 2.0
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment 1.9
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets 1.9
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body 1.9
Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings 1.9
Exposed to Contaminants 1.6
Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People 1.4
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling 1.4

How to get in

Job zone
Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Education
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Typical entry-level education
Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
Related experience
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Preparation level
SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Post-Secondary Certificate 38.9%
Some College Courses 33.6%
High School Diploma 16.7%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) 10.7%

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Conventional 6.3
Social 3.7
Investigative 3.6
Realistic 2.5
Artistic 1.7

Interest areas

Office Work 5.8
Health Care Service 4.3
Medical Science 2.3
Information Technology 2.2
Accounting 2.1
Life Science 1.8
Social Service 1.6

Work styles

Dependability 4.0
Attention to Detail 3.0
Cautiousness 2.2
Integrity 2.2

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

$26k10th$31k25th$38kMedian$46k75th$54k90th
Annual wages by percentile — U.S. (BLS OEWS). The light band spans the 10th–90th percentile; the darker band is the middle half (25th–75th); the line is the median.
44k202442k2034 (proj.)-4.9% · Declining
Projected U.S. employment, 2024–2034 (BLS Employment Projections). A labor-market forecast for the occupation, not an AI-impact forecast.
10th percentile $26,370
25th percentile $31,200
Median (50th) $37,550
75th percentile $45,680
90th percentile $53,890
People employed 43,070

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Industry Workers National median pay
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 25,110 $43,190
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 15,990 $30,840
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 850 $43,070
Temporary Help Services · National industry 740 $36,130
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 620 $47,230
Offices of Optometrists · National industry 460 $37,200
Educational Services · Sector 240 $43,320
Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry 150 $37,670
Veterinary Services · National industry 90 $38,740
Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) · National industry 90 $41,650
Finance and Insurance · Sector 80 $40,470
Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry 70 $46,280

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Industry Concentration Workers
Offices of Optometrists · National industry 10.8× 460
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 6.34× 15,990
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 3.89× 25,110
Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry 1.13× 150
Temporary Help Services · National industry 740
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 0.79× 620
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 0.28× 850
Educational Services · Sector 0.06× 240

Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay Medical Transcriptionists sits at the 61st percentile of AI task-overlap and the 8th percentile of median pay, placed here against 11 adjacent occupations on the same two axes. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Medical Transcriptionists Paramedics Emergency Medical Technicians Medical Assistants Word Processors and Typists File Clerks Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Medical Records Specialists AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
AI task-overlap percentile (horizontal) vs. median-pay percentile (vertical), across all scored occupations. This occupation is highlighted; related occupations are plotted alongside it. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Medical Transcriptionists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Skills that travel

Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.

Paths in

How people typically prepare for this work.

Zoom out

On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 91st percentile of 427 international occupations.

Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

Medical Transcriptionists show 61st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,400 annual U.S. openings

  • Medical Transcriptionists rank in the 61st percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
  • The occupation is projected to see about 7,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • BLS projects employment to be declining (-4.9%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • Median annual pay is $37,550, across about 43,070 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 30% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Medical Transcriptionists show 61st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,400 annual U.S. openings

• Medical Transcriptionists rank in the 61st percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE)
• The occupation is projected to see about 7,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• BLS projects employment to be declining (-4.9%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• Median annual pay is $37,550, across about 43,070 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 30% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2)

Source: Singulariki — "Medical Transcriptionists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9094-00
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom

Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Medical Transcriptionists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9094-00

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Medical Transcriptionists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9094-00

BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-31-9094-00,
  title  = {Medical Transcriptionists},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-9094-00}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.

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