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Medical > Medical Transcriptionist

Salary National Average

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32340.0000 38590.0000 52270.0000

Change from Previous Year:

+4%

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Candidate Supply: 502 Job Openings: 3,068

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Short Description:

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 an entirely understandable form. Edit as necessary and return statements in either printed or electronic form for review, signature, or correction.

Duties / Responsibilities:

  • Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines.
  • Return dictated reports in printed or electronic form for the physician's review, signature, corrections, and inclusion in patients' medical records.
  • Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology.
  • Transcribe dictation for various medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultations, or discharge summaries.
  • Distinguish between homonyms and recognize inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine.
  • Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and healthcare facility records.
  • Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material.
  • Identify mistakes in reports and check with doctors to obtain the correct information.
  • Perform data entry and retrieval services, providing data for inclusion in medical records and transmission to physicians.
  • Set up and maintain medical files and databases, including records such as x-ray, lab and procedure reports, medical histories, diagnostic workups, admission and discharge summaries, and clinical resumes.

Skills / Requirements / Qualifications

  • Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points 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 audience's needs.
  • Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Monitoring: Monitoring/assessing the performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Job Zones

  • Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
  • Related Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. 
  • Job Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
  • Job Zone Examples: These occupations usually involve communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include food service managers, electricians, agricultural technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.
  • Specific Vocational Preparation in years: 1-2 years of preparation (6.0 to < 7.0)

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