Medical Transcriptionists
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.
41,550 people do this job in the US. $40,410 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 85%
- 0%
- 15%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 13%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 82%. Today's estimate: 84%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 15 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 23% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 13% | 21 min8 min to 1.1 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Perform a variety of clerical and office tasks, such as handling incoming and outgoing mail, completing and submitting insurance claims, typing, filing, or operating office machines.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 9% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Perform data entry and data retrieval services, providing data for inclusion in medical records and for transmission to physicians.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 17 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care facility records.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 8 min3 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Return dictated reports in printed or electronic form for physician's review, signature, and corrections and for inclusion in patients' medical records.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Distinguish between homonyms and recognize inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Receive patients, schedule appointments, and maintain patient records.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Decide which information should be included or excluded in reports.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Medical Records Specialists89% now, 94% by 2028
- Word Processors and Typists67% now, 77% by 2028
- Medical Assistants41% now, 42% by 2028
- Emergency Medical Technicians7% now, 60% by 2028
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants87% now, 91% by 2028
- Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars9% now, 75% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).