Some people become medical transcriptionists without special training, and receive one-the-job training. However, employers prefer transcriptionists who have completed post-secondary training at a community college or vocational school. Many schools offer programs specifically targeted toward medical transcription.
The American Association of Medical Transcriptionists awards a voluntary designation of Certified Medical Transcriptionist to those who pass an exam that the AAMT administers. This certification is a sign of competence and makes the transcriptionist more employable.
The job of medical transcriptionist is expected to grow 22.1% between 2004 and 2014. This projected growth is faster than the average projected growth for other occupations, and is similar to the growth expected for other healthcare jobs.
Speech recognition technology may affect the future of medical transcription, and is in use now in some segments of the healthcare industry.
With this software, the dictated material is transformed automatically into a word-processed file, and the medical transcriptionist then goes over this preliminary draft, edits it and makes corrections. This technology is still rudimentary, but is being used on a limited basis in specialized fields like radiology and pathology (which have a more limited vocabulary than more general medical practices). However, in spite of this technology the demand for medical transcriptionists is still expected to grow at the rate of 22.1%.
Transcriptionists working for transcription services are usually paid by the line of text transcribed. Those employed by hospitals or doctors' offices are usually paid by the hour. Median earnings in 2004 were $13.64 per hour.
Transcriptionists were paid slightly higher wages in hospitals than in physicians' offices or business support services.