Oregon Labor Market Information System
Occupational Information Center
Occupational Report for Medical Transcriptionists (31-9094) , Oregon Statewide
Occupational Description

Use transcribing machines with headset and foot pedal to listen to recordings by physicians and other healthcare professionals dictating a variety of medical reports, such as emergency room visits, diagnostic imaging studies, operations, chart reviews, and final summaries. Transcribe dictated reports and translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms. Edit as necessary and return reports in either printed or electronic form to the dictator for review and signature, or correction.

The following related career videos are available from America's Career InfoNet:
Medical Transcriptionists
Employment Outlook for Medical Transcriptionists
Statewide Employment Analysis 2006 employment is estimated to be at about the statewide average. This occupation is expected to grow much faster than the statewide average. Total job openings are projected to be somewhat higher than the statewide average.

Reasonable employment opportunities exist for trained workers.

Data Sources and Limitations
Current Job Openings for Medical Transcriptionists There are no openings for this occupation.
State of Oregon License Information for Medical Transcriptionists No statewide license is required for this occupation.
Wages for Medical Transcriptionists
Region ---------------- 2009 Wages ----------------
Percentiles (hourly wages) Avg
Hourly
($/hr)
Avg
Annual
10th 25th 50th
(median)
75th 90th
Oregon Statewide $12.59 $14.84 $17.70 $20.16 $23.33 $17.61 $36,634
Clatsop / Columbia / Tillamook 13.55 15.07 17.77 19.55 20.68 17.35 36,095
Multnomah / Washington 15.69 17.32 19.52 22.41 24.65 19.72 41,021
Marion / Polk / Yamhill 12.45 13.81 16.20 19.85 23.31 16.95 35,247
Benton / Lincoln / Linn 12.89 14.02 15.69 17.71 19.53 15.72 32,706
Lane 13.71 15.91 17.56 19.02 19.88 17.18 35,741
Douglas 10.42 11.19 12.47 15.46 18.82 13.47 28,009
Coos / Curry 12.47 13.86 15.58 17.88 20.06 15.79 32,853
Jackson / Josephine 10.92 12.40 14.54 16.45 18.60 14.48 30,115
Crook / Deschutes / Jefferson 13.25 14.68 17.63 20.62 24.35 18.26 37,988
Baker / Union / Wallowa 10.83 11.58 12.79 16.03 18.68 13.71 28,530
Clackamas 17.04 18.15 20.00 22.32 24.59 20.13 41,862
Data Sources and Limitations
Regional Employment Projections for Medical Transcriptionists
Region Employment Change % Change Projected Annual Openings
2006 2016 Growth Replacement Total
Oregon Statewide 1,587 2,043 456 28.7% 46 34 79
Multnomah / Washington 528 649 121 22.9% 12 11 23
Lane 188 258 70 37.2% 7 4 11
Jackson / Josephine 148 196 48 32.4% 5 3 8
Marion / Polk / Yamhill 140 176 36 25.7% 4 3 7
Clackamas 102 127 25 24.5% 3 2 5
Benton / Lincoln / Linn 98 123 25 25.5% 3 2 5
Crook / Deschutes / Jefferson 83 112 29 34.9% 3 2 5
Coos / Curry 61 72 11 18.0% 1 1 2
Douglas 33 43 10 30.3% 1 1 2
Clatsop / Columbia / Tillamook 28 35 7 25.0% 1 1 1
Gilliam / Hood River / Sherman / Wheeler / Wasco 25 36 11 44.0% 1 1 2
Morrow / Umatilla 24 30 6 25.0% 1 1 1
Klamath / Lake 22 29 7 31.8% 1 1 1
Baker / Union / Wallowa 19 24 5 26.3% 1 0 1
Grant / Harney / Malheur 12 16 4 33.3% 0 0 1

Replacement openings are caused by existing workers permanently leaving their occupation. Many additional job openings occur due to job changes within occupations.
Data Sources and Limitations
Industries of Employment for Medical Transcriptionists
Industry
Click links to view infoUSA employers
Ownership 2006
Employment
Total, All Industries All 1,587
Total, All Industries Private 1,505
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services Private 319
Administrative and Support Services Private 319
Business Support Services Private 261
Other Support Services Private 50
Health Care and Social Assistance Private 1,183
Ambulatory Health Care Services Private 524
Offices of Physicians Private 423
Offices of Dentists Private 18
Offices of Other Health Practitioners Private 38
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories Private 38
Hospitals Private 648
Total, All Industries State 17
Total, All Industries Local 65
Educational Services Local 15
Health Care and Social Assistance Local 44
Hospitals Local 44
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals Local 44
Educational Requirements for Medical Transcriptionists Workers must have postsecondary training to gain the necessary skills for this occupation. However, those with an associate degree have a competitive advantage in this labor market.
Skills for Medical Transcriptionists
  • Apply Quality Assurance Techniques
  • Compose Business Correspondence
  • Follow Medical Office Procedures
  • Key Document From Machine Transcription
  • Maintain And Compile Medical Records And Charts
  • Manually Record Verbatim Records
  • Obtain Information From Clients, Customers, Patients Or Others
  • Operate Fax Machines, Copiers, Printers, And Other Office Machines
  • Organize And Work With Detailed Records
  • Perform Stenography
  • Perform Typing Or Data Entry For Extended Time Periods
  • Process And Prepare Business Forms
  • Process Medical Records
  • Process Records And Maintain Forms And Files
  • Proofread, Edit, And Revise Written Materials
  • Take Dictation
  • Transcribe Spoken, Recorded Or Written Information
  • Use Computers To Enter, Access And Retrieve Data
  • Use Correct Grammar, Punctuation And Spelling
  • Use Medical Terminology
  • Use Proofreading Symbols
  • Use Shorthand
  • Use Stenotype Machine
Schools and Training Providers for Medical Transcriptionists The training providers listed below offer one or more of the following programs:

Chemeketa Community College
4000 Lancaster Dr NE
Salem, OR 97305
Phone: (503) 399-5000
Programs of Training:
Linn-Benton Community College
6500 Pacific Blvd SW
Albany, OR 97321
Phone: (541) 917-4999
Programs of Training:
Mt Hood Community College
26000 SE Stark St
Gresham, OR 97030
Phone: (503) 491-6422
Programs of Training:
College of Legal Arts
8909 SW Barbur Boulevard, Suite 100
Portland, OR 97219-4063
Phone: (503) 223-5100
Programs of Training:
Central Oregon Community College
2600 NW College Way
Bend, OR 97701
Phone: (541) 383-7500
Programs of Training:
Rogue Community College
3345 Redwood Hwy
Grants Pass, OR 97527
Phone: (541) 956-7500
Programs of Training:
Abdill Career College, Inc.
843 E. Main Street, Suite 203
Medford, OR 97504-7137
Phone: (541) 779-8384
Programs of Training:
Southwestern Oregon Community College
1988 Newmark Ave
Coos Bay, OR 97420
Phone: (541) 888-2525
Programs of Training:
Eugene Vocational School
2300 Oakmont Way, Suite 106
Eugene, OR 97401-5530
Phone: (541) 484-0784
Programs of Training:
Career Pathway Roadmaps for Medical Transcriptionists These Oregon community colleges have defined career pathway roadmaps to facilitate entry into this occupation:

Chemeketa Community College
Lane Community College
Mt Hood Community College
Related Occupations The scores listed below indicates how closely the skills for Medical Transcriptionists matches the occupation in the list. A score of 100% means the occupations have identical skill sets. A maximum of 10 occupations are displayed below.
Occupation Skill Overlap
Court Reporters 59%
Office And Administrative Support Workers, All Other 36%
Medical Secretaries 35%
Word Processors And Typists 31%
Secretaries, Except Legal, Medical, And Executive 30%
Correspondence Clerks 28%
Data Entry Keyers 28%
Medical Records And Health Information Technicians 28%
Title Examiners, Abstractors, And Searchers 24%
Insurance Claims And Policy Processing Clerks 23%