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.
U.S. Workers
43,070
Median Salary
$37,550
10-Year Growth
-4.9%
Annual Openings
7,400
Typical entry: Postsecondary nondegree award
15 of 15 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines.
AI: Fully automatable - Modern automatic speech recognition systems can capture and transcribe dictation from headsets or audio in real time, effectively performing the core dictation task traditionally done with stenotype/transcribing machines.
Return dictated reports in printed or electronic form for physician's review, signature, and corrections and for inclusion in patients' medical records.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can format transcribed text into printable or electronic reports and deliver them to physicians or EHRs for review, signature, and inclusion given proper integration and workflows.
Perform data entry and data retrieval services, providing data for inclusion in medical records and for transmission to physicians.
AI: Fully automatable - Robotic process automation and AI integrations can perform data entry and retrieval into medical records and transmit data to physicians when connected to the necessary EHR interfaces and controls.
Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology.
AI: Fully automatable - Large language models and medical NLP tools can reliably correct spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and standardize medical terminology in transcribed reports at near-human accuracy.
Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries.
AI: Fully automatable - ASR systems adapted to medical domains can transcribe a wide variety of medical report types (histories, exams, ER notes, ops, discharge summaries) with high accuracy given adequate audio quality and domain models.
Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care facility records.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated systems can reliably expand abbreviations and translate medical jargon into expanded forms using medical dictionaries and context-aware models.
Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can produce drafts of medical reports, correspondence, summaries, statistics, and administrative materials quickly, though final validation by clinicians or staff is typically required.
Distinguish between homonyms and recognize inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine.
AI: Partial - AI can disambiguate many homonyms and cross-check terms against references, but it still misses some rare/ambiguous medical usages and clinical-context nuances, so human review remains necessary.
Identify mistakes in reports and check with doctors to obtain the correct information.
AI: Partial - AI can identify likely mistakes and generate queries, but actually confirming corrections with doctors and obtaining authoritative answers generally requires human-mediated communication or institutional workflows.
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.
AI: Partial - AI can assist in organizing, indexing, and populating medical files and databases, but full setup, ongoing maintenance, security, and governance of such systems requires human IT, compliance, and administrative involvement.
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.
AI: Partial - AI and RPA can automate most digital clerical tasks (typing, claims submission, filing), but physical mail handling and ad-hoc office-machine operations still require human or robotic presence and oversight.
Receive patients, schedule appointments, and maintain patient records.
AI: Partial - Automated scheduling systems and EHR integrations can manage appointments and records, yet physically receiving patients and managing exceptions or sensitive situations still need human staff.
Answer inquiries concerning the progress of medical cases, within the limits of confidentiality laws.
AI: Partial - AI can retrieve and communicate status updates with proper authentication and access controls, but nuanced explanations, consent issues, and legal/ethical edge cases require human judgment.
Decide which information should be included or excluded in reports.
AI: Partial - AI can recommend inclusion/exclusion based on templates, rules, and learned patterns, but final decisions about relevance, confidentiality, and legal implications typically demand human discretion.
Receive and screen telephone calls and visitors.
AI: Partial - IVR, virtual receptionists, and kiosks can screen many calls and visitors, but complex triage, in-person assistance, and sensitive interactions still require humans.