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Medical transcriptionist

Also called medical transcriber, clinical transcriber, clinical transcriptionist

Medical transcriptionists interpret dictated information from the doctor or other healthcare professionals and convert it into documents. They create, format and edit medical records for patients based on the provided data and take care to apply punctuation and grammar rules.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects25 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Business and administration associate professionalsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,600 (Bulgaria) to €6,300 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Business and administration associate professionalsWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree5 in 10 have a degree. 3 in 10 train through vocational routes.Business and administration associate professionalsWill AI change it?SignificantlyLevel 5 of 6. AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.Medical secretaries · ILO

What you'd do

Medical secretaries · ILO
  • Scheduling and confirming medical appointments and communicating messages for medical staff; and patients
  • Compiling, recording and reviewing medical charts, reports, documents and correspondence
  • Interviewing patients to complete forms, documents and case histories
  • Completing insurance and other claims forms
  • Maintaining medical files and records and technical library
  • Preparing financial statements and billing procedures
  • Assisting in the preparation of budgets, drafting of contracts and purchasing or acquisition orders
  • Supervising the work of office support workers and other office staff
Use word processing softwareEdit dictated medical textsTranscribe medical dataApply grammar and spelling rulesMaintain healthcare user data confidentiality+ 6 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • A mix of sitting and standing
  • Lots of contact with people, including the public
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Very repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Medical Transcriptionists"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as business and administration associate professionals in the EU
13.29m14.1m14.28m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
55,000 new jobs 3,460,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Business and administration associate professionals25
All jobs29
Right now
6 of 27 countries report a shortage of medical secretaries, 2 a surplus.
Medical secretaries · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,600 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,300 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in secretarial and office work is the usual route.

Highest qualification of business and administration associate professionals (EU, 2025)
Degree 51%Vocational 31%General secondary 13%Basic schooling 6%
Field that teaches it
Secretarial and office work
Vocational route, EU
3 in 10 trainees in this field
Business and law graduates in a matching job
66% in the EU

1,314 institutions in the EU offer business and law bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Significantly

AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.53 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 8 tasks
Completing insurance and other claims forms0.66
Preparing financial statements and billing procedures0.65
Scheduling and confirming medical appointments and communicating messages for medical staff; and patients0.63
Maintaining medical files and records and technical library0.52
Interviewing patients to complete forms, documents and case histories0.51
Assisting in the preparation of budgets, drafting of contracts and purchasing or acquisition orders0.48
Compiling, recording and reviewing medical charts, reports, documents and correspondence0.45
Supervising the work of office support workers and other office staff0.34

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for medical secretaries. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).