Why do you want to work as a transcriptionist?

"I want to work as a transcriptionist because there is flexibility in terms of work-life balance and scheduling, I find the work interesting and engaging, and I want to have the opportunity to hone my existing skills and develop new ones" is a good answer to this interview question.

How To Become A Transcriptionist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a transcriptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The primary duty of a transcriptionist is to listen to voice tape and translate this information into written documents. As a transcriptionist, you must comprehend customers' descriptions and record any formatting before finishing the transcription. You must also finish transcriptions in a well-timed or prompt way and examine outlines for any formatting, spelling, or grammar mistakes. More so, you must strictly obey every classified guideline and respect private information as well as be present for court prosecutions or arranged meetings. Additionally, you have to interact with clients or managers when challenges arise and tender finished outlines to clients. You have to also make corrections to any mistakes according to their response or consistent typing training.

To become a transcriptionist, you need a high school diploma or an associate degree in necessary courses. You must also be efficient in using computer software like MS office. Furthermore, you must exhibit excellent reading, time management, and listening skills. Also, you must always pay attention to details and be able to concentrate for extended periods. You will earn an average of $28,930 per annum or $13.91 hourly on the job.

ScoreTranscriptionistUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $44,118

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

3.6

Growth Rate -7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 14.38%

Black or African American 6.62%

Hispanic or Latino 8.83%

Unknown 4.65%

White 65.37%

Gender

female 88.70%

male 11.30%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress Level

3.6

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.3

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a transcriptionist

Explore transcriptionist education requirements

Most common transcriptionist degrees

Bachelor's

38.5 %

Associate

30.0 %

High School Diploma

12.1 %

Start to develop specific transcriptionist skills

Skills	Percentages
Transcription	24.69%
Patients	8.39%
Dictation	7.77%
Transcription Services	6.16%
Patient Care	4.57%

Complete relevant transcriptionist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New transcriptionists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a transcriptionist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real transcriptionist resumes.

Research transcriptionist duties and responsibilities

Manage two ambulance sets, two ambulances, and specialize high-angle rescue equipment value at $500K+.
Transcribe cardiology, urology, and oncology reports.
Transcribe medical office dictation from outpatient facilities (internal medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, radiology).
Transcribe a variety of medical reports for different physician practices including specialties of psychiatry, neurology, neurosurgery and orthopedics.

Prepare your transcriptionist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your transcriptionist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a transcriptionist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Transcriptionist Resume templates

Build a professional Transcriptionist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Transcriptionist resume.

Apply for transcriptionist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a transcriptionist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do transcriptionists rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Transcriptionist reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021

Pros

For me it's just been able to deliver up on a project and getting satisfied clients and feedbacks are great.

Cons

What I do not like will be audio files that are not clear making it hard to make out what the speaker is saying.