AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 31-9094.00
Will AI replace Medical Transcriptionists?
Medical Transcriptionists: AI can already handle 2 of 15 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 15 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Medical Transcriptionists, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Return dictated reports in printed or electronic form for physician's review, signature, and corrections and for inclusion in patients' medical records. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Identify mistakes in reports and check with doctors to obtain the correct information. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Distinguish between homonyms and recognize inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care facility records. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform data entry and data retrieval services, providing data for inclusion in medical records and for transmission to physicians. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Take dictation using shorthand, a stenotype machine, or headsets and transcribing machines. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Answer inquiries concerning the progress of medical cases, within the limits of confidentiality laws. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| 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. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Decide which information should be included or excluded in reports. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Receive and screen telephone calls and visitors. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| 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. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Receive patients, schedule appointments, and maintain patient records. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 15 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 15 of 15. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 93% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 93% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 7% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 41,550
- Median annual wage
- $40,410
- Middle half of earners
- $34,150 to $48,000
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -4.9%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Medical Records Specialists 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure48
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure63
- Medical Assistants 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure31
- Word Processors and Typists 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure73
- Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure57
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Medical Transcriptionists and AI
Will AI replace Medical Transcriptionists?
AI already handles 2 of the 15 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 34 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -4.9% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Medical Transcriptionists?
34 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 15 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 15 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Medical Transcriptionists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology; Return dictated reports in printed or electronic form for physician's review, signature, and corrections and for inclusion in patients' medical records. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 93% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Medical Transcriptionists, and what do they earn?
41,550 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $40,410 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -4.9% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Medical Transcriptionists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/medical-transcriptionists
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