California Medical Transcription Careers

Medical transcriptionists listen to dictated recordings made by doctors and other healthcare professionals and transcribe them into correspondence, medical reports, and other administrative documents. They use the Internet or a variety of offline technology platforms to transcribe recordings and edit as needed for clarity and grammar. The specific types of reports transcriptionists produce include medical history and physical exam reports, autopsy reports, discharge summaries, referral letters, operative reports, diagnostic imaging summaries, and consultation reports.

Medical transcriptionists work in a variety of environments from hospitals to diagnostic labs. However, many transcriptionists work from home. While medical transcriptionists work in all regions across the U.S., the largest population resides in the State of California.

Medical Transcription Education and Training Programs

In order to accurately transcribe dictated recordings by doctors and other healthcare professionals, the transcriptionist must understand anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, jargon, and abbreviations as well as pharmacology, diagnostic procedures, and treatment assessments. In addition, the transcriptionist must be computer savvy in order to quickly master the many different forms of technology used for transcribing.

For these reasons, employers prefer to hire medical transcriptionists that have completed either a 1-year certificate or a 2-year Associate Degree program. A typical medical transcription program will consists of coursework in anatomy, pharmacology, pathology, medical transcription I, II, and III; medical terminology, human relations, and medical abbreviations.

In addition to education and training, employer’s prefer to hire transcriptionists that have obtained certification. Two types of certifications are available through the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity including Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) and Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist (CHDS).

Medical Transcription Schools and Training Programs in California

California is home to several accredited medical transcription programs including:

De Anza College, Cupertino, CA
Glendale Community College, Glendale, CA
Skyline College, San Bruno, CA

Employment and Earnings Outlook for California Medical Transcriptionists

California is home to 4,600 medical transcriptionists down from 6,260 in 2008, yet it is still home to more medical transcriptionists than any other state. In addition, California’s Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale Metro Area has the 3rd highest employment level (among U.S. metro areas) for this occupation. This metro area is home to 1,350 medical transcriptionists averaging $48,730 per year—the sixth highest average salary among U.S. metro areas.

Of the 10 Highest Paying Metro Areas for Medical Transcriptionists, 7 are in the State of California. They include:

#1: San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, $52,950
#2: Salinas, $52,610
#3: Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, $51,980
#6: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, $48,730
#7: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, $47,570
#9: San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, $46,560
#10: Stockton, $46,250

The overall average salary for California-based medical transcriptionists is $44,700, up from $41,300 in 2008. The nation’s 84,100 medical transcriptionists average $34,020 per year, up from $32,960 in 2008 when the U.S. was home to 86,200 transcriptionists. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 8% increase in employment for medical transcriptionists for the 2012-2022 decade. This means, the population is expected to increase by 6,400.