How to hire a medical transcriptionist

How to hire a medical transcriptionist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step medical transcriptionist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a medical transcriptionist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new medical transcriptionist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a medical transcriptionist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The medical transcriptionist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A medical transcriptionist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, medical transcriptionists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of medical transcriptionists.

   Type of Medical Transcriptionist	Description	Hourly rate
   Medical Transcriptionist	Medical transcriptionists, sometimes referred to as healthcare documentation specialists, listen to voice recordings that physicians and other healthcare professionals make and convert them into written reports. They may also review and edit medical documents created using speech recognition technology... Show more	$14-22
   Phlebotomist	Phlebotomists are workers in the medical field who specialize in drawing blood from patients. They ensure that patients are prepared by explaining the procedure to them, showing them tools they will use and where their blood will be stored, and answering any questions the patients may have... Show more	$12-20
   Certified Phlebotomist	A certified phlebotomist is a medical professional who specializes in drawing blood through venipuncture or finger and heel pricks, preparing the samples for laboratory procedures. Besides collecting blood, a phlebotomist is also responsible for gathering patient information, verifying identification, reviewing medical histories, labeling vials, and maintaining records, including diagnostic findings... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Transcription
   • Dictation
   • Discharge Summaries
   • Patient Histories
   • Medical Reports
   • Patient Care
   • Radiology Reports
   • Pathology Reports
   • Nuclear Medicine
   • Cardiology
   • Plastic Surgery
   • Operative Reports
   • Urology
   • Oncology

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage audits using transcribe reports with preoperative and postoperative documentation within the EMR.
   • Experience in radiology, cardiology, orthopedics, physical therapy, pediatrics, surgery and family practice medical terminology.
   • Transcribe dictation from various specialty providers at the hospital including orthopedics, urology, podiatry, ophthalmology, and pain management.
   • Transcribe radiology reports, including MRIs, CTs, nuclear medicine and vascular reports in a high-production, acute care setting.
   • Maintain medical record integrity by interpreting, editing and transcribing dictation for multiple physicians and nurse practitioners.
   • Prepare medical documentation from dictation - specializing in the areas of general surgery, orthopedics, plastic/oral surgery

   More medical transcriptionist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your medical transcriptionist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A medical transcriptionist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a medical transcriptionist in Tennessee may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level medical transcriptionist usually earns less than a senior-level medical transcriptionist. Additionally, a medical transcriptionist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average medical transcriptionist salary

   $38,725yearly

   $18.62 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level medical transcriptionist salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 29, 2025

   Average medical transcriptionist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$50,423	$24
   2	New York	$45,718	$22
   3	New Jersey	$45,579	$22
   4	Illinois	$44,748	$22
   5	Kansas	$43,250	$21
   6	Utah	$43,230	$21
   7	Ohio	$42,871	$21
   8	Colorado	$41,967	$20
   9	Nevada	$41,255	$20
   10	Missouri	$41,156	$20
   11	Mississippi	$40,986	$20
   12	Arizona	$40,358	$19
   13	Rhode Island	$39,397	$19
   14	Massachusetts	$39,196	$19
   15	Minnesota	$38,938	$19
   16	Maryland	$38,296	$18
   17	Louisiana	$37,841	$18
   18	Michigan	$37,757	$18
   19	Texas	$36,524	$18
   20	South Carolina	$36,521	$18

   Average medical transcriptionist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	White Plains Hospital	$67,038	$32.23	6
   2	Henry Ford Health System	$60,200	$28.94	1
   3	Northwell Health	$57,185	$27.49	87
   4	North Arkansas Regional Medical Center	$54,306	$26.11
   5	University of Southern California	$53,951	$25.94	17
   6	Washington State University	$50,776	$24.41
   7	RWJBarnabas Health	$49,923	$24.00	45
   8	Northside Hospital	$47,024	$22.61	37
   9	City of Jacksonville	$43,829	$21.07
   10	MES Solutions	$41,891	$20.14
   11	Trinitas Regional Medical Center	$41,629	$20.01
   12	Lake Charles Memorial Health System	$41,575	$19.99	4
   13	Baylor College of Medicine	$41,425	$19.92
   14	Baptist Health Care	$41,185	$19.80	4
   15	Care New England Health System	$40,730	$19.58	14
   16	Saddleback Memorial Medical Center Inc	$40,411	$19.43
   17	ProMed	$40,237	$19.34	2
   18	Memorial Health Systems Corporation	$40,237	$19.34	18
   19	Voca	$39,607	$19.04
   20	Praxis	$39,439	$18.96

4. Writing a medical transcriptionist job description

   A good medical transcriptionist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a medical transcriptionist job description:

   Medical transcriptionist job description example

   A local San Diego Medical Office is seeking a talented Medical Transcriptionist to add to their team. The role will be onsite in their San Diego office.
   Responsibilities:
   
   Processing transcribed files from outside transcription vendor(s) in a timely manner, including printing reports and envelopes, obtaining signatures, and distributing as appropriate.
   
   Work in electronic medical records to save the files from the external vendor(s).
   
   Ensure accuracy of dates, physician name, patient name, file type, etc.
   
   Review “on-hold” files from outside vendor and supply missing information or flag to physician for report completion.
   
   Assist other departments in locating reports and charts and expediting reports as necessary.
   
   Communicate with outside transcription vendor(s) regarding timeliness and accuracy of product.
   
   Communicate with physicians regarding dictation format, equipment usage, etc.
   
   Demonstrate genuine cooperation with all aspects of our company's injury and illness prevention program, including compliance with all rules and regulations, and continuously practice safety while performing assigned duties.
   
   Perform other duties as requested by physicians, administrator, or business office manager.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 3 years of experience in a similar role
   Experience working with Workman's Compensation claims
   Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with multiple providers
   
   If you feel that you meet the listed requirements and are looking for a great long-term opportunity, please apply.
   
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5. Post your job

   To find medical transcriptionists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any medical transcriptionists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level medical transcriptionists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your medical transcriptionist job on Zippia to find and attract quality medical transcriptionist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit medical transcriptionists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new medical transcriptionist

   Once you've decided on a perfect medical transcriptionist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new medical transcriptionist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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