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

What is a pathology secretary/transcriptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a pathology secretary/transcriptionist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.96 an hour? That's $35,270 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -8% and produce -286,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePathology Secretary/TranscriptionistUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,270

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.2

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 3.77%

Black or African American 9.57%

Hispanic or Latino 11.96%

Unknown 3.77%

White 70.56%

Gender

female 95.02%

male 4.98%

Age - 51

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 - 51

Stress level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.3

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pathology secretary/transcriptionist

Explore pathology secretary/transcriptionist education requirements

Most common pathology secretary/transcriptionist degrees

Associate

38.0 %

Bachelor's

24.4 %

High School Diploma

16.4 %

Start to develop specific pathology secretary/transcriptionist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	23.69%
Transcription	16.11%
Medical Terminology	15.24%
Dictation	6.75%
Laboratory Reports	5.22%

Complete relevant pathology secretary/transcriptionist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pathology secretaries/transcriptionist 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 pathology secretary/transcriptionist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pathology secretary/transcriptionist resumes.

Research pathology secretary/transcriptionist duties and responsibilities

Conduct 6 mass vaccination campaigns, manage protein-calorie malnutrition, coordinate epidemiological surveillance, and direct health facility rehabilitation
Communicate effectively and professionally with many physicians and patients regarding pathology and other test results.
Prepare surgical and cytology reports including ICD-9 and CPT coding.
Retrieve insurance information of patients and ensure referrals and authorizations are received as needed.

Prepare your pathology secretary/transcriptionist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pathology secretary/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 pathology secretary/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 pathology secretary/transcriptionist resume templates

Build a professional pathology secretary/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 pathology secretary/transcriptionist resume.