What is a Medical Transcriptionist?
The formal definition of a Medical Transcriptionist, as stated in the 2008 Occupational Outlook Handbook - What is a Medical Transcriptionist.
"Medical Transcriptionists use headsets and transcribing machines to listen to recordings by physicians and other healthcare professionals. These workers transcribe a variety of medical reports about emergency room visits, diagnostic imaging studies, operations, chat reviews, and final summaries. To understand and accurately transcribe dictated reports into a format that is clear and comprehensible for the reader, the medical transcriptionist must understand the language of medicine, anatomy and physiology, diagnostic procedures, and treatment. They also must be able to translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms. After reviewing and editing for grammar and clarity, the medical transcriptionist transcribes the dictated reports and returns them in either printed or electronic form to the dictator for review and signature, or correction. These reports eventually become a part of the patient's permanent file."
The question what is a medical transcriptionist will always be answered best by the latest version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook.