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Medical transcriptionists achieved a separate job classification from the U.S. Department of Labor. The revised Standard Occupational Classification (SOC), published by the Office of Management and Budget, includes a separate line item 31-9094 for medical transcriptionists in the general arena of health care. This is something AHDI has been promoting since its inception over 20 years ago. In the 1980 SOC document, medical transcriptionists were grouped with court reporters and stenographers under "Clerical and Other Administrative Support Occupations." This separate classification is truly noteworthy. Having an ID number, medical transcriptionists can now be studied like any other occupation. Statistics can be gathered on numbers of MTs, salaries, etc.

The Department of Labor's Revision Policy Committee relied heavily on information from the O*NET (Occupational Information Network) study that was conducted in early 1998 and to which AHDI members responded in great numbers. The O*NET project was overwhelmed by the response from medical transcriptionists and received more offers to participate than they could use.

An O*NET publication with results of the 1998 study on medical transcription was released in 2000. The O*NET study of occupations will be an ongoing process; the latest review for medical transcriptionists began in 2002. Revisions to the O*Net publication were submitted by AHDI in 2005.

For more information on this, visit the sites http://www.bls.gov/soc/soc_k9j4.htm - http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos271.htm - http://www.bls.gov/oes/2000/oes319094.htm