A study was conducted in the Champaign-Urbana area to evaluate the relationship of the educational preparation of medical transcriptionists to their on-the-job requirements. Personal interviews were conducted with three hospital medical records administrators and with the appropriate department head of an area community college that offered a medical transcription program. During the interviews, administrators identified the tasks performed by transcriptionists and non-transcriptionists and ranked these tasks in order of importance. Likewise, the department head identified those tasks meeting the instructional objectives of the curriculum and rated the emphasis given to each one. The following tasks were rated as very important by both groups: (1) transcription from recordings, (2) use of electric typewriter, (3) use of magnetic tape selector typewriter, (4) transcription of histories and physicals, (5) transcription of consultation and discharge summaries, and (6) transcription of operative reports. Administrators indicated that graduates were often deficient in the last three skills, suggesting that more training should be provided in grammar, medical technology, use of reference materials, and the ability to interpret foreign or poor diction. The investigators recommended that internship programs be established and medical terminology self-instruction programs be implemented in the employment setting. (JP)