Healthcare · Career brief

Pediatricians, General

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Pediatricians, General at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$210,040

Very high national median pay

2025 national median. Top 10% for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

1.5%

Slow projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

1,000

Low national opening volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Bottom quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

Professional degree

Long formal preparation is part of the path

Doctoral or professional degree. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

People-centered

Helping, teaching, or working directly with people matters

Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury in infants and children.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

ChooseField take

The standout national signal is pay; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if people-centered work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a professional-degree path. Main tradeoff: Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

Before choosing, compare:Family Medicine Physicians Neurologists Obstetricians and Gynecologists

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Pediatricians, General with another field Explore rankings in Healthcare Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$210,040

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

1.5%employment growth1,000openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

42,200

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Pediatricians, general (29-1221).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury in infants and children.
Examine children regularly to assess their growth and development.
Treat children who have minor illnesses, acute and chronic health problems, and growth and development concerns.
Examine patients or order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests to obtain information on medical condition and determine diagnosis.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.
Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.
The helping mission includes documentation, direct care, and safety-critical routines where a missed detail can affect a patient.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Assisting and Caring for Others5.0
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.8
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.8
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.8
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.7

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Social6.6
Investigative6.2
Realistic3.6
Conventional3.6
Enterprising2.5
Artistic1.9

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Medicine and Dentistry Therapy and Counseling Biology Psychology

Software and tools named in job postings

Epic Systems

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Try an approved first-aid, CPR, patient-care, or health-science workshop. Use supervised training or simulation only.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Pediatricians, general nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions. Examples of tools used in the occupation include Epic Systems; check which ones employers near you actually require.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Family Medicine Physicians, Neurologists, Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Physical Therapist.