Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners

How to become a Family Medicine Physician

Official title: Family Medicine Physicians

Also called: Board Certified Family Physician, Family Medicine Physician, Family Physician, Family Practice Medical Doctor (FP MD), Family Practice Physician (FP Physician), Family Practitioner, Medical Doctor (MD), Medical Staff Physician, Physician, Primary Care Physician

Diagnose, treat, and provide preventive care to individuals and families across the lifespan. May refer patients to specialists when needed for further diagnosis or treatment.

Main tasks

Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.
Order, perform, and interpret tests and analyze records, reports, and examination information to diagnose patients' condition.
Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results.
Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary.
Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention.
Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, students, assistants, specialists, therapists, and other medical staff.
Refer patients to medical specialists or other practitioners when necessary.

How to become one

Physicians and surgeons typically need a bachelor's degree as well as a medical degree, which takes an additional 4 years to complete. Depending on their specialty, they also need 3 to 9 years in internship and residency programs. Subspecialization includes additional training in a fellowship of 1 to 3 years.

Typical education to start: Doctoral or professional degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

College: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 23 universities in the US
Licence: A licence is required in 48 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $244,180 a year The middle half earn $162,420 to $334,270.
About 114,300 people work in this job now, and about 118,000 are projected by 2035. (+3.3%)
People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Family Medicine Physician?

How much does a Family Medicine Physician earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $244,180 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $162,420 to $334,270.

Is a Family Medicine Physician a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 3% by 2035, from about 114,300 to about 118,000 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Family Medicine Physician?

Usually. 100% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Family Medicine Physician?

People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.