Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners

How to become a General Pediatrician

Official title: Pediatricians, General

Also called: Developmental Pediatrician, Emergency Room Pediatrician (ER Pediatrician), General Pediatrician, Group Practice Pediatrician, Medical Doctor (MD), Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician, Pediatric Physician, Physician, Primary Care Pediatrician

Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries in children. May refer patients to specialists for further diagnosis or treatment, as needed.

Main tasks

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.
Advise patients, parents or guardians, and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention.
Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients and parents or guardians.
Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results.
Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as 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: $210,040 a year The middle half earn $138,290 to $273,700.
About 42,200 people work in this job now, and about 42,900 are projected by 2035. (+1.5%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a General Pediatrician?

How much does a General Pediatrician earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $210,040 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $138,290 to $273,700.

Is a General Pediatrician a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 42,200 people now and 42,900 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a General Pediatrician?

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

Will AI change the work of a General Pediatrician?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

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.