Examine a child who feels sick
Ask when symptoms started, examine the child and listen with a stethoscope, then decide on tests or treatment.
Career profile
Pediatrician
Pediatricians care for kids as their bodies, skills, and medical needs change.
A child's own words, a parent's observations and the physical exam findings fit together. You use them to diagnose illness and track development over years.
A day in the life
Follow a child's development
Compare growth numbers with past visits, ask about sleep, behavior and learning, shifting focus if a parent worries.
Explain results and treatment
Talk the child and parent through test results and treatment, and make sure they understand the next steps.
Rethink a plan that isn't working
Check progress and update the chart, and if nothing improves, rethink the plan or refer to a specialist.
Quick facts
Medical degree + residency
United States
$210,040/year
United States · May 2025
1.5% growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Medical degree + residencyA doctoral or professional degree is the entry education level. Pediatric preparation includes medical school and usually three years of pediatric residency.
Pay
$210,040/yearNational median for general pediatricians; equivalent to $100.98 an hour.
Outlook
1.5% growthGeneral-pediatrician employment is projected to grow 1.5%, with about 1,000 openings a year on average.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like adapting an explanation for a young child, a teenager, or a worried parent.
- You enjoy working out what several clues mean together.
- You want to notice changes across repeated visits, including learning and behavior.
Things to weigh
- Clinical decisions carry serious consequences, including when the answer is not immediately clear.
- Some jobs include long days, overnight work, or calls outside scheduled appointments.
- Close contact with sick children brings regular exposure to infections.
Where AI may help
Some pediatricians use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help write visit notes. These tools may reduce time spent documenting a conversation.
What people still lead
You still interpret the child’s condition and explain decisions to the family. A useful note cannot replace an examination or an understanding of the child’s development.
What we can’t predict yet
How much documentation and clinical reasoning these tools can safely take over remains uncertain, especially when their answers must fit children of different ages.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national figures as a reference when comparing jobs, then look closely at the hours and compensation terms of an actual offer.
The national midpoint
General pediatricians had a median annual wage of $210,040 in May 2025, equivalent to $100.98 an hour. That hourly equivalent is not a promised hourly rate.
The national spread
The 10th-percentile annual wage was $91,470 and the 90th-percentile wage was $338,500. These describe the wage distribution, not starting and senior salaries. Self-employed income is excluded.
Openings include replacing people who leave
Employment is projected to rise 1.5% from 2025 to 2035. About 1,000 openings per year are expected on average, including growth and replacement needs.
Getting started
Complete college and medical school
- What the route involves
- Typically, you earn a bachelor’s degree, meet your chosen medical schools’ prerequisites, and complete about four years of medical school. You study medicine and learn to examine patients during supervised clinical rotations.
- What it can lead to
- A Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree prepares you to enter residency training.
Train in a pediatric residency
- What the route involves
- After medical school, complete usually three years of pediatric residency. You care for children in hospitals and clinics with experienced physicians reviewing your work as your responsibility grows.
- What it can lead to
- Residency develops the clinical skills for general pediatrics. Completing training is part of eligibility for specialty board certification; earning certification also requires meeting the board’s other requirements and passing its examination.
- What to check
- You also need medical licensure. Each state sets requirements for education, postgraduate training, and licensing examinations; residency completion alone does not issue a license.
The usual route has two connected parts: qualifying education, then pediatric residency. They are successive steps toward practice.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Get established
Build reliable habits for reviewing results, arranging follow-up, and consulting colleagues when a child’s needs exceed your expertise.
Improve how you deliver care
Use continuing education and reviews of your own practice to improve care—for example, checking whether families complete needed follow-up.
Develop a specialty
Apply for fellowship if you want deeper work in an area such as pediatric infectious diseases, combining complex patient care with research and teaching.
Where you can work
Primary care office or clinic
Repeated visits let you get to know families and compare a child’s development over time. Preventive appointments share the practice with visits for illness and ongoing concerns.
- Indoors
- Office
Hospital pediatric service
Your focus is children who need hospital care. You coordinate with other physicians, respond to changes during the stay, and pass the care plan back to the child’s regular pediatrician at discharge.
- Indoors
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Read the American Academy of Pediatrics’ public guide to well-child visits. Choose one topic, such as growth or sleep, and write a short explanation for a parent and another for a child. Notice whether adapting the same information to both people interests you.
Stay safe: Use general information only; do not assess a real child or recommend treatment.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Pediatricians, General — 29-1221.00. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — national estimates, supplied facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections Table 1.2, 2025–2035 — supplied facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physicians and Surgeons — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Board of Medical Specialties. American Board of Pediatrics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP Schedule of Well-Child Care Visits. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. What Is a Pediatric Hospitalist?. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. US Pediatricians’ Experiences with Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare in 2025. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Association of American Medical Colleges. Admission Requirements. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Pediatrics Residency Curriculum. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Federation of State Medical Boards. State Specific Requirements for Initial Medical Licensure. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Board of Medical Specialties. What Is ABMS Board Certification?. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- American Board of Medical Specialties. Standards for Continuing Certification. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship. Accessed 2026-10-09.