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Pediatricians, General

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Pediatricians, General: Job Description

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

What Do Pediatricians, General Do?

Typical responsibilities of pediatricians, general cover:

  • 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.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Top pediatricians, general combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking  4.2 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  4.2 / 5
0
5
Judgment and Decision Making  4.2 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.1 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.1 / 5
0
5
Active Learning  4.0 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Medicine and Dentistry  5.0 / 5
0
5
Therapy and Counseling  4.5 / 5
0
5
Biology  4.4 / 5
0
5
Psychology  4.3 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  4.2 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.8 / 5
0
5

Types of Pediatricians, General Jobs

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

  • Baby Doctor
  • DO Physician (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Physician)
  • Developmental Pediatrician
  • Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician
  • Doctor
  • Emergency Room Pediatrician (ER Pediatrician)
  • General Pediatrician
  • Group Practice Pediatrician

Job Outlook

The U.S. employs around 3,007,044 pediatricians, general working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -1.8% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Pediatricians, General

Salary for Pediatricians, General

Statistic Value
Annual median $69,310
Hourly median $33.32
10th percentile $43,535
25th percentile $56,422
75th percentile $82,197
90th percentile $95,084

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Pediatricians, General

How Much Do Pediatricians, General Make in Different U.S. States?

State Annual median salary
New Mexico $237,950
Kentucky $237,740
Mississippi $236,860
Arizona $227,410
Oklahoma $226,150
North Dakota $225,250
Maine $224,200
South Dakota $217,990
Pennsylvania $217,810
Connecticut $215,730
Missouri $215,040
Massachusetts $213,230
Minnesota $212,380
Delaware $211,340
Rhode Island $210,230
Ohio $210,130
Washington $209,780
Hawaii $208,620
Maryland $208,160
Illinois $207,740
Colorado $205,310
Indiana $202,420
Alabama $202,330
South Carolina $201,990
North Carolina $201,400
Florida $195,100
Kansas $194,810
Utah $194,160
Virginia $189,070
Texas $187,590
Nebraska $186,680
Vermont $184,450
Michigan $182,040
Oregon $181,990
West Virginia $181,410
Tennessee $176,150
New Jersey $171,380
Virgin Islands $170,430
Georgia $162,290
New York $155,570
District of Columbia $147,060
Puerto Rico $94,810
Arkansas $74,890

Where Pediatricians, General Earn the Most

Earnings for pediatricians, general shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
New England $204,685 11.7% 2.66
Southwest $201,120 9.4% 0.78
Great Lakes $194,743 15.2% 1.37
Plains States $185,125 4.8% 0.96
Southeast $184,694 14.9% 0.73
Middle Atlantic $174,895 21.5% 1.72
Other U.S. Territories $170,430 0.1% 3.47
Rocky Mountains $167,517 1.8% 0.70

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Pediatricians, General

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI WI $239,080 80
Albuquerque, NM NM $237,950 160
Lexington-Fayette, KY KY $237,740 110
Kansas City, MO-KS MO $228,950 50
Oklahoma City, OK OK $227,760
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX TX $227,680 350
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ AZ $227,410 780
Springfield, MA MA $227,170 90

Top Industries Employing Pediatricians, General

Most pediatricians, general work in these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Health Care and Social Assistance 41,640 $210,130
Educational Services 1,160 $83,230
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 50 $95,970
Management of Companies and Enterprises 40 $237,200
Pediatricians, General sectors

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Pediatricians, General industries

Software Pediatricians, General Use

  • Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
  • Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
  • Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
  • Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The on-the-job environment of pediatricians, general tends to involve the following characteristics:

  • Exposed to Disease or Infections
  • Contact With Others
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
  • Freedom to Make Decisions
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

Education and Training

This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Similar Occupations

Degree Programs

Aspiring pediatricians, general often complete programs in:

2 programs across 1 majors

About the Data

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 29-1221.00 (Pediatricians, General).

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