Career
Dermatologists
Diagnose and treat conditions of the skin.
$328,730
Median pay
+6.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
400
Openings a year
Doctoral or professional degree
Typical education
7–8 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Conduct complete skin examinations.
- Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma.
- Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma.
- Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer.
- Counsel patients on topics such as the need for annual dermatologic screenings, sun protection, skin cancer awareness, or skin and lymph node self-examinations.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Conduct complete skin examinations.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
7–8 years of education after high school (doctoral or professional degree), for a median of $328,730 a year and 400 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- MedicineCIP 51.1201
- Osteopathic Medicine/OsteopathyCIP 51.1202
- Internal Medicine/Dermatology Combined Specialty ProgramCIP 61.0109
- Dermatology Residency ProgramCIP 61.0501
- Dermatopathology Fellowship ProgramCIP 61.0502
- Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship ProgramCIP 61.0503
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Pediatric Surgeons$559,030 · +2.0%
- Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric$358,550 · +4.0%
- Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric$300,080 · +4.5%
- Cardiologists$496,010 · +4.8%
- Urologists
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.