Vocational Index

Career

General internal medicine physicians

Diagnose and treat illness in adults.

$256,560
Median pay
+4.0%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,900
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

  • Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient.
  • Treat internal disorders, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or problems of the lung, brain, kidney, or gastrointestinal tract.
  • Prescribe or administer medication, therapy, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.
  • Manage and treat common health problems, such as infections, influenza or pneumonia, as well as serious, chronic, and complex illnesses, in adolescents, adults, and the elderly.
  • Provide and manage long-term, comprehensive medical care, including diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases, for adult patients in an office or hospital.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+3.3%2025–35 edition+4.0%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 2,100 → 1,900 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Ideas & analysis
6.8
People & care
6.1
Objects & tools
4.4
Information & systems
3.6
Persuasion & leadership
2.1
Creation & expression
1.4

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then people & care?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.

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 $256,560 a year and 1,900 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • MedicineCIP 51.1201
  • Osteopathic Medicine/OsteopathyCIP 51.1202
  • Internal Medicine/Anesthesiology Combined Specialty ProgramCIP 61.0108
  • Internal Medicine/Dermatology Combined Specialty ProgramCIP 61.0109
  • Internal Medicine/Emergency Medicine Combined Specialty ProgramCIP 61.0110
  • Internal Medicine/Emergency Medicine/Critical Care Medicine Combined Specialty ProgramCIP 61.0111

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

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

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.