Pediatrician
Also known as: Baby Doctor, Developmental Pediatrician, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician
Pediatricians diagnose and treat children from birth through adolescence — examining sick toddlers, managing chronic conditions like asthma, and guiding families through everything from growth concerns to behavioral issues. You'll spend your days in clinics and hospitals, building relationships with young patients and their parents while tracking development milestones and catching problems early.
Getting Started
How to Become a Pediatrician
You can start practicing as a pediatrician in 11 years with $250k-$375k in education costs — that's the same timeline as other medical specialties but with lower debt than surgical fields.
Bachelor's Degree (Pre-Med)
4 years · $80,000-$180,000
Medical School (MD/DO)
4 years · $170,000-$260,000
Residency Training
3 years · $0-$0
Medical Licensure and Board Certification
3 months · $2,000-$5,000
Pediatrician
Ongoing
Continuing Certification and CME
Ongoing · $1,000-$4,000/year
Start
Year 4
Year 8
Year 11
Year 11
Bachelor's Degree (Pre-Med)
4 years
Medical School (MD/DO)
4 years
Residency Training
3 years
Medical Licensure and Board Certification
3 months
Pediatrician
Ongoing
| Step | Duration | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
Bachelor's Degree (Pre-Med) | 4 years | $80,000-$180,000 | Complete a bachelor's degree with prerequisite science coursework required for medical school admission. |
Medical School (MD/DO) | 4 years | $170,000-$260,000 | Complete an LCME- or COCA-accredited medical degree program and required clinical rotations. |
Residency Training | 3 years | $0-$0 | Complete an ACGME-accredited residency in your specialty while earning supervised clinical income and meeting board-eligibility training requirements.Starting salary: $75,000/yr |
Medical Licensure and Board Certification | 3 months | $2,000-$5,000 | Complete final licensure and board-certification steps required for unsupervised specialty practice. |
Pediatrician | Ongoing | — | Practice independently in your physician specialty.Starting salary: $222,000/yr |
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Overview
What Does a Pediatrician Do?
Pediatricians work primarily in outpatient clinics, with about 20% of their time in hospitals for sick children and newborn care. Your days split between routine well-child visits (vaccinations, growth tracking, developmental screenings) and diagnosing illnesses — from ear infections to more complex conditions requiring specialist referrals.
- Prescribe or provide treatment, therapy, medication, vaccinations, 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, short-term and long-term health problems, and concerns about growth and development.
- Examine patients or order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests to gather information about their medical condition and determine a diagnosis.
- Advise patients, parents or guardians, and community members about diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention.
- Explain medical procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients and their parents or guardians.
- Collect, record, and maintain patient information such as medical history, reports, and examination results.
- Monitor patients' conditions and progress and adjust treatments as necessary.
Tasks from O*NET OnLine
Requirements
Licensing & Certification
You need both an MD or DO degree and an unrestricted state medical license to practice — there's no way around these requirements. Board certification through the American Board of Pediatrics isn't legally required, but 95% of employers expect it and patients often look for it when choosing doctors.
| Credential | Status | Cost | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD or DO Degree | Required | Tuition varies by in | — |
| State Medical License | Required | $400-$1,200 | 12-36 months |
| ABP Board Certification | Recommended | $2,682 | 10 years |
MD or DO Degree (LCME-accredited or AOA-accredited medical school) — Required doctoral degree proving completion of four years of medical education
- Exam: USMLE (MD) or COMLEX (DO) board exams during medical school
- Cost: Tuition varies by institution
State Medical License (State medical board (varies by state)) — Mandatory license granting legal authority to practice medicine in a specific state
- Exam: USMLE Step 3 or COMLEX Level 3 required for initial licensure
- Cost: $400-$1,200 (varies by state)
- Renewal: Continuing medical education (CME) credits, fees vary by state
ABP Board Certification (American Board of Pediatrics) — Gold-standard credential proving specialized competence in pediatric medicine beyond basic licensure
- Exam: Computer-based exam, ~7 hours, four sections; offered once annually in fall at Prometric centers
- Cost: ~$2,682 (registration fee)
- Renewal: MOC program including self-assessment, CME, and recertification exam
All states require an unrestricted medical license to practice, with identical requirements nationwide. Board certification isn't legally mandated anywhere, but hospitals and insurance networks universally expect it — making it effectively required for employment.
The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact lets you get licensed quickly in 40+ states with one application — useful if you want to practice telemedicine across state lines or relocate without lengthy relicensing delays.
Compensation
Pediatrician Salary
At $222k annually, pediatricians earn less than Family Medicine Physicians and Internal Medicine Physicians (both $239k) but significantly more than Physician Assistants ($133k). Pediatric subspecialists like pediatric cardiologists can earn $300k+, while general pediatricians in rural areas may start around $180k.
$222k/yr
median annual salary
You'll invest $349k and 11 years to start earning $222k — that means 18-24 months to pay back your education costs once you're practicing. The lengthy training period delays your earning potential compared to shorter health care paths, but the salary justifies the investment for most graduates.
Salaries vary by location and setting. Pediatricians in metropolitan areas and specialty practices typically earn more than the national median.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024
HealthJob Analysis
Is It Worth It? 20-Year ROI
This career delivers $1,875k in 20-year net earnings with break-even at year 12. Pediatrics offers solid ROI despite the high upfront costs because you start with a $222k salary and typically see 3-5% annual increases throughout your career. The ROI beats most doctoral-level careers outside medicine, though it lags behind higher-paying specialties like radiology or anesthesiology.
Pediatrician ROI
Net earnings over 20 years
$1.9M
Pre-tax 20-year estimate after required education and training costs; taxes and living expenses excluded.
How the 20-year estimate is calculated
Pediatrician Career ROI (20-year net earnings)
Track how education costs and earnings typically accumulate from enrollment through year 20.
Cumulative net earnings (USD)
The full chart keeps 20-year context. The detail chart below zooms in on early pathway years.
Sources: Accreditor, Accreditor, AccreditorSee Sources and methods.
Early-years detail
Years 0-13
Years 0-13. Scaled to early-year values. Black markers show key checkpoints.
Quick answers
- Is becoming a Pediatrician financially worth it?Typical 20-year net estimate: $1.9M (pre-tax, living expenses excluded).
- How much does training cost for a Pediatrician?Estimated required education and licensing cost to become a Pediatrician: $349k (range used: $252k-$445k). Breakdown: Bachelor's Degree (Pre-Med): $130k; Medical School (MD/DO): $215k; Medical Licensure and Board Certification: $4k.
- How long does it take to become a Pediatrician?Typical time to first paycheck is about 8 years. Typical time to enter the target Pediatrician role is about 11 years.
- How do you become a Pediatrician?See How to Become for pathway steps, timing, and credential requirements.
Detailed math
How 20-year net is built from each training and career phase.
| Phase | Time window | Gross earnings | Education/training cost | Net contribution | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bachelor's Degree (Pre-Med) Education | Years 0-3 (m0-m47) | $0 | -$130,000 | -$130,000 | |
Medical School (MD/DO) Education | Years 4-7 (m48-m95) | $0 | -$215,000 | -$215,000 | |
Residency Training Training/Licensing | Years 8-10 (m96-m128) | $206,250 | $0 | $206,250 | |
Medical Licensure and Board Certification Training/Licensing | Year 11 (m132-m132) | $0 | -$3,500 | -$3,500 | |
Pediatrician Career | Years 11-19 (m132-m239) | $1,998,000 | $0 | $1,998,000 | |
Model reconciliation Reconciliation | Years 0-20 (m0-m239) | $18,750 | $0 | $18,750 | None |
| 20-year totals | $2,223,000 | -$348,500 | $1,874,500 | Matches 20-year ROI formula | |
Sources and methods
Sources
Assumptions
- Pathway sequence and timing follow the cited training and licensing pathway for this role.BLSBLS
- Earnings benchmarks come from cited occupation wage references.BLSBLS
- Education and training cost uses College Scorecard tuition and cited pathway fees when needed.Source unavailable
- Cost allocation follows a model rule: short completed steps post in completion year; longer tuition steps are spread across phase years.Model ruleBLSBLS
- Taxes and living expenses are excluded from this estimate.Model rule
Among medical specialties requiring the same 11-year training path, pediatrics ranks in the middle for ROI — better than psychiatry or family medicine but lower than emergency medicine or hospitalist roles.
Future-Proofing
Pediatrician Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Demand grows at 3% annually because the pediatric population is expanding and more children have access to regular medical care through insurance coverage. Rural areas face particular shortages, creating strong job prospects for new graduates willing to practice outside major cities.
10-Year Growth
3%
About as fast as average
Current Employment
35k
jobs nationwide
HealthJob Analysis
Will AI Replace Pediatrician?
Clinical decision support systems help with differential diagnosis and growth chart analysis, but pediatricians perform all physical examinations, make final diagnoses, and handle family communication. AI tools like Epic's Sepsis Model can flag at-risk patients, but they can't assess a crying infant's subtle behavioral cues or counsel anxious parents through developmental concerns. The interpersonal and hands-on diagnostic aspects of pediatric care remain fully human-dependent.
CDSS and growth chart AI assist screening; pediatrician performs all examinations, diagnoses, and family counseling.
AAP: AI in Pediatric Practice · BLS: Physicians and Surgeons +3% (2023-2033)
Based on evidence-based AI impact methodology
Explore
Careers Similar to Pediatrician
These careers offer different paths to patient care — Physician Assistants require less training but earn $89k less, while Family Medicine and Internal Medicine Physicians follow the same timeline but treat adults instead of children.
| Occupation | Median Salary | Training Time |
|---|---|---|
| Physician Assistant | $133k/yr | 6.5 yr |
| Family Medicine Physician | $239k/yr | 11 yr |
| Internal Medicine Physician | $239k/yr | 11 yr |
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Sources & Data
These references are used to build salary, training-path, and job-outlook estimates shown on this page.
- •Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- •O*NET OnLine
- •LCME / AOA
- •FSMB
- •ABP
- •HealthJob AI Impact Analysis
- •AAMC pre-med requirements
- •AAMC data reports
- •ACGME residency and fellowship standards
- •ABMS board certification overview
- •BLS OEWS physician specialty wage data
Data last refreshed: April 2026 • Page generated from structured schema