Healthcare Practitioners
Family Medicine Physicians
Also called: Board Certified Family Physician, Family Medicine Physician, Family Physician, Family Practice Medical Doctor (FP MD)
US median pay
$244,180
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+3.3%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
2,900
114,300 employed
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
Diagnose, treat, and provide preventive care to individuals and families across the lifespan. May refer patients to specialists when needed for further diagnosis or treatment.
What they do day to day
- Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.
- Order, perform, and interpret tests and analyze records, reports, and examination information to diagnose patients' condition.
- Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results.
- Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary.
- Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
- Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention.
- Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, students, assistants, specialists, therapists, and other medical staff.
- Refer patients to medical specialists or other practitioners when necessary.
- Coordinate work with nurses, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, pharmacists, psychologists, and other health care providers.
- Plan, implement, or administer health programs or standards in hospitals, businesses, or communities for prevention or treatment of injury or illness.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Time Management4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving4.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9/5
- Service Orientation3.9/5
- Instructing3.4/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Persuasion3.0/5
Knowledge
- Medicine and Dentistry5.0/5
- English Language4.7/5
- Therapy and Counseling4.6/5
- Psychology4.5/5
- Biology4.5/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.7/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 5 of 5 — Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree (master's, PhD, MD, JD) and extensive experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Doctoral or professional degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Doctoral degree59%
- Post-doctoral training29%
Who this job suits
Mostly Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.