Operate on patients to treat injuries, diseases, and deformities in an operating room.
Hospital operating rooms
Long hours, frequent on-call
May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
BLS estimates 0.7% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.
Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.
Doctoral / professional degree
Training path: Medical school + residency.
Related work experience: None.
On-the-job training: Internship/residency.
Requires a medical degree, a multi-year residency, and a state medical license.
Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.
The longest, hardest training in medicine, and among the very highest-paid, with earnings above $239,000 reached more than a decade after college.
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Standard Occupational Classification 29-1249. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook. See something off? Tell us.