Physician: career path and pay in the US
Where a Physician goes next, what each step typically pays in the United States, and how exposed the path is to AI replacement. 3 steps, from Resident Physician to Senior Physician / Medical Director / Chief Medical Officer.
Also for the United Kingdom: Physician in the UK
The path
Step 1 · 0 to 4 years
Resident Physician
$45K to $70K
Typical US pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: MD/DO - US, MBBS/MBChB - UK/EU, Medical License (in progress) - US, GMC Registration (in progress) - UK/EU.
Step 2 · 4 to 10 years
Attending Physician
$80K to $115K
Typical US pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: MD/DO - US, MBBS/MBChB - UK/EU, Medical License - US, GMC Registration - UK/EU.
Step 3 · 10+ years
Senior Physician / Medical Director / Chief Medical Officer
$135K to $205K
Typical US pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: MD/DO - US, MBBS/MBChB - UK/EU, Medical License - US, GMC Registration - UK/EU.
Exposure and pay along the path
Exposure to AI, now to later
24% → 24%
Stays level across the path. Lower is better.
Typical pay, now to later
$45K to $70K → $135K to $205K
US estimates by job title, Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale US. No US estimate was found for Attending Physician; this band is placed between the neighbouring steps.
What the work involves
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.
O*NET does not rate Physicians, All Other separately; the profile shown is for Family Medicine Physicians, the nearest rated occupation.
Skills that matter most
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Therapy and Counseling
- Psychology
- Biology
- Customer and Personal Service
Education people bring
- Post-Doctoral Training: 29%
- Master's Degree: 10%
- Bachelor's Degree: 2%
Job Zone 5, job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Other paths from here
- Medical Director
- Chief Medical Officer
- Healthcare Administrator
- Medical Educator
More Healthcare paths in the US
Related occupations in O*NET: Emergency Medicine Physicians, Pediatricians, General, General Internal Medicine Physicians, Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Pediatric Surgeons.
Your own role
How exposed is your job, task by task? Free score in under a minute.
SourcesSalary bands: Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale US, US national averages by job title, retrieved September 2026Skills, knowledge and education: O*NET 31.0 Database
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CC BY 4.0
Salary estimates by job title from Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale, retrieved September 2026. Each band runs from 20% below to 20% above the reported average, rounded to $5K. Exposure percentages and the skills listed under each step are this app's own editorial ratings, not published data.