How much does a general internal medicine physician make?

The median pay is $123.35 per hour — roughly $256,500 a year, with the real range running from about $35.37/hr (10th percentile) to $228.57/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a general internal medicine physician?

The typical entry-level education is: Doctoral degree. Overall preparation level: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).

What does a general internal medicine physician actually do all day?

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.

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General Internal Medicine Physicians

Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.

What it pays
General Internal Medicine Physicians earn a median of $123.35/hr — about $256,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $35.37/hr; the top 10% earn $228.57/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually 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.
Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Doctoral degree. Overall preparation: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).

The feel of the work

The work is mostly indoors; you're around people constantly; time pressure is a real part of the job; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 4.3% of general internal medicine physicians are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are analytical, people-focused and hands-on.

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Quick questions

How much does a general internal medicine physician make?: The median pay is $123.35 per hour — roughly $256,500 a year, with the real range running from about $35.37/hr (10th percentile) to $228.57/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a general internal medicine physician?: The typical entry-level education is: Doctoral degree. Overall preparation level: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
What does a general internal medicine physician actually do all day?: 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.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.