Physician
Health Science
Diagnose, treat, and prevent illness as the lead clinician on a care team.
Why it matters here: DMV academic medical centers and health systems recruit continuously.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level PhysicianLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$185,300
- Physician (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$260,730
- Senior / Lead PhysicianOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$436,000
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$523,200
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Clinic or hospital service, long hours, call rotations
Where you work
Clinic exam rooms, hospital wards, or an operating room depending on specialty, plus a lot of time in the records system.
Hours and schedule
Long days; hospital-based specialties add nights, weekends and call. Outpatient specialties are closer to a weekday schedule.
Pace and pressure
Dense — decisions stack up, and the inbox and documentation follow you home in many specialties.
Who you work with
You lead a care team and carry final responsibility, while depending on nurses, PAs, techs and consultants.
Physical demands
Varies widely, from long standing in surgery to mostly seated clinic work.
What people wear
White coat over professional dress, or scrubs.
Remote reality
Telemedicine is a routine part of many specialties; procedural specialties stay in person.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Presenting a case clearly and concisely is a core professional skill from training onward.
- Admitting uncertainty and asking for a consult is respected practice.
- Teaching students and residents is expected in most DMV hospital systems.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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