Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Human edge, growing
Cardiologists
Diagnose, treat, manage, and prevent diseases or conditions of the cardiovascular system. May further subspecialize in interventional procedures (e.g., balloon angioplasty and stent placement), echocardiography, or electrophysiology.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 71% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +4.8% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and emotional intelligence.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $496,010
- Job growth to 2035
- +4.8%
- Openings a year
- 500
- People doing it (2025)
- 18,500
- Usual route in
- Doctorate or professional degree, then an internship or residency
Where people already use AI for this work
- Explain medical information to patients or family members
- Analyze health or medical data
- Advise patients or clients on medical issues
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health
- Operate medical equipment
- Monitor health conditions of humans or animals
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as payer policy changes shift cardiovascular procedures away from hospitals to outpatient settings, such as office-based labs and ambulatory surgery centers.
- More of these jobs, as payer policy changes shift cardiovascular procedures away from hospitals to outpatient settings, such as office-based labs.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Physical therapistsGrows with AI, Index 76, +11.9%
- Athletic trainersGrows with AI, Index 81, +12.7%
- Nurse practitionersGrows with AI, Index 88, +41.0%
- AnesthesiologistsHuman edge, growing, Index 85, +3.6%
Is this career on your child's list?
Build a free Career Playbook matched to your child, or get a 90-day Action Plan with dated next steps, written for your child by name.
Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.