Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Changing shape
Family medicine physicians
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.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 49% 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 +3.3% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on ethical judgement and emotional intelligence.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $244,180
- Job growth to 2035
- +3.3%
- Openings a year
- 2,900
- People doing it (2025)
- 114,000
- 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
- Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues
- Advise patients or clients on medical issues
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Prescribe medical treatments or devices
- Administer basic health care or medical treatments
- Collect information about patients or clients
What the work looks like
- Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.
- Order, perform, and interpret tests and analyze records, reports, and examination information to diagnose patients' condition.
- Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results.
- Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary.
- Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as nurse practitioners and physician assistants are increasingly integrated into care teams, taking on tasks previously performed by family medicine physicians.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- DermatologistsHuman edge, growing, Index 78, +6.8%
- VeterinariansGrows with AI, Index 67, +9.4%
- Physician assistantsHuman edge, growing, Index 97, +21.1%
- Nurse practitionersGrows with AI, Index 88, +41.0%
Also known as: Family Physician, Family Practice Physician (FP Physician), Medical Doctor (MD), Physician, Board Certified Family Physician, Family Medicine Physician, Family Practice Medical Doctor (FP MD), Family Practitioner.
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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.