SOC 29-1229.06

    Sports Medicine Physicians

    Diagnose, treat, and help prevent injuries that occur during sporting events, athletic training, and physical activities.

    Median pay
    $265,930
    Growth
    +3.4%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    9,400
    Typical education
    Doctoral or professional degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections · figures for the broader BLS group "Physicians, all other"

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $69,170
    Median
    $265,930
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $452,360
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    342,720 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Sports medicine physicians diagnose, treat, and work to prevent injuries related to athletic training, sports, and physical activities. This specialized medical career offers a median annual salary of $265,930.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What sports medicine physicians do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Diagnose, treat, and help prevent injuries that occur during sporting events, athletic training, and physical activities.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    These medical professionals spend their days helping patients recover from physical activities and athletic training injuries. They gather patient information, analyze medical data, and make critical decisions to solve complex health problems. A strong interest in investigative work is essential, as these physicians must constantly interpret medical findings and update their clinical knowledge.

    On a daily basis, the job requires assisting and caring for others while maintaining strong interpersonal relationships. Sports medicine physicians must communicate clearly with patients, supervisors, and peers, and they often train or teach others. Success in this role relies on skills like active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and social perceptiveness.

    To perform this work safely and effectively, practitioners need deep knowledge of medicine, biology, therapy, counseling, and psychology. They must also understand customer service and administration. Key work styles for this career include high stress tolerance, attention to detail, dependability, integrity, and empathy. Practitioners must exercise self-control and cautiousness while demonstrating intellectual curiosity and perseverance in their medical practice.

    How to get there

    Entering this career requires extensive preparation, typically classified as Job Zone 5. Most individuals in this field need a graduate degree, and the typical entry-level education is a doctoral or professional degree. Students preparing for this career path generally major in medicine, medical clinical sciences or graduate medical studies, or complete multiple-pathway medical fellowship programs.

    After completing their formal medical education, professionals can pursue specialized certifications to demonstrate their expertise. Available credentials include the Certification in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: Sports Medicine from the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the Certification in Sports Medicine from the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians, or the Diplomate American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians from the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians. Additionally, some states list a license for this work, which practitioners must obtain to practice legally in those jurisdictions.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for sports medicine physicians is $265,930. The lowest 10% of earners in this field make less than $69,170, while the highest 10% earn more than $452,360. These salary figures are for the broader BLS group "Physicians, all other."

    There are 342,720 people employed in this broader occupational category. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 3.4%, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. This growth, combined with personnel turnover, is expected to result in approximately 9,400 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    70 / 100
    Investigative (I) · strongest
    73 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    3 / 100
    Social (S)
    71 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    39 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    42 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ISR. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    94
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    92
    Getting Information
    89
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    84
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    83
    Documenting/Recording Information
    81
    Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
    81
    Analyzing Data or Information
    76
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    76
    Training and Teaching Others
    74
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Active Listening
    • Speaking
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Monitoring
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Biology
    • English Language
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Education and Training
    • Psychology
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Administration and Management
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Written Expression
    • Near Vision
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Integrity
    • Cooperation
    • Self-Control
    • Empathy
    • Cautiousness
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Perseverance

    Also called

    Athletic Team Physician · Industrial Sports Medicine Professional · Industrial Sports Medicine Specialist · MD (Medical Doctor) · Nonsurgical Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician · Orthopedic Team Physician · Pediatric Sports Medicine Physician · Pediatric Sports Medicine Specialist · Physician · Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician

    Career pathway

    From your interests to sports medicine physicians

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Sports Medicine Physicians$265,930 median pay

    3. Majors

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What sports medicine physicians may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work. Showing 12 of 63.

    • Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Program
    • Aerospace Medicine Residency Program
    • Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program
    • Allergy and Immunology Residency/Fellowship Programs, Other
    • Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program
    • Clinical Biochemical Genetics Residency Program
    • Clinical Genetics and Genomics Residency Program
    • Combined Medical Residency/Fellowship Program, General
    • Combined Medical Residency/Fellowship Programs, Other
    • Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Fellowship Program
    • Family Medicine/Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine Combined Specialty Program
    • Family Medicine/Preventive Medicine Combined Specialty Program

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    52 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Federal

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about sports medicine physicians

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative titles for sports medicine physicians?

    Professionals in this field may be called athletic team physicians, orthopedic team physicians, pediatric sports medicine specialists, or primary care sports medicine physicians. Others work under titles like industrial sports medicine specialists or nonsurgical primary care sports medicine physicians.

    What college majors are recommended for this career?

    Students typically pursue majors in medicine, medical clinical sciences or graduate medical studies, or participate in multiple-pathway medical fellowship programs. These programs provide the advanced scientific and clinical foundation required for doctoral-level medical practice.

    What are some related careers in the medical field?

    Related careers that share similar medical training and skills include physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, orthopedic surgeons, pediatric surgeons, general internal medicine physicians, emergency medicine physicians, and cardiologists.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.