# Sports Medicine Physicians

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sports-medicine-physicians
- SOC code: 29-1229.06
- Career family: Healthcare practitioners
- Median annual pay: $265,930 (10th percentile $69,170, 90th percentile $452,360)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.4%
- Openings a year: 9,400
- Typical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Physicians, all other".

## Interest profile (code ISR)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 70 |
| Investigative (I) | 73 |
| Artistic (A) | 3 |
| Social (S) | 71 |
| Enterprising (E) | 39 |
| Conventional (C) | 42 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 94/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 92/100)
- Getting Information (importance 89/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 84/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 83/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 81/100)
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (importance 81/100)
- Analyzing Data or Information (importance 76/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 76/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 74/100)

## 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

## 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

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Medicine](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5112) (CIP 5112, 133 colleges)
- [Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5114) (CIP 5114, 79 colleges)
- Multiple-Pathway Medical Fellowship Programs (CIP 6102, 2 colleges)

## Related careers

- [Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physical-medicine-and-rehabilitation-physicians): $265,930 median pay
- [Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/orthopedic-surgeons-except-pediatric): $358,550 median pay
- [Pediatric Surgeons](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pediatric-surgeons): $559,030 median pay
- [General Internal Medicine Physicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/general-internal-medicine-physicians): $256,560 median pay
- [Emergency Medicine Physicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/emergency-medicine-physicians): $335,550 median pay
- [Cardiologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cardiologists): $496,010 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.