What it is
Family medicine physicians provide comprehensive primary care for patients of all ages — children, adults, and seniors — emphasizing continuity, prevention, and the whole person and family.
What you do
Family physicians handle preventive care, chronic disease, minor procedures, and acute visits across the lifespan, often serving as a community's first point of contact.
Training path & length
3-year residency covering pediatrics, internal medicine, OB, and more. Optional fellowships add focused skills.
Fellowship subspecialties
Fellowships include sports medicine, geriatrics, hospice & palliative care, obstetrics, and adolescent medicine.
Pay & job outlook
Physicians are among the highest-paid professionals. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $275,930 for physicians and surgeons (May 2025), with employment projected to grow about 4% from 2025 to 2035 and ~22,100 openings per year. Pay varies widely by specialty — procedural and surgical fields generally earn more, primary-care and pediatric fields less.
Per BLS, family medicine physicians have a median around $256,830 — solidly above most occupations, though below procedural specialties.
How to get there
Become a physician first: earn an MD or DO, then match into this residency through the national match. Licensure requires completing residency and passing the board exams.
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Key facts
- Residency3 years
- TreatsAll ages, whole family
- FocusContinuity, prevention, primary care
- Pay~$256,830 median (BLS)
- EntryMD or DO via the match