Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code IRS
Dermatologists
Diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions.
Also called: Board Certified Dermatologist, Dermatologist Physician, MD (Medical Doctor), Mohs Surgeon, Dermatologist MD (Dermatologist Medical Doctor), Dermatopathologist, Doctor, Mohs Micrographic Surgeon.
O*NET 29-1213.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $328,730
- Middle half earn $139,990 to $452,450. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Doctoral Degree
- 56% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Conduct complete skin examinations.
- Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma.
- Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma.
- Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer.
- Counsel patients on topics such as the need for annual dermatologic screenings, sun protection, skin cancer awareness, or skin and lymph node self-examinations.
- Diagnose and treat skin conditions such as acne, dandruff, athlete's foot, moles, psoriasis, or skin cancer.
- Record patients' health histories.
- Recommend diagnostic tests based on patients' histories and physical examination findings.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
- Speaking3.9 / 5
- Active Learning3.8 / 5
- Science3.6 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry4.8 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.6 / 5
- English Language4.0 / 5
- Administration and Management3.9 / 5
- Education and Training3.8 / 5
- Biology3.7 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic63
- Investigative91
- Artistic15
- Social61
- Enterprising13
- Conventional47
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- specialised doctor · DE Facharzt/Fachärztin · FR médecin spécialiste
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Specialist medical practitioners and consultants (2212)154,900 employed
- Generalist medical practitioners (2211)197,900 employed
- Other health professionals n.e.c. (2259)111,700 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Japan
Japan classifies jobs in its own way. The closest category that names the same work is “医師”, which may be narrower or broader than this occupation.
- Median monthly pay
- ¥971,300
- Middle half earn ¥666,600 to ¥1,338,000 a month.
- Workers in the category
- 145,170
- Regular employees in firms of ten or more.
Scheduled monthly pay before tax, excluding overtime and bonuses, so it is not comparable to the annual figures above. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025, via e-Stat, under the Japanese Government Standard Terms of Use. The category match was made by hand.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
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