Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code ISR

Sports Medicine Physicians

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

Also called: MD (Medical Doctor), Pediatric Sports Medicine Physician, Sports Medicine Primary Care Physician, Sports Medicine Specialist, Athletic Team Physician, Nonsurgical Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician, Orthopedic Team Physician, Physician.

O*NET 29-1229.06

At a glance

US median annual pay: $265,930; Middle half earn $102,930 to $378,770. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Doctoral Degree; 51% 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.

Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Order and interpret the results of laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging procedures.
Record athletes' medical histories, and perform physical examinations.
Refer athletes for specialized consultation, physical therapy, or diagnostic testing.
Provide education and counseling on illness and injury prevention.
Advise against injured athletes returning to games or competition if resuming activity could lead to further injury.
Examine, evaluate and treat athletes who have been injured or who have medical problems such as exercise-induced asthma.
Record athletes' medical care information, and maintain medical records.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.6 / 5
Critical Thinking4.3 / 5
Active Listening4.1 / 5
Speaking4.1 / 5
Active Learning4.0 / 5
Monitoring4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Medicine and Dentistry4.9 / 5
Biology4.3 / 5
English Language4.2 / 5
Therapy and Counseling4.2 / 5
Psychology4.1 / 5
Education and Training4.1 / 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.

Realistic70
Investigative73
Artistic3
Social71
Enterprising39
Conventional42

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
sport therapist · DE Sporttherapeut/Sporttherapeutin · FR conseiller en thérapie par l’exercice physique/conseillère en thérapie par l’exercice physique

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Fitness and wellbeing instructors (3433)62,400 employed
Specialist medical practitioners and consultants (2212)154,900 employed
Generalist medical practitioners (2211)197,900 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.

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.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
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.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test