General Internal Medicine Physicians
Also called: Internal Medicine Physician (IM Physician), Internist, Medical Doctor (MD), PhysicianDiagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 89% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $311,180 | $258,760 to $346,210 | 310 |
| Alaska | $366,080 | $201,970 to $366,650 | 110 |
| Arizona | $259,320 | $72,970 to $351,790 | 2,570 |
| Arkansas | $233,130 | $69,350 to $308,140 | 290 |
| California | $313,890 | $129,110 to $388,150 | 6,370 |
| Colorado | $299,990 | $254,550 to $339,290 | 450 |
| Connecticut | $208,000 | $73,400 to $311,300 | 980 |
| District of Columbia | $223,250 | $48,760 to $223,610 | 490 |
| Florida | $222,600 | $121,000 to $356,540 | 2,390 |
| Georgia | $425,460 | $182,620 to $581,750 | 5,440 |
| Guam | $324,920 | $300,830 to $357,400 | 40 |
| Hawaii | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 220 |
| Idaho | $355,390 | $287,940 to $379,970 | 130 |
| Illinois | $140,680 | $69,310 to $220,170 | 1,130 |
| Indiana | $314,390 | $219,850 to $478,410 | 2,380 |
| Iowa | $122,920 | $82,590 to $288,130 | 380 |
| Kentucky | $241,530 | $148,900 to $345,690 | 1,060 |
| Louisiana | $210,390 | $201,140 to $278,100 | not published |
| Maine | $316,880 | $231,590 to $453,840 | 270 |
| Maryland | $260,410 | $193,950 to $390,540 | 3,250 |
| Massachusetts | $285,250 | $176,710 to $309,560 | 1,590 |
| Michigan | $149,990 | $91,740 to $311,190 | 2,060 |
| Minnesota | $373,700 | $310,320 to $481,170 | 2,270 |
| Mississippi | $325,610 | $185,980 to $334,330 | 390 |
| Missouri | $216,570 | $196,460 to $252,240 | 160 |
| Nebraska | $221,360 | $79,420 to $327,710 | 900 |
| Nevada | $114,090 | $82,970 to $228,200 | 390 |
| New Hampshire | $229,210 | $86,390 to $363,750 | 450 |
| New Jersey | $89,990 | $89,990 to $197,990 | 2,920 |
| New York | $183,460 | $88,690 to $339,040 | 10,000 |
| North Carolina | $289,780 | $181,250 to $396,740 | 1,700 |
| North Dakota | $338,400 | $333,130 to $351,580 | 200 |
| Ohio | $249,990 | $201,280 to $342,440 | 1,540 |
| Oklahoma | $216,570 | $134,630 to $377,580 | 490 |
| Oregon | $268,570 | $248,540 to $312,620 | 230 |
| Pennsylvania | $213,310 | $67,360 to $310,840 | 990 |
| Puerto Rico | $133,120 | $112,020 to $166,930 | 40 |
| Rhode Island | $379,490 | $231,670 to $379,490 | 300 |
| South Carolina | $359,500 | $219,460 to $414,270 | 1,260 |
| South Dakota | $280,520 | $251,730 to $390,220 | 160 |
| Tennessee | $232,220 | $106,590 to $322,260 | 1,370 |
| Texas | $269,110 | $198,330 to $315,850 | 3,850 |
| Utah | $331,720 | $214,840 to $381,810 | 210 |
| Vermont | $228,670 | $216,300 to $391,710 | 180 |
| Virginia | not published | not published | 860 |
| Washington | $340,010 | $321,320 to $371,980 | 1,100 |
| West Virginia | $72,680 | $63,540 to $327,230 | 630 |
| Wisconsin | $367,160 | $326,040 to $404,720 | 1,450 |
Nationally: $256,560. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 9 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Treat internal disorders, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or problems of the lung, brain, kidney, or gastrointestinal tract. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe or administer medication, therapy, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury. | Not published |
| AI alone | Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients. | Not published |
| Not much | Manage and treat common health problems, such as infections, influenza or pneumonia, as well as serious, chronic, and complex illnesses, in adolescents, adults, and the elderly. | Not published |
| Not much | Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Make diagnoses when different illnesses occur together or in situations where the diagnosis may be obscure. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide and manage long-term, comprehensive medical care, including diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases, for adult patients in an office or hospital. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioner when necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Immunize patients to protect them from preventable diseases. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, students, assistants, specialists, therapists, and other medical staff. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide consulting services to other doctors caring for patients with special or difficult problems. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Advise surgeon of a patient's risk status and recommend appropriate intervention to minimize risk. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare government or organizational reports on birth, death, and disease statistics, workforce evaluations, or the medical status of individuals. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan, implement, or administer health programs in hospitals, businesses, or communities for prevention and treatment of injuries or illnesses. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate on patients to remove, repair, or improve functioning of diseased or injured body parts and systems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct research to develop or test medications, treatments, or procedures to prevent or control disease or injury. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 19 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 19 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #24 Assist others to access additional services or resources
- #26 Research healthcare issues
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Diagnose health conditions or disorders | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Analyze health or medical data |
Show all 17 activities
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Prepare health or medical documents | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Develop public or community health programs | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer37%
- Advice or a recommendation34%
- An analysis or summary13%
- A document or report5%
- A plan or strategy3%
How they worked with Claude
7% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for general internal medicine physicians specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 9,947 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 15%
- 2 Physicians and Surgeons, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 12%
- 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 8%
- 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
- 5 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +17.9% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 10,349 moves in
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 11%
- 2 Physicians and Surgeons, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
- 4 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
- 5 Cashiers High -6.5% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 47% research doctorate
- 53% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 17 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 83% professional degree
- 17% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians” · 10,590 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
2 programs: Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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