Careers, task by task
Pediatrics
Care for children and their families, where the patient often can't describe the problem and a parent makes the decisions.
- Training
- College, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years
- Today's median pay, May 2025
- $210,040
- Projected job growth, 2025 to 2035
- 1%
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Last modified August 27, 2026
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physicians and Surgeons
Scope: United States.
How it was done: Federal employment and wage statistics. Pay is the May 2025 median, half earn more and half earn less. Growth is a 2025 to 2035 projection.
Limits: A median across all ages, regions and employers, before tax. A projection, not a promise. It tells you nothing about one person's income. The outlook text on this page names aging and chronic illness as demand drivers, and does not mention AI.
Checked against the original on November 6, 2026.
Open the source (opens in a new tab)A snapshot of people practicing today, not a forecast of your income.
The work, and what we can verify about AI in it
Task lists are our editorial summary of what the role involves. They vary by setting. The status describes the evidence we've checked, not whether a job is safe.
Examining children who can't describe symptoms
Judgment and accountability
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Writing notes and charting
Information work
In real use today
- Established now
AI scribes saw the broadest adoption of any clinical AI category in 2025, reaching 63% of hospitals using Epic's record system. A prospective Stanford study of 48 physicians found a median 20 minutes saved per half day of clinic.
What this does not prove: Measured mostly among physicians, so results for pediatricians may differ. Hospital systems reported many of these results themselves.
Stanford HAI, 2026
The 2026 AI Index Report, Chapter 6: Medicine
Scope: Global research, with U.S. data on FDA authorizations.
How it was done: An annual review that summarizes studies by other researchers.
Limits: A summary of studies with different designs. Each headline figure comes from one setup and does not generalize on its own.
Checked against the original on November 6, 2026.
Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Tracking growth and development
Information work
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Counseling parents
Human relationship
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Giving treatments and small procedures
Hands-on work
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Skills that transfer
- Communication with families
- Clinical reasoning
- Public health
- Teaching
What nobody has measured
- How well AI tools perform in children, who are often underrepresented in training data.
- BLS says a declining child population may constrain demand. How that interacts with AI is unknown.
Read next
Sources last checked November 6, 2026
Next review by February 6, 2027.
What changed, and how we decideCareer guidance, not medical, legal or financial advice. For a major loan or licensing decision, talk with a qualified professional, and bring your questions from here.
Do you disagree?
If you have counterevidence, or we got something wrong, we want to see it. Don't take our word for any of this.
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