Dermatologists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1213.00United States
Diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions.
- Median annual earnings
- $328,691
- Projected change
- +8.2%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 13K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
86.9% of the workforce
Growing to 14.07K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What dermatologists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Conduct or order diagnostic tests such as chest radiographs (x-rays), microbiologic tests, or endocrinologic tests.
- Prescribe hormonal agents or topical treatments such as contraceptives, spironolactone, antiandrogens, oral corticosteroids, retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, or antibiotics.
- Provide dermatologic consultation to other health professionals.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in dermatology.
- Refer patients to other specialists, as needed.
- Instruct interns or residents in diagnosis and treatment of dermatological diseases.
- Provide therapies such as intralesional steroids, chemical peels, or comodo removal to treat age spots, sun damage, rough skin, discolored skin, or oily skin.
- Provide dermabrasion or laser abrasion to treat atrophic scars, elevated scars, or other skin conditions.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $99,963
- 25th percentile
- $141,142
- 50th percentile
- $328,691
- 75th percentile
- $456,250
- 90th percentile
- $594,022
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $328,691 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+8.2%faster than average
202513,003 jobs
2035 projected14,065 jobs
1,062 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 86.9%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 6.2%
- Associate degree
- 6.1%
- Certificate
- 0.7%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Dermatology Physicians/Dermatologists9,472 postings
- 02Locum Tenens Dermatologists1,157 postings
- 03General Dermatologists433 postings
- 04Dermatologists/Mohs Surgeons259 postings
- 05Locums Tenens87 postings
- 06DO Physicians84 postings
- 07National Board Certified Teachers81 postings
- 08Pediatric Dermatologists76 postings
- 09Mohs Surgeons63 postings
- 10Veterinarians38 postings
- 11Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants34 postings
- 12Dermatopathology Physicians31 postings
- 13Dermatology Physician Assistants25 postings
- 14Cosmetologists24 postings
- 15Hematologists/Oncologists21 postings
- 16Anesthesia Specialists18 postings
- 17Assistant Professors of Clinical Dermatology17 postings
- 18Dermatology Nurse Practitioners17 postings
- 19Dermatopathologists17 postings
- 20Locum Tenens Neonatology Physicians17 postings
Top employers
- 01CompHealth1,270 postings
- 02Britt Medical Search941 postings
- 03Enterprise Medical Recruiting785 postings
- 04Surgical Information Systems393 postings
- 05Weatherby Healthcare279 postings
- 06Archway Physician Recruitment261 postings
- 07GPAC252 postings
- 08AMN Healthcare207 postings
- 09Summit Recruiting Services186 postings
- 10Schweiger Dermatology Group180 postings
- 11Jackson Physician Search177 postings
- 12Integrated Dermatology172 postings
- 13Protouch Staffing167 postings
- 14RecruitWell162 postings
- 15The Curare Group152 postings
- 16United Staff Physicians148 postings
- 17GO Staffing144 postings
- 18Physician Empire135 postings
- 19StaffMed Health Partners131 postings
- 20Kaiser Permanente125 postings
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