Refit
Career overview · SOC 29-1229

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians

Diagnose and treat disorders requiring physiotherapy to provide physical, mental, and occupational rehabilitation.

Also called: MD (Medical Doctor) · Medical Director Acute Rehabilitation Unit Physiatrist · Pain Management Physician · Pediatric Physiatrist · Physiatrist · Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician (PM and R Physician)

Median pay (national)
$239,200+
$66,860–$239,200+ (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
315,360
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+2.5%
~9,600 openings/yr
Typical entry
Doctoral or professional degree

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $239,200+ versus $66,860 at the bottom 10% — 3.6x. The median of $239,200+ leaves roughly 0% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +2.5% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 9,600 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 52 states with released data, Texas pays the most for this role (median $239,200, 0% vs the national median), while District of Columbia sits lowest at $74,650 — a 220% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.

Tailor your resume to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians

Honest tailoring

See how your resume lines up with Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians

Refit re-angles your real experience toward this role using the skills above — and never invents skills you don't have. A no-fabrication gate checks every change before you see it.

Free. No account needed to see your first re-fit.

Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Critical Thinking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Monitoring
  • Active Learning
  • Science
  • Learning Strategies
  • Mathematics

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • Document examination results, treatment plans, and patients' outcomes.
  • Examine patients to assess mobility, strength, communication, or cognition.
  • Assess characteristics of patients' pain, such as intensity, location, or duration, using standardized clinical measures.
  • Provide inpatient or outpatient medical management of neuromuscular disorders, musculoskeletal trauma, acute and chronic pain, deformity or amputation, cardiac or pulmonary disease, or other disabling conditions.
  • Monitor effectiveness of pain management interventions, such as medication or spinal injections.
  • Develop comprehensive plans for immediate and long-term rehabilitation, including therapeutic exercise, speech and occupational therapy, counseling, cognitive retraining, patient, family or caregiver education, or community reintegration.
  • Coordinate physical medicine and rehabilitation services with other medical activities.
  • Perform electrodiagnosis, including electromyography, nerve conduction studies, or somatosensory evoked potentials of neuromuscular disorders or damage.
  • Prescribe physical therapy to relax the muscles and improve strength.
  • Consult or coordinate with other rehabilitative professionals, including physical and occupational therapists, rehabilitation nurses, speech pathologists, neuropsychologists, behavioral psychologists, social workers, or medical technicians.

Tools & technology

  • eClinicalWorks EHR software
  • Allscripts PM
  • athenahealth athenaCollector
  • Automatic Data Processing AdvancedMD EHR
  • Benchmark Systems Benchmark Clinical EHR
  • Biodex Medical Systems Biodex Concussion Manager
  • Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR
  • CareCloud Central
  • Cerner PowerWorks Practice Management
  • Epic Practice Management
  • GalacTek ECLIPSE
  • GE Healthcare Centricity Practice Solution
  • Greenway Medical Technologies PrimeSUITE
  • HealthFusion MediTouch
  • IOS Health Systems Medios EHR
  • Kareo Practice Management

Knowledge areas

  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Psychology
  • Biology
  • Therapy and Counseling
  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Administration and Management