Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician Jobs

Physical medicine and rehabilitation is concerned with diagnosing, evaluating, and treating patients with physical disabilities that may arise from conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system such as birth defects, neck and back pain, sports injuries, or other painful conditions affecting the limbs, for example carpal tunnel syndrome. Alternatively, the disabilities may result from neurological trauma or disease such as broken hips, spinal cord injury, head injury, or stroke.

A physician certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation is often called a physiatrist. Physiatrists often coordinate the services of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team that may include neurologists, psychiatrists and Orthopedic surgeons as well as allied health care professionals. The physiatrist takes a holistic approach to patient diagnosis by considering the physical and psychological aspects of a patient's condition.

A high degree of patient contact and long-term care are common in this field. Physiatrists use medical history, physical examination, x-rays and other imaging techniques, laboratory studies, and other diagnostic tools in patient management. The primary goal of the physiatrist is to achieve maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social, and vocational function through comprehensive rehabilitation.

Jobs in the specialization are expected to increase in numbers as the health-care industry continues to expand. The demand for the services of pediatricians remains constant or increases as more individuals search for higher levels of medical care.

Median Salary: $214,737 per year

Projected Growth: 34% from 2014-2024