Pediatrics Jobs & Careers
Pediatric careers cover general pediatrics, pediatric subspecialties, pediatric nursing, pediatric advanced practice, and pediatric surgical and procedural roles caring for infants, children, and adolescents in outpatient, inpatient, and critical care settings.
The Medical.Careers pediatrics hub aggregates active openings, structures the specialty around the way clinicians actually think about it, and pairs job search with editorial context on compensation, scope of practice, and outlook. Listings come through credentialed channels in the MedicalRecruiting.com network, which means lower exposure to expired postings, duplicate listings, and non-credentialed staffing fronts than on broad horizontal job sites.
What Pediatrics Professionals Do
General pediatricians manage continuity primary care from newborn through adolescence, including well-child care, immunizations, acute illness, behavioral and developmental concerns, and chronic disease management. Pediatric subspecialists focus on cardiology, neurology, hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, endocrinology, infectious disease, critical care, neonatology, and surgical subspecialties. Pediatric NPs (PNP-PC, PNP-AC) and pediatric PAs manage outpatient and inpatient panels and procedures. Pediatric nurses care for children across acuity from clinic to PICU and NICU.
Roles in Pediatrics
- General pediatrician
- Pediatric hospitalist
- Neonatologist (NICU)
- Pediatric intensivist (PICU)
- Pediatric cardiologist
- Pediatric hematologist/oncologist
- Pediatric emergency medicine
- Developmental and behavioral pediatrician
- Pediatric NP (PNP-PC)
- Pediatric acute care NP (PNP-AC)
- Pediatric PA
- Pediatric nurse
- NICU nurse
- PICU nurse
Pediatric specialty care is concentrated at children's hospitals and academic centers; community pediatrics dominates outpatient hiring.
Pediatrics Compensation
General pediatricians typically earn $230,000–$290,000. Pediatric hospitalists earn $230,000–$290,000. Pediatric subspecialists range $250,000–$400,000+ depending on specialty and procedural volume; pediatric cardiology, intensive care, hematology/oncology, and surgical subspecialties tend to lead. Pediatric NPs and PAs typically earn $105,000–$140,000. Pediatric nurses earn $75,000–$120,000+ depending on setting; NICU and PICU nurses are at the upper end and in chronic shortage.
When you evaluate any specific pediatrics opening on Medical.Careers, look beyond base salary to the full economic picture: productivity bonus structure, signing and retention bonuses, retirement match and vesting, malpractice type and tail coverage, CME allowance, license and credential reimbursement, paid time off, and the schedule itself. Two roles with similar base compensation can differ by 20–40 percent in total economic value once these terms are factored in.
Outlook for Pediatrics Careers
General pediatrics demand is steady with regional variability. Pediatric subspecialty demand is strong, with persistent shortages in pediatric mental health, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, pediatric subspecialty care in non-urban markets, and NICU and PICU nursing.
How to Apply to Pediatrics Jobs on Medical.Careers
Most Medical.Careers listings include a direct apply button that submits your application to the employer or recruiting partner. Have a current CV or resume ready that lists your active state licensure, board certifications and life-support credentials as applicable, DEA registration where relevant, and a concise summary of clinical experience by setting and patient population. For physician and advanced practice pediatrics roles, expect early conversations to cover practice fit, schedule expectations, geographic flexibility, compensation range, and timing. Credentialing and privileging usually run in parallel with offer negotiation and can take 60 to 120 days; plan your start date accordingly.
Tips for Pediatrics Job Seekers
- Be specific. Replace generic phrases like "managed clinical care" with concrete patient volumes, procedure counts, and case mix relevant to pediatrics practice.
- Be reachable. Confirm your contact information is current and check email frequently — hiring teams move fast and often lose interest when candidates take more than a few days to reply.
- Be realistic about geography. If you are flexible, say so explicitly. If you are not, be clear about why so the recruiter does not waste time on the wrong roles.
- Be honest about timing. Non-competes, contract end dates, and licenses still in process are easier to plan around early than to surface late.
- Ask for the contract early. A written contract enables substantive negotiation; verbal offers often paper over terms that matter.
Above all, treat your pediatrics job search as a structured process. Track which roles you have applied to, when you followed up, what compensation range was discussed, and what the contract terms looked like. The clinicians who get the best outcomes are almost always the ones who keep good notes, move quickly when the right opportunity appears, and walk away from offers that do not match their priorities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pediatrics Careers
Are pediatric subspecialty roles concentrated in specific cities?
Yes. Pediatric subspecialty care concentrates at children's hospitals and academic medical centers in larger metropolitan areas, with a smaller footprint in community settings.
Which pediatric APP track is right for hospital practice?
PNP-AC (Pediatric Nurse Practitioner — Acute Care) is the standard track for hospital and PICU practice. PNP-PC is the primary care track. Pediatric PAs commonly work in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Is pediatric mental health workforce in shortage?
Severely. Child and adolescent psychiatry, pediatric PMHNPs, and pediatric-trained therapists are among the most shortage specialties in the country.
Is Medical.Careers free to use for healthcare candidates?
Yes. Medical.Careers is completely free for clinicians, advanced practice providers, allied health professionals, behavioral health clinicians, pharmacy professionals, and healthcare administrators. There is no subscription, no paywall on applications, and no required signup to search and apply.
How often are new jobs added in this specialty?
Medical.Careers refreshes job listings continuously throughout each business day. New positions are sourced from credentialed healthcare employers and recruitment partners within the MedicalRecruiting.com network, with stale and filled roles removed automatically.