Sports Medicine Physicians

Diagnose, treat, and help prevent injuries that occur during sporting events, athletic training, and physical activities.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Judgment and Decision Making
Active Listening
Speaking
Active Learning
Monitoring
Social Perceptiveness

Key knowledge

Medicine and Dentistry
Biology
English Language
Therapy and Counseling
Psychology
Education and Training
Customer and Personal Service
Sociology and Anthropology

What the work involves

Select and prepare medical equipment or medications to be taken to athletic competition sites.
Provide coaches and therapists with assistance in selecting and fitting protective equipment.
Advise against injured athletes returning to games or competition if resuming activity could lead to further injury.
Observe and evaluate athletes' mental well-being.
Participate in continuing education activities to improve and maintain knowledge and skills.
Develop and prescribe exercise programs, such as off-season conditioning regimens.
Advise athletes on ways that substances, such as herbal remedies, could affect drug testing results.
Conduct research in the prevention or treatment of injuries or medical conditions related to sports and exercise.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Social, Realistic.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Doctoral Degree (51% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (28.1%)
On-the-job training: None or short demonstration (21.9%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Sports Medicine Physicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 29-1229 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	High	Higher on contact with others than 71% of occupations compared	75% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Moderate	Higher on dealing with the public than 53% of occupations compared	32% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	High	Higher on teamwork than 74% of occupations compared	66% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Very high	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 90% of occupations compared	71% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	High	Higher on time pressure than 64% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 73% of occupations compared	44% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 81% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Consequence of error	Very high	Higher on consequence of error than 95% of occupations compared	66% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: high
Conflict situations: high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
Consequence of error: very high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions