Career Overview
Diagnose, treat, and help prevent allergic diseases and disease processes affecting the immune system.
Also Known As
- Allergist
- Immunologist
- MD (Medical Doctor)
- Physician
Alternate Job Titles
- Adult and Pediatric Allergy Partner
- Allergist
- Allergy and Immunology Physician
- Allergy and Immunology Specialist
- Allergy Immunology Fellow
- Allergy Physician
- Allergy Specialist
- APP (Advanced Practice Provider)
- Clinical Academic Allergist
- Clinical Allergist
- Clinical Allergy Specialist
- Clinical Immunologist
- Doctor
- Immunochemist
- Immunologist
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Diagnose or treat allergic or immunologic conditions.
- Educate patients about diagnoses, prognoses, or treatments.
- Order or perform diagnostic tests such as skin pricks and intradermal, patch, or delayed hypersensitivity tests.
- Prescribe medication such as antihistamines, antibiotics, and nasal, oral, topical, or inhaled glucocorticosteroids.
- Interpret diagnostic test results to make appropriate differential diagnoses.
- Document patients' medical histories.
- Develop individualized treatment plans for patients, considering patient preferences, clinical data, or the risks and benefits of therapies.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Biology
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Complex Problem Solving
- Science
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Inductive Reasoning
- Near Vision
- Speech Clarity
- Written Expression
- Speech Recognition
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Cooperation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Recognition
- Independence
- Achievement
- Working Conditions
- Support
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months
Education Details: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience Required: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- eClinicalWorks EHR software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Automated external defibrillators AED
- Desktop computers
- Digital medical thermometers
- Digital spirometers
- Electrocardiography EKG machines
- Flow cytometry equipment
- Hypodermic syringes
- Immunoassay analyzers
- Intravenous IV equipment
- Intravenous IV infusion pumps
- Laryngoscopes
- Laser scanning confocal microscopes
- Magill forceps
- Mechanical stethoscopes
- Medical suction pumps
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Physicians, All Other occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Allergists and Immunologists.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $66,860 |
| Median | >$239,200 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | >$239,200 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 315,360
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Cardiologists
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: >$239,200
General Internal Medicine Physicians
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: $236,350
Pediatric Surgeons
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: >$239,200
Dermatologists
Education: Doctoral Degree
Median Salary: >$239,200
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: >$239,200
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.