Dermatologist
A dermatologist is a specialist doctor who diagnoses and treats conditions of the skin, hair and nails, from skin cancers to long-term conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
- Median salary*
- $218,400
3.7%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 670
4.3%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +33%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- 6 out of 10
- Average hours
- 46/wk
+6h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
- You would consult in private rooms, public hospital clinics, and by video for triage and follow-up.
- General practitioners refer to dermatologists when a rash does not settle, a lesion needs assessing, or a condition needs biologics or surgery, which is a longer and more specialised consultation than a standard skin check.
- About 670 dermatologists work in Australia, and many combine private practice with a hospital, teaching or research appointment.
How much do dermatologists earn?
The median full-time salary for a dermatologist is $218,400 per annum, before tax, up $45,100 since 2018.
In private practice your earnings follow your billings, so the number of sessions you run, the fees you set and how much procedural work you take on all move the figure. Hospital, university and community appointments pay a salary set by an award or enterprise agreement, which is steadier and does not rise with the size of your list. Ask whether a practice pays a percentage of billings or a fixed fee per session, and whether room, nursing and administration costs come out of your share.
What does a dermatologist do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Examining skin, hair and nails to reach a diagnosis, often with a dermoscope that shows lesions at higher magnification
- Performing biopsies, excisions, cryotherapy and laser treatment, sometimes in a dedicated procedure list
- Prescribing topical, systemic and biologic treatments and adjusting them as a condition responds
- Reviewing pathology and patch test results, then following up patients with melanoma or severe skin disease
- Advising patients on sun protection and skin cancer prevention, and writing back to the referring doctor
What skills do dermatologists need?
Employers look for clinical assessment and treatment, patient care and support, medication management, backed by MedicalDirector fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Patient care and support
- Medication management
- Health education and advice
Software and tools
- MedicalDirector
- Best Practice Software
- MoleMax dermoscopy system
- FotoFinder imaging system
General skills
- Attention to detail
- Written communication
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 670 people work as dermatologists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 33% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a dermatologist?
Here's the path most dermatologists take, step by step.
- 1Get a medical degree
A four to six year accredited degree, or a graduate entry program for people who already have a degree, with clinical placements in hospitals supervised by practising doctors.
- 2Complete an internship and prevocational hospital years
A supervised intern year gives you general registration with AHPRA, then one or two more years in hospital posts follow, which is also where many applicants build the experience that selection committees look for.
- 3Apply to the Australasian College of Dermatologists
Training places are limited and entry is competitive, with selection based on interviews, references and your hospital record, so plan the application a year or two ahead of the intake.
- 4Finish advanced training in dermatology
Training runs about four years across hospital clinics and approved private practices, and you must pass the college's assessments, including clinical examinations with real patients, to qualify as a specialist.
- 5Add a fellowship or move into practice
Many new fellows do a further year in an area such as dermatopathology, paediatric dermatology or Mohs surgery, then choose between salaried hospital work and private practice.
Ready to apply as a dermatologist?
Whether you're working toward becoming a dermatologist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a dermatologist move to?
We don't list lateral moves for dermatologists: leaving means a full new qualification rather than a career move, and the realistic routes in are covered under how to become one.
Who works as a dermatologist?
The typical dermatologist is 46 years old; 56% are women, 65% work full-time, and full-timers average 46 hours a week.
- 46
- Median age
- 56%
- Female share
- 65%
- Full-time
- +6h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a dermatologist?
Your week is built around clinic lists, so you may see 30 or more patients in a day with procedures and hospital sessions slotted between them. The referrals arrive faster than any clinic can clear them, which means long waits for the people you treat and a steady flow of urgent melanoma checks that have to be fitted in. If working out what a rash actually is and treating it in the same appointment appeals to you, the pace is satisfying. The volume of chronic disease, and the letters and pathology follow-up behind each patient, wears some dermatologists down.
What people like
- Diagnosis you can act on. A suspicious lesion can be excised in the same visit, so you often find and remove a skin cancer before it becomes a bigger problem.
- Procedural work alongside medicine. The week mixes consultations with excisions, cryotherapy and laser treatment, which breaks up the clinic and uses your hands.
- Patients you follow for years. Conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and severe acne bring people back regularly, and biologic treatments often produce change you can see.
- Hours you can plan around. Most work is scheduled daytime clinics, and private practice lets you choose how many sessions you run each week.
What people find hard
- Waiting lists you cannot shorten. Demand for appointments outstrips the number of dermatologists, so public clinics keep growing their waitlists no matter how fast you work.
- Talking about cancer every day. A good part of your week involves telling someone a lesion is malignant, and patients arrive anxious about exactly that.
- Administration that follows every patient. Referral letters, pathology requests and Medicare documentation pile up behind a full clinic list.
- A long, competitive training path. Few training places are offered each year, so strong applicants often spend several years building a hospital record before they are accepted.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ dermatologists?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of dermatologists.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Postgraduate | 56.5% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 35.6% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 3.9% | |
| Year 12 or below | 0.9% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 0.4% |
Will AI replace dermatologists?
Moderate exposure. Not replaced, but changed. AI is taking on some tasks and the rest of the job shifts around them.
AI reaches some of this work but not the parts that need hands or a judgement call. Image analysis and sequential digital dermoscopy already track how a mole changes between visits, and teledermatology tools rank referrals before a patient is seen, which alters how a clinic day is spent. The examination, the excision and the treatment decision remain yours, so learn to read dermoscopy and total body photography images yourself instead of trusting the software's verdict.
How a typical week splits
- Skin cancer surveillance and imaging review25% of the week
Sequential digital dermoscopy and total body photography compare a mole with its earlier images and flag change within seconds, which speeds up long surveillance lists.
- Notes, referral letters and treatment plans25% of the week
Dictation and drafting tools can write the letter back to the referring GP from your notes, leaving you to check and sign it.
- Consultations and diagnosis30% of the week
Triage tools can rank a referral before the patient arrives, but you still examine the skin and decide what the lesion is.
- Biopsies, excisions and laser treatment20% of the week
Removing a lesion by hand, closing the wound and judging the margins are physical work that no current system performs.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
Common questions about becoming a dermatologist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a dermatologist earn?
$218,400 per year before tax, based on the median for full-time dermatologists. How you work moves that figure: private practice earnings rise and fall with your billings and session numbers, while hospital and university roles sit within a fixed salary scale.
How do you become a dermatologist?
You need a medical degree, general registration with AHPRA, and a place in the Australasian College of Dermatologists training program, which takes about four years after your hospital years. Winning that place is the hardest step, so most applicants spend a few years building a strong hospital and research record first.
Are dermatologists in demand?
Dermatologists are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 33% over the decade to 2035. Those figures tell you the work should be there once you qualify, though training places are limited and that is usually the bigger barrier to entering.
Will AI replace dermatologists?
No, but image analysis and triage software already handle some steps. Sequential dermoscopy systems compare a mole with its earlier photographs and flag change quickly, and teledermatology tools sort referrals before a patient is booked in. The excision, the treatment decision and the conversation after a melanoma diagnosis stay with you.
What careers can a dermatologist move into?
Dermatology draws people in from general practice and from hospital resident medical officer roles, because both build the diagnostic and patient care experience the college looks for. The median dermatologist earns $91,200 more than a general practitioner and $114,400 more than a resident medical officer. Further along, many set up or buy into their own rooms, which means carrying the staff, equipment and costs that go with a practice.
Does a dermatologist do surgery?
Yes, minor surgery is routine work: biopsies, skin cancer excisions, cryotherapy and laser treatment. If you want to do more of it, a fellowship in Mohs micrographic surgery or dermatopathology adds a further year of training.
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