Paediatrician
Paediatricians diagnose and treat the health problems of babies, children and teenagers, from newborn checks through to the long-term management of chronic conditions.
- Median salary*
- $202,800
3.7%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 2,500
4.2%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +32.8%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 46/wk
+6h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Paediatricians work mainly in hospitals, outpatient clinics and private practices, looking after children from birth until they move to adult services. What sets the role apart from general practice is complexity: paediatricians see the children whose conditions need specialist assessment, ongoing management or hospital care, usually alongside registrars, nurses and allied health staff. About 52% of the paediatric workforce holds a postgraduate qualification, which in practice means the specialist training that follows the medical degree.
How much do paediatricians earn?
The median full-time salary for a paediatrician is $202,800 per annum, before tax, up $41,900 since 2018.
Public hospital paediatricians are paid on state and territory health department salary scales, so pay depends on where you work and how many years of specialist service you have. Subspecialty matters as well, with procedural areas such as neonatology and intensive care attracting higher loadings, and on-call and after-hours work adding to the total. Consultants who combine public hospital sessions with private practice usually earn more than those who work in the public system alone.
What does a paediatrician 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 children at each stage, from newborn checks and growth measurements to adolescent consultations
- Diagnosing and managing acute and chronic conditions such as asthma, infections, diabetes and developmental concerns
- Ordering and interpreting blood tests, imaging, genetic testing and developmental assessments
- Prescribing medicines at weight-based doses and adjusting them as a child grows
- Talking with parents and carers about diagnosis and treatment, and coordinating care with nursing, allied health and other specialists
What skills do paediatricians need?
Employers look for patient care and support, clinical assessment and treatment, medication management, backed by Epic fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Patient care and support
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Medication management
- Care planning and coordination
- Health education and advice
Software and tools
- Epic
- Cerner
- MedicalDirector
- My Health Record
General skills
- Written communication
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 2,500 people work as paediatricians in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 32.8% 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 paediatrician?
Here's the path most paediatricians take, step by step.
- 1Complete a medical degree
An undergraduate or graduate-entry medical program takes four to seven years depending on the pathway and includes supervised clinical placements in hospitals and general practice.
- 2Do your internship and prevocational years
Internship is a paid year in a hospital, followed by one or more years as a resident medical officer. These rotations include paediatrics, and they are where most people work out whether to apply for specialist training.
- 3Enter basic paediatric training
Selection is through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and is competitive. Basic training runs about three years of hospital terms, with written and clinical examinations along the way.
- 4Complete advanced training
This is another three years, either in general paediatrics or in a subspecialty such as neonatology, oncology or cardiology, and it is where most consultant-level experience is built.
- 5Gain fellowship and specialist registration
Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, plus registration with AHPRA as a specialist, allows you to work as a consultant in a public hospital, private practice or both.
Ready to apply as a paediatrician?
Whether you're working toward becoming a paediatrician 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 paediatrician move to?
Moving into Clinical Immunologist and Allergist typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $5,200 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Immunologist and Allergist Paediatricians bring child-focused diagnostic and management skills to allergy and immunology, though subspecialty training is needed. | +$5,200 | 94% | requalify |
| Infectious Diseases Physician Paediatricians bring broad child health and infection management experience, with advanced infectious diseases training required for the specialty. | +$0 | 67% | requalify |
| Clinical Geneticist Paediatricians bring developmental and diagnostic skills to clinical genetics, with specialist genetics training needed to practise independently. | −$2,600 | 50% | requalify |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a paediatrician?
The typical paediatrician is 41 years old; 67% are women, 75% work full-time, and full-timers average 46 hours a week.
- 41
- Median age
- 67%
- Female share
- 75%
- Full-time
- +6h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a paediatrician?
The job runs on clinic sessions, ward rounds and on-call, so the week is usually a mix of scheduled appointments and whatever arrives overnight. Much of the work is ordinary childhood illness, but a portion of it is serious, and the conversations with families carry weight that stays after the shift ends. It suits people who like children, enjoy diagnostic puzzles that unfold over years, and are comfortable explaining things clearly to worried adults.
What people like
- You see children get better. Most of the work is routine, such as ear infections, asthma and growth concerns, but following a child you admitted as a newborn through to a healthy school-age check is a large part of why people stay in the specialty.
- The medicine is genuinely varied. A single clinic can move from a feeding problem in a six-week-old to a teenager with a chronic illness, which keeps the diagnostic thinking interesting.
- Families remember you. You often look after the same child across several stages of treatment, so relationships with parents and carers become part of the work rather than a side effect of it.
- Teaching is built into the role. Consultants supervise registrars and medical students, which means explaining clinical reasoning out loud most days.
What people find hard
- The conversations you have to have. Telling parents that their child has a serious or life-limiting condition is part of the job, and it does not become easy with practice.
- On-call and after-hours work. Newborns and sick children do not arrive on schedule, so nights, weekends and being called back to the ward are standard rather than occasional.
- Training takes well over a decade. From the first year of a medical degree to fellowship is usually 12 to 14 years, with competitive selection at each stage and exams along the way.
- The system slows things down. Waitlists for developmental assessments, allied health and surgery mean you often know what a child needs well before you can arrange it.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ paediatricians?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of paediatricians.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Postgraduate | 52% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 45.1% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 0.5% | |
| Year 12 or below | 0.2% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 0% |
Will AI replace paediatricians?
Paediatrician work is largely hands-on and relational, which keeps AI exposure low. Documentation systems such as Epic and Cerner already draft parts of clinic letters and flag medication interactions, and decision-support tools suggest doses, but the examination, the developmental assessment and the conversation with a worried parent still happen in person. AI is changing the paperwork around the job more than the job itself.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Examining children and assessing developmentGrowth charts, muscle tone, hearing and vision checks and how a child plays all depend on a clinician in the room; software can store the measurements but cannot take them.35%low
- Talking with parents and carersExplaining a diagnosis, agreeing on a treatment plan and settling a frightened family relies on reading the room, which no decision-support tool does.30%low
- Writing clinic notes, letters and referralsDictation and ambient scribing tools built into systems like Epic and the My Health Record already produce much of this text, though a paediatrician still reviews and signs it.20%moderate
- Prescribing and adjusting treatment plansDose calculators and interaction alerts help, particularly as a child's weight changes, but choosing which medicine suits this child and this family is a conversation rather than a calculation.15%low
Common questions about becoming a paediatrician
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do paediatricians earn?
Paediatricians earn a median of $202,800 per year before tax. What you actually take home depends on the state or territory health department agreement you work under, your subspecialty, how much on-call you carry and whether you also run a private practice.
How do you become a paediatrician in Australia?
You start with a medical degree, usually four to seven years, then work as an intern and resident medical officer before applying for paediatric training with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Basic training takes about three years and advanced training another three, after which you gain fellowship and register as a specialist with AHPRA.
Are paediatricians in demand?
Paediatricians are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 32.8% over the decade to 2035 over that period, which reflects both population growth and how long it takes to train a specialist. For anyone weighing up the specialty, the slow pipeline matters more than the headline number.
Will AI replace paediatricians?
AI is unlikely to replace paediatricians, because so much of the job depends on examining a child and talking with their family. The bigger change is administrative: transcription, clinic letters and decision-support prompts already cut documentation time in systems such as Epic and Cerner, which frees consultants for clinical work rather than reducing how many are needed.
What can a paediatrician do later in their career?
Subspecialty training is the usual move, and it keeps the same patients: a clinical immunologist and allergist needs further training and the pay difference is $5,200 more, while infectious diseases and clinical genetics follow a similar pattern at about the same and $2,600 less. General practice is the other realistic route in or out, since both roles share diagnostic and patient management work. Many paediatricians also end up running their own private practice, which is often where earnings grow.
How many hours do paediatricians work each week?
Full-time paediatricians average about 46 hours a week, and that figure usually includes on-call, weekend ward rounds and documentation finished after clinic. Subspecialties with newborn or intensive care work tend to carry the heaviest after-hours load.
Related roles
- Clinical Immunologist and Allergist
- Infectious Diseases Physician
- Clinical Geneticist
- Resident Medical Officer
- General Practitioner
- Medical Oncologist
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