GAGastroenterologist
GA
Career

Gastroenterologist

By the numbers
Typical pay
$256,560 / yr
Education to start
Doctoral or professional degree
Future demand
+3.3% by 2034
People in this job
67K
Figures shown for ·closest of 2 O*NET occupations
The work
A day, hour by hour
07:00
Pre-procedure prep

Review today's scope patients — histories, meds, red flags to watch for.

07:30
Procedure block

Run back-to-back colonoscopies; spot a polyp, biopsy it, move on.

10:00
Scope decision

Patient with active GI bleed — scope now or stabilize first? Call it.

10:30
Clinic patients

See a full schedule: Crohn's flare, chronic bloating, abnormal liver labs.

13:00
Results review

Biopsy and imaging reports land — confirm two diagnoses, flag one cancer.

13:45
Difficult conversation

Sit with a patient and family to deliver a colorectal cancer diagnosis.

14:30
Specialist consult

Call the oncologist and surgeon — align on next steps for the new cancer case.

15:30
Afternoon clinic

Adjust a Crohn's patient's biologic; counsel another on colonoscopy prep.

17:00
Chart & close

Finish notes, sign off on labs, handle one urgent after-hours patient call.

Things you do
  • Perform colonoscopies to screen for cancer and remove polyps.
  • Thread a camera down the throat to examine the esophagus and stomach.
  • Figure out why a patient has chronic stomach pain, bloating, or bleeding.
  • Manage long-term conditions like Crohn's disease and adjust medications over time.
  • Review biopsy results and imaging scans to confirm a diagnosis.
Decisions you’ll make
  • Is this polyp suspicious enough to biopsy, or can I leave it alone?
  • Does this patient need a scope now, or can they wait for a scheduled appointment?
  • Are these symptoms pointing to something serious, or is this just IBS?
  • Should I tell this patient I think it's cancer before the biopsy confirms it?
  • Is this patient's liver disease bad enough to refer for a transplant evaluation?
Education Pathways · how you get there
100 in 100 went the college route · 0 in 100 found another way in None, typically
Education mapped from O*NET:General Internal Medicine Physicians · 85% related
If you like this, also look at