Physiatrists restore function after injury and illness, and they treat the disability rather than only the disease. The caseload runs from stroke and spinal cord injury rehabilitation through musculoskeletal pain, spasticity management and electrodiagnosis. The question driving the work is what this patient can do, and how to get more of it back.

This guide covers careers in physical medicine and rehabilitation end to end, walking through all five accredited subspecialties, the years of training each one costs you, what the work earns and how competitive the path is.

Medical careers in physical medicine and rehabilitation

Every path below is a formal, ACGME-accredited subspecialty you enter through a fellowship after physical medicine and rehabilitation residency. Together they hold 124 physicians in training.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Physicians in training as of the 2024-2025 academic year, from the ACGME Data Resource Book. A larger number means a larger field, not an easier one.

How long does physical medicine and rehabilitation training take?

All of the careers in physical medicine and rehabilitation on this page run through the same first eight years, and separate afterwards. Residency length is taken from the ACGME Data Resource Book for the 2024-2025 academic year.

1. Bachelor's degree, four years. Any major works, as long as you finish the medical school prerequisites and sit the MCAT.
2. Medical school, four years. Two years mostly preclinical, two years mostly in the hospital, with USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 along the way.
3. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency, four years. A clinical base year, then three years of PM&R residency, making four in total.
4. Fellowship, one to three years. Optional, and the route into the subspecialties listed below.

That is twelve years from starting your bachelor's degree to practising independently, before any fellowship. How long medical school takes covers the middle four in detail.

How much do physiatrists earn?

BLS does not publish a separate wage for physiatrists. The closest official figure is its physicians, all other category, which had a median of $265,930 a year in 2025. Read it as the range the specialty sits inside rather than as its own number.

Figures from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national estimates, 2025. Wages at the top of the scale are reported as equal to or greater than $239,200 in some categories, so a published median can sit below what practising physicians in the field report.

Earnings across careers in physical medicine and rehabilitation swing more on setting and geography than on the specialty itself. Academic posts sit below private practice, and rural positions often sit above urban ones for the same work.

How competitive is physical medicine and rehabilitation?

Every position offered was filled, which puts it among the most competitive fields in the match. A low share filled by US MD seniors means the specialty draws heavily on DO and international graduates, so a strong application from any route stands a chance.

Figures from NRMP Results and Data, 2026 Main Residency Match, Table 1A.

Match rates describe the field, not your application. What moves your own odds is your Step 2 score, your clinical grades, your letters and your research, and the odds of getting into medical school covers the stage before any of that.

How careers in physical medicine and rehabilitation compare with the other specialties

Training length. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency runs four years. Of the nineteen specialties on this site, ten are shorter and six are the same length. The spread across all of them is two years to five.

Competition. Eight of the fifteen specialties here that run through the main match fill a higher share of their positions with US MD seniors, which is the closest single proxy for how contested a field is.

Size of the field. BLS counts 342,720 people employed in the physicians, all other category. A larger field means more posts advertised and more geographic choice about where you practise.

None of these numbers should pick a specialty for you. They are the constraints you are choosing inside, and the choice itself comes down to whether the day-to-day work holds your attention for thirty years.

Skills and requirements for physical medicine and rehabilitation

Where the work happens. Inpatient rehabilitation units, outpatient musculoskeletal clinic and procedure suites for injections and electrodiagnostic studies.

Who it suits. People who measure success in function rather than cure, who like working in a team with therapists, and who want musculoskeletal medicine without operating.

How you get in. A clinical base year, then three years of PM&R residency, making four in total.

Before any of that, the requirements match every other route into medicine. You need a bachelor's degree, the prerequisite coursework, clinical and research experience, an MCAT score, and a complete medical school application.