Also called: Aerospace Medicine Physician, Crew Surgeon
The doctor responsible for keeping astronauts healthy before, during, and after missions.
You run astronaut checkups, sit at the surgeon console in Mission Control during spacewalks, and have private medical conferences with crew in orbit. After landing, you're one of the first people at the capsule.
Physicians' pay; BLS 90th percentile is above $239k.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 12 years after high school. MD or DO plus residency in aerospace medicine (about 12 years after high school).
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school, Military. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Biology, Biochemistry, Pre-Medicine.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps track astronaut health data; medical care, diagnosis and trust with crews stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Anatomy, AP Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-1229.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.