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What is an interventional pain physician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
John Colclough

As per the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), interventional pain management is a "discipline of medicine devoted to the treatment and diagnosis of pain-related disorders."

Interventional Pain Physician generally have significant organizational responsibility upon them. Rather than just prescribing medication or only suggesting physical therapy, an interventional pain management expert utilizes all treatment sources to eliminate pain most quickly and effectively possible for each patient.

To become an Interventional Pain Physician, you need to have a premedical Bachelor's degree and a four-year M.D. or D.O. degree from a certified medical school. If you're one of the Interventional Pain Physicians in America, you can make an average salary of $195,327 per year or $94 per hour. However, this figure can vary significantly depending upon your experience and skills.

What general advice would you give to an interventional pain physician?

John Colclough

Professor, Marshall University

Be patient and stay informed. Many performers think their career is about the work in the rehearsal hall or in performance-not so, the real work is in the management of your business. Being an authority of WHO, WHAT and WHERE is key. WHO are the players in your market? The directors, actors, casting people, producing organizations, etc...these are who you need to know-your network. WHAT opportunities exist in your market? The theatres, video companies, universities (if you have an MFA you may be able to teach a class or two), Improvisation groups, any opportunity that allows you to grow your brand is worth your attention. And finally, WHERE are the opportunities-knowing your community and having a sense of how each company fits into the fabric of the community. Having a sense of where the company resides both geographically and virtually (web sites) and having a solid knowledge base of details of each company can inform your marketing tactics as well as provide you with specific details unique to each organization. Careers develop over time and keeping expectations realistic over the first year can be challenging. Be practical and methodical in your approach: save money (there's never enough), find a place to live (the best you can afford), find a side hustle (you're going to need money and routine), find out the lay of the land (WHO, WHAT, and WHERE), develop your skill set (take a class and meet colleagues), go to productions, screenings, workshops, document your growth (keep a journal or calendar to track your progress), celebrate your successes and be patient with your stumbles-Hard knocks are the best teachers!
ScoreInterventional Pain PhysicianUS Average
Salary
10.0

Avg. Salary $216,432

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
10.0

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 19.06%

Black or African American 5.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.75%

Unknown 4.48%

White 61.31%

Gender

female 60.34%

male 39.66%

Age - 48
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48
Stress level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an interventional pain physician

  1. Explore interventional pain physician education requirements

    Most common interventional pain physician degrees

    Bachelor's

    22.2 %

    Certificate

    19.4 %

    Associate

    19.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific interventional pain physician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patient Care42.68%
    Board Certification27.19%
    ICU8.72%
    EHR8.34%
    IV5.93%
  3. Complete relevant interventional pain physician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New interventional pain physicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an interventional pain physician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real interventional pain physician resumes.
  4. Research interventional pain physician duties and responsibilities

    • Manage catheters and dress wounds.
    • Admit outpatient clients for same day epidural injections, ablations, implant surgery.
    • Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
    • Review patient medical records and assigns appropriate codes using ICD-9 and CPT coding to format all encounters.
  5. Apply for interventional pain physician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an interventional pain physician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first interventional pain physician job

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Average interventional pain physician salary

The average interventional pain physician salary in the United States is $216,432 per year or $104 per hour. Interventional pain physician salaries range between $104,000 and $448,000 per year.

Average interventional pain physician salary
$216,432 Yearly
$104.05 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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