How to hire a primary care pediatrician

How to hire a primary care pediatrician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step primary care pediatrician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a primary care pediatrician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new primary care pediatrician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your primary care pediatrician job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a primary care pediatrician for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A primary care pediatrician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, primary care pediatricians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of primary care pediatrician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Primary Care Pediatrician	Description	Hourly rate
   Primary Care Pediatrician	Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests... Show more	$56-188
   Hospitalist	A hospitalist, also known as a physician, is primarily responsible for diagnosing and treating patients' ailments or injuries, providing optimal care and service. They assess a patient's condition by running tests, interviews, and examinations, providing consultations, prescribing or administering medicines, coordinating with other health experts, and following up on patients' cases... Show more	$67-158
   Pediatric Hospitalist	A pediatric hospitalist specializes in diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries of hospitalized children. Their responsibilities include performing examinations and assessments, developing care and treatment plans, prescribing medicine, studying the patients' medical histories, providing care advice to families and guardians, and regularly monitoring the patients' condition... Show more	$42-143

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Primary Care
   • CME
   • Medical Care
   • Pediatric Emergency
   • Outpatient Care
   • Memorial Hospital
   • EKG
   • Urgent Care

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide exceptional continuity of care and patient satisfaction by managing patients in both outpatient and inpatient pediatric settings.
   • Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
   • Collect and dispatch blood samples according to national malaria eradication and sputum samples for national tuberculosis control program.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your primary care pediatrician job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A primary care pediatrician salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a primary care pediatrician in Ohio may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level primary care pediatrician usually earns less than a senior-level primary care pediatrician. Additionally, a primary care pediatrician with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average primary care pediatrician salary

   $214,755yearly

   $103.25 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level primary care pediatrician salary

   $117,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average primary care pediatrician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Wisconsin	$298,026	$143
   2	California	$275,457	$132
   3	Nevada	$261,486	$126
   4	Utah	$259,947	$125
   5	Illinois	$255,343	$123
   6	Texas	$242,417	$117
   7	North Carolina	$240,406	$116
   8	South Carolina	$238,305	$115
   9	New York	$234,711	$113
   10	Pennsylvania	$229,566	$110
   11	Delaware	$226,936	$109
   12	Colorado	$226,713	$109
   13	Florida	$218,154	$105
   14	Arizona	$217,966	$105
   15	Ohio	$215,067	$103
   16	Louisiana	$204,320	$98

   Average primary care pediatrician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Atrium Health Floyd	$273,429	$131.46	58
   2	PeaceHealth	$263,843	$126.85	50
   3	Danbury Hospital	$254,054	$122.14	25
   4	Cook Children's Medical Center	$248,290	$119.37	5
   5	Lee Regional Health System	$243,905	$117.26	48
   6	Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children	$241,519	$116.11
   7	Akron Children's Hospital	$239,943	$115.36	27
   8	Nationwide Children's Hospital	$236,882	$113.89	14
   9	Merritt Hawkins	$235,084	$113.02
   10	The Medicus Firm	$233,671	$112.34	11
   11	St Joseph Medical Group	$230,983	$111.05	22
   12	Ventura County Community Foundation	$226,183	$108.74
   13	La Paloma Urgent Care & Physician Offices	$223,407	$107.41
   14	ODA Primary Health Care Network	$200,929	$96.60
   15	Intermountain Healthcare	$179,768	$86.43	14
   16	MEDNAX	$159,110	$76.50	3
   17	HealthTrust	$147,247	$70.79	2
   18	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	$145,180	$69.80	27
   19	Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center	$135,426	$65.11	8
   20	Medical University of South Carolina	$126,936	$61.03	15

4. Writing a primary care pediatrician job description

   A primary care pediatrician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a primary care pediatrician job description:

   Primary care pediatrician job description example

   Night Lite Pediatrics is the fastest growing pediatric urgent care centers in Central and North Florida with 13 locations and rapidly growing!
   
   Night Lite Pediatrics Urgent Care/Pediatrix is hiring for BC/BE procedure oriented physicians to practice in our clinics. If you enjoy the urgent care setting and want to be a part of a growing and dynamic team, we have the position for you! Hiring for full-time, part-time and PRN positions.
   Experienced in suturing, FB removal, orthopedics and IV rehydration
   Emergency department experience preferred
   Board Certified or Board Eligible Pediatrics
   Active PALS Certification
   Active DEA License
   
   Night Lite Pediatrics has thirteen locations in Central Florida, Melbourne, Port St Lucie, and Jacksonville.
   
   About the Jacksonville area:
   
   Jacksonville offers an inviting mix of cultural and outdoor attractions to enjoy. Found on the banks of St. Johns River in northeastern Florida, Jacksonville - or “Jax”, as locals fondly call it - has plenty to offer both for families wanting an activity-filled vacation and those in search of a peaceful escape. Bask in the Florida sunshine on its 22 miles of beaches, paddle the river by kayak, or bike and hike Jacksonville's extensive nature park trails. Discover the city's vibrant arts and history with a wander through its museums, colorful downtown streets, markets and historic districts.
   
   Effective November 1st, 2021 Pediatrix will require all employees and new hires to be vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they qualify for an approved medical and/or religious exemption.
   
   The compensation and benefits referenced is for illustrative purposes only, and will be discussed during and after the interview process.
   
   Benefits
   
   Our clinicians enjoy a competitive compensation package with many locations offering sign on bonuses, relocation and tuition reimbursement.
   
   *Our benefits include:
   
   Health (various options), life, vision, dental and disability insurance
   401(k) with annual matching program
   Advanced and continuing medical education
   Leadership training and advancement opportunities
   Employee stock purchase plan at a 15% discount
   Professional liability insurance
   Support and payment for mandatory license/s and hospital credentialing
   
   *These benefits are for full time employees, employees in other types of employment classifications may be eligible for some of these benefits.
   
   Mednax, Inc. and its affiliated practices operating as Pediatrix Medical Group (Pediatrix) are one of the nation's leading providers of highly specialized health care for women, babies and children. Since 1979, Pediatrix-affiliated clinicians have been committed to providing coordinated, compassionate and clinically excellent services across the continuum of care, both in hospital settings and office-based practices. Specialties including obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, and neonatology are complemented by 18 pediatric subspecialties and a newly expanded area of primary and urgent care clinics. The group's high-quality, evidence-based care is bolstered by investments in research, education, quality-improvement and safety initiatives.
   
   Today through almost 8,000 employees in 38 states, dedicated teams including physicians, advanced practitioners, clinical leaders, business and operational experts work together every day to fulfill our mission to take great care of the patient . We invite you to join the Pediatrix family and help shape the future of health care for women, babies and children.
   
   Pediatrix is an Equal Opportunity Employer
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.
   
   #PedAHC

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right primary care pediatrician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your primary care pediatrician job on Zippia to find and attract quality primary care pediatrician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting primary care pediatricians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new primary care pediatrician

   Once you've decided on a perfect primary care pediatrician candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new primary care pediatrician. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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