Specialist Physicians (General Medicine)
Overview
Snapshot
Summary
Specialist Physicians (General Medicine) investigate and diagnose internal human disorders and diseases, and administer treatment.
Tasks
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Examines patients to determine the nature and extent of problems after referral from general medical practitioners and other medical specialists, and undertakes laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures.
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Analyses test results and other medical information to make diagnoses.
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Prescribes and administers drugs, as well as remedial and therapeutic treatment and procedures.
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Records medical information and data.
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Reports specified contagious and notifiable diseases to government health and immigration authorities.
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May admit or refer patients to hospitals.
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May consult other medical specialists.
Characteristics
- 253311 Specialist Physicians (General Medicine)
- 253312 Cardiologists
- 253313 Clinical Haematologists
- 253314 Medical Oncologists
- 253315 Endocrinologists
- 253316 Gastroenterologists
- 253317 Intensive Care Specialists
- 253318 Neurologists
- 253321 Paediatricians
- 253322 Renal Medicine Specialists
- 253323 Rheumatologists
- 253324 Thoracic Medicine Specialists
- 253399 Other Specialist Physicians
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University
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Practical
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Analytical
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Helping
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Sedentary
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Light
Outlook
JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Specialist Physicians, under the outlook section.
Earnings and hours
Working arrangements
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Around 79% of people employed as Specialist Physicians (General Medicine) work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 13 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).
Full-time workers work an average of 49 hours per week in their main job. This is 5 hours more than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).
Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.
Industries
Main industries
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Most Specialist Physicians (General Medicine) work in the Health care and social assistance industry.
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report.
Regions
Employment across Australia
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Employment by State and Territory (% Share)
State | Specialist Physicians (General Medicine) | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
NSW | 27.2 | 31.6 |
VIC | 25.3 | 25.6 |
QLD | 19.8 | 20.0 |
SA | 10.5 | 7.0 |
WA | 10.4 | 10.8 |
TAS | 2.2 | 2.0 |
NT | 1.6 | 1.0 |
ACT | 3.0 | 1.9 |
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Around 73% of Specialist Physicians (General Medicine) live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.
South Australia has a large share of employment relative to its population size.
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Worker profile
Age and gender
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The median age of Specialist Physicians (General Medicine) is 52 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.
A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.
Females make up 27% of the workforce. This is 21 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile (% Share)
Age Bracket | Specialist Physicians (General Medicine) | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
15-19 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
20-24 | 0.4 | 9.3 |
25-34 | 4.6 | 22.9 |
35-44 | 26.4 | 22.0 |
45-54 | 27.0 | 21.6 |
55-59 | 12.3 | 9.0 |
60-64 | 9.3 | 6.0 |
65 and Over | 19.9 | 4.2 |
Median Age | 52 | 40 |
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Employment Pathways
Education, training and experience
Medical practitioners need to undertake a fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians to become a Specialist Physician (General Medicine).
Registration with the Medical Board of Australia is required.
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- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Highest Level of Education (% Share)
Type of Qualification | Specialist Physicians (General Medicine) | All Jobs Average |
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Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate | 64.6 | 10.1 |
Bachelor degree | 34.3 | 21.8 |
Advanced Diploma/Diploma | 0.6 | 11.6 |
Certificate III/IV | 0.0 | 21.1 |
Year 12 | 0.5 | 18.1 |
Year 11 | 0.0 | 4.8 |
Year 10 and below | 0.0 | 12.5 |
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Skills and Knowledge
Employers look for Specialist Physicians who are caring, compassionate, empathetic and work well in a team.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
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68%
Active listeningListening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
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68%
Reading comprehensionReading work related information.
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66%
Judgment and decision makingFiguring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
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63%
Critical thinkingThinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
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61%
ScienceUsing scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
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61%
Social perceptivenessUnderstanding why people react the way they do.
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61%
SpeakingTalking to others.
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61%
WritingWriting things for co-workers or customers.
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59%
Complex problem solvingNoticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
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57%
Active learningBeing able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
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57%
MonitoringKeeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
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57%
Coordination with othersBeing adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
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55%
Time managementManaging your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
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55%
InstructingTeaching people how to do something.
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54%
Serving othersLooking for ways to help people.
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52%
Management of personnel resourcesMotivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
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50%
PersuasionTalking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
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48%
Learning strategiesFiguring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
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46%
Systems analysisFiguring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
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43%
NegotiationBringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
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90%
Medicine and dentistryDiagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
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88%
PsychologyHuman behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
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86%
Customer and personal serviceUnderstanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
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80%
Therapy and counsellingDiagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
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69%
BiologyPlant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
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63%
Education and trainingCurriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
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62%
MathematicsArithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
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59%
English languageEnglish language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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49%
ChemistryChemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
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46%
Law and governmentHow our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
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45%
Personnel and human resourcesRecruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
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45%
Computers and electronicsCircuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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44%
Administration and managementBusiness principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
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44%
Sociology and anthropologyGroup behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
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38%
Philosophy and theologyPhilosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
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35%
PhysicsThe physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
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33%
ClericalWord processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
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30%
Public safety and securityUse of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
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29%
Sales and marketingShowing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
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26%
Economics and accountingEconomics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities..
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77%
Problem spottingNotice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
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73%
Inductive reasoningUse lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
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71%
Oral comprehensionListen to and understand what people say.
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71%
Oral expressionCommunicate by speaking.
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70%
Written comprehensionRead and understand written information.
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64%
Written expressionWrite in a way that people can understand.
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63%
Deductive reasoningUse general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
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57%
Speech recognitionIdentify and understand the speech of another person.
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55%
Near visionSee details that are up-close (within a few feet).
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52%
Speech claritySpeak clearly so others can understand you.
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50%
Sorting or orderingOrder or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
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50%
CategorisingCome up with different ways of grouping things.
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50%
Flexibility of closureSee a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
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48%
OriginalityCome up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
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45%
BrainstormingCome up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
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45%
Selective attentionPay attention to something without being distracted.
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43%
Perceptual speedUse your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
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43%
Speed of recognitionQuickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
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41%
MultitaskingDo two or more things at the same time.
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37%
Colour discriminationNotice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
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83%
Monitoring people, processes and thingsChecking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
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80%
Looking for changes over timeComparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
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80%
Helping and caring for othersProviding personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
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77%
Making decisions and solving problemsUsing information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
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76%
Keeping your knowledge up-to-dateKeeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
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71%
Researching and investigatingLooking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
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67%
Collecting and organising informationCompiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
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66%
Building good relationshipsBuilding good working relationships and keeping them over time.
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65%
Documenting or recording informationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
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63%
Making sense of information and ideasLooking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
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62%
Checking compliance with standardsDeciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
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62%
Communicating within a teamGiving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
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60%
Assessing and evaluating thingsWorking out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
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60%
Giving expert adviceProviding guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
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57%
Working with the publicGreeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
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54%
Training and teaching othersUnderstanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
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53%
Communicating with the publicGiving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
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49%
Explaining things to peopleHelping people to understand and use information.
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48%
Estimating amounts, costs and resourcesWorking out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.
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40%
Working with computersUsing computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Interests and demands
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
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95%
AnalyticalIdeas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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86%
HelpingWorking with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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57%
PracticalPractical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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38%
AdministrativeFollowing set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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38%
EnterprisingStarting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
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29%
CreativeWorking with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
Values
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95%
RelationshipsServe and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
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90%
AchievementResults oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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90%
IndependenceWork alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
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90%
RecognitionAdvancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
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86%
Working conditionsJob security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
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71%
SupportSupportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
Demands
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100%
Disease or infectionBe exposed to disease or infections.
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99%
Freedom to make decisionsHave freedom to make decision on your own.
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98%
TelephoneTalk on the telephone.
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97%
Contact with peopleHave contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
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96%
Impact of decisionsMake decisions that have a large impact on other people.
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96%
Face-to-face discussionsTalk with people face-to-face.
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96%
Being exact or accurateBe very exact or highly accurate.
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95%
TeamworkWork with people in a group or team.
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93%
Consequence of errorWork where mistakes have serious consequences.
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92%
Contact with the publicWork with customers or the public.
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92%
Lead or coordinate a teamLead others to do work activities.
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92%
Physically close to peopleWork physically close to other people.
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92%
Unstructured workHave freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
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90%
Frequent decision makingFrequently make decisions that impact other people.
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84%
Letters and memosWrite letters and memos.
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82%
Electronic mailUse electronic mail.
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82%
Indoors, heat controlledWork indoors with access to heating or cooling.
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81%
Time pressureWork to strict deadlines.
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78%
Angry or unpleasant peopleDeal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
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73%
Responsible for outcomesTake responsibility for the results of other people's work.
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1062.00 - Family and General Practitioners.
Links and downloads
Research and reports
The Skills Priority List provides a current labour market rating and a future demand rating for nearly 800 occupations nationally. Current labour market ratings are available for occupations at a state and territory level.
Downloads
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Occupation profiles data are available for download.
The Employment Projections are available for download.