Medical Education Job Market Overview
The medical education job market includes faculty, residency program directors, simulation coordinators, and instructional designers at teaching hospitals and universities. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, U.S. medical schools reported more than 21,000 full-time faculty positions in 2023, with growth in community-based and rural training sites. Academic medical centers such as Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center regularly list openings on their career portals. Many roles require a doctoral or professional degree, board certification, and documented teaching experience.
Salary data from the AAMC Faculty Salary Reports show that full-time basic science faculty earned a median base salary of around 245,000 dollars in 2023, while clinical faculty median base pay was near 300,000 dollars, with variation by institution type and region. For non-faculty roles such as medical education specialists and curriculum designers, Glassdoor and Indeed report typical ranges between 65,000 and 110,000 dollars depending on location and institution size. Institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and NYU Langone Health publish annual hiring trends and diversity statistics in workforce reports.
Types of Medical Education Roles and Required Credentials
Common titles include professor of medicine, associate dean for curriculum, simulation educator, clinical skills coordinator, and medical education researcher. Most faculty positions require an MD, DO, PhD, or equivalent terminal degree, plus completion of residency and often fellowship training. For simulation and instructional design roles, employers may seek a master's degree in medical education, instructional design, or a related field, along with certification such as the Certified Medical Education Professional credential.
Licensing requirements vary by state and role, but clinical teaching positions typically require an active, unrestricted medical license. Fellowship-trained subspecialists often pursue additional qualifications such as the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Hospice and Palliative Medicine or board certification in medical education. Many programs list preferred or required experience with electronic learning management systems such as Canvas, Blackboard, or Moodle, as well as familiarity with assessment frameworks like the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies.
Where to Find Medical Education Jobs Near You
Major job boards such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor aggregate medical education listings from academic medical centers, community hospitals, and professional societies. Specialized platforms like the AAMC Career Center, the Association of Clinician Educators job board, and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine listings focus specifically on faculty and education roles. Many institutions, including Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Stanford Medicine, maintain centralized career portals with filters for education-focused positions.
For real-time openings and application deadlines, candidates can set alerts on these platforms and monitor institutional pages directly. The AAMC provides data on medical school employment trends and workforce projections, while the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education publishes program directories that include faculty and staff contact information. Networking through professional societies and attending conferences such as the AAMC Annual Meeting can also surface unadvertised positions and mentorship opportunities.