An allergist and immunologist diagnoses and treats allergies, asthma, and immune system disorders. You work directly with patients, solve complex medical problems, and stay current with evolving research. It requires a doctoral degree and extensive preparation, but offers deep clinical and intellectual rewards.
Pathly builds you a free, personalized roadmap and helps your counselor champion you along the way.
Allergists and immunologists evaluate patients with allergic reactions, asthma, and immune conditions. You perform diagnostic testing, interpret results, and develop treatment plans tailored to each patient. You document patient histories and progress carefully, communicate findings with other healthcare providers, and stay informed about the latest medical advances in your field. You make clinical decisions based on evidence and patient needs, and you help patients understand their conditions and manage symptoms over time.
Core work activities
Career video courtesy of CareerOneStop.
Allergists and Immunologists earn a median of $265,930 a year, based on 2025 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and location.
The outlook is steady. Employment is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as average for all occupations, with about 9,600 openings a year.
Top skills
Knowledge areas
This career requires a doctoral degree in medicine or osteopathy, followed by specialized training in allergy and immunology. After earning your medical degree, you complete residency training in a related field, then pursue additional fellowship training in allergy and immunology. Throughout your education, you develop skills in critical thinking, reading medical literature, active listening to patients, and writing clinical notes. Your preparation is extensive and involves years of supervised clinical experience before you practice independently.
The path to becoming an allergist and immunologist involves medical school, residency, and fellowship training. The timeline and financial investment are significant, so if you're exploring whether this career fits your goals and circumstances, Pathly can map the allergist and immunologist path that fits you and work through it with your school counselor or a healthcare career advisor.
You do not need a license to work as an allergist and immunologist, but professional certifications can strengthen your resume.
Common certifications
You are drawn to investigative work: diagnosing conditions, solving medical puzzles, and understanding how the immune system works. You combine scientific curiosity with a genuine interest in helping patients feel better.
Reading about a career is the easy part. Turning it into a plan is where most students get stuck. Pathly takes you from curious to a clear next step, and gives your counselor the insight to champion you along the way.
Start with a quick quiz and assessments that surface your personality, your EQ, and what really motivates you, so your next steps are built around who you actually are.
Your free AI guide weighs this career against your strengths and goals, and surfaces the colleges, trades, and scholarships that match, so you know if it truly fits before you commit.
Get a personalized, step-by-step plan to reach this career, with the training, coursework, and credentials tracked in one place. Link your school or IEC and your counselor in the loop.
Last updated July 1, 2026.
Data sources. Career details from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Salary and outlook figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 wages; 2024–2034 projections), delivered via the CareerOneStop API. Certification, licensing, wage, and outlook data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).