Endocrinology is the medical subspecialty focused on diseases of the endocrine system — including diabetes, thyroid and parathyroid disease, adrenal disease, pituitary disease, osteoporosis, and reproductive hormone disorders. With one of the worst physician-to-population ratios in any internal medicine subspecialty (roughly one endocrinologist per 25,000 Americans) and exploding demand from the diabetes and obesity epidemics, endocrinology is one of the most acutely undersupplied specialties.
Endocrinology is a medical subspecialty of internal medicine requiring three years of internal medicine residency followed by two years of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism fellowship. Endocrinologists are board-certified through the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), and they diagnose and treat diseases of the endocrine system including diabetes, thyroid and parathyroid disease, adrenal and pituitary disease, osteoporosis, and reproductive hormone disorders.
Modern endocrinology practice spans general outpatient endocrinology (the largest segment), diabetes-focused endocrinology with insulin pump and CGM management, thyroid and parathyroid practice with ultrasound and FNA capabilities, complex pituitary and adrenal disease management at academic centers, telehealth endocrinology (a growing share of practice), and pediatric endocrinology. Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) is a separate fellowship of OB/GYN, not internal medicine endocrinology.
Endocrinology practice settings span hospital-employed endocrinology divisions (often anchored to diabetes education and bariatric programs), multi-specialty groups, independent endocrinology practices, telehealth endocrinology platforms, FQHCs, and academic medical centers with complex disease programs.
Endocrinology has multiple disease-focused tracks and practice models:
General Endocrinology — Comprehensive outpatient endocrinology managing diabetes, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, and reproductive hormone disorders.
Diabetes-Focused Endocrinology — Practice-focused endocrinologists running advanced diabetes programs (insulin pump, CGM, type 1 transition).
Thyroid and Parathyroid — Practice-focused endocrinologists with thyroid ultrasound and FNA capabilities.
Pituitary and Adrenal Disease — Subspecialty-focused endocrinologists managing complex pituitary, adrenal, and neuroendocrine disorders.
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) — Subspecialty fellowship-trained REI physicians at fertility clinics — a separate OB/GYN fellowship.
Pediatric Endocrinology — Subspecialty pediatric endocrinologists at children's hospitals. Severe national shortage.
Telehealth Endocrinology — 100% remote or hybrid endocrinology positions, increasingly competitive with traditional in-office practice.
The United States has one of the worst physician-to-population ratios in any internal medicine subspecialty for endocrinology — roughly one endocrinologist per 25,000 Americans, against an exploding demand profile. The CDC reports more than 37 million Americans with diabetes and 96 million with prediabetes, and obesity rates continue to drive endocrinology referral volumes upward.
Subspecialty supply is particularly constrained for pediatric endocrinology, where successful searches typically require 180–365+ days. Telehealth endocrinology has emerged as a meaningful alternative practice model, with many endocrinologists preferring 100% remote or hybrid practice and programs offering telehealth flexibility recruiting far better than traditional in-office-only models.
Endocrinology compensation has historically lagged most internal medicine subspecialties despite acute shortage. General endocrinologists typically earn $250,000–$350,000, telehealth endocrinologists $260,000–$360,000, pediatric endocrinologists $200,000–$280,000, and subspecialty-focused endocrinologists at academic centers $275,000–$400,000.
MedicalRecruiting.com operates a dedicated endocrinology recruiting practice serving hospitals, endocrinology groups, multi-specialty groups, and academic medical centers across all 50 states. For a complete overview of our endocrinology recruiting services — including the subspecialties we cover, the organizations we serve, our process, and current endocrinology compensation benchmarks — visit our endocrinology recruiters page.
For interim endocrinology coverage during permanent searches, see our locum tenens services. To browse the full directory of medical specialties we recruit for, visit the specialties hub.
For endocrinology candidates exploring opportunities, browse current openings on our jobs board, review endocrinology compensation data on our physician salary comparison tool, and submit your CV through our candidate portal for visibility to our employer network.
Endocrinology has one of the worst physician-to-population ratios in any internal medicine subspecialty — roughly one endocrinologist per 25,000 Americans. Demand continues to grow with the diabetes and obesity epidemics. Pediatric endocrinology is one of the most undersupplied physician specialties in the country.
Endocrinology compensation has historically lagged most internal medicine subspecialties despite acute shortage because endocrinology practice is largely cognitive (rather than procedural) and reimbursement is dominated by E&M codes. The shortage premium has begun to close this gap, but procedural subspecialties like cardiology, GI, and pulmonary critical care still earn substantially more.
General endocrinologists typically earn $250,000–$350,000 in employed positions, telehealth endocrinologists $260,000–$360,000, pediatric endocrinologists $200,000–$280,000, and subspecialty-focused endocrinologists at academic centers $275,000–$400,000. REI (a separate OB/GYN fellowship) earns substantially more at $400,000–$700,000+.
Visit our dedicated endocrinology recruiters page for a complete overview of our endocrinology recruiting practice, the subspecialties we cover, the organizations we serve, and current endocrinology compensation benchmarks.