Free gastroenterologist job description templates with full credentialing: state license, DEA, ABIM board certification, privileges, and FLSA guidance.
6 templates across general GI, interventional, hepatology, IBD, pediatric, and independent practice, with the credentialing and FLSA detail the generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
A gastroenterologist job description looks simple until you write one. The title covers general GI, advanced endoscopy, hepatology, inflammatory bowel disease, and pediatric GI, each with its own fellowship training and certification, and the real work of the posting is the credentialing stack underneath it: state license, DEA registration, board certification, hospital and surgery-center privileges, and more.
At FirstHR, we build hiring templates that name the parts the generic template farms skip. For a physician role, that means the full credentialing and compliance detail, not just a duties list. The six below cover general GI and the major subspecialties, plus an independent-practice version. The guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
A gastroenterologist is a physician (MD or DO) who completed internal medicine residency and a GI fellowship and is ABIM board certified. Subspecialties include advanced endoscopy, hepatology, IBD, and pediatric GI. The role is FLSA exempt and requires a stack of credentials: state license, DEA registration, board certification, hospital and ASC privileges, CMS enrollment, NPI, and malpractice. Federal pay data is topcoded at $239,200+; specialty surveys run far higher.
What Is a Gastroenterologist?
A gastroenterologist is a physician who diagnoses and treats disorders of the digestive system and liver, and performs endoscopic procedures such as colonoscopy and upper endoscopy. A gastroenterologist is an MD or DO who completed an internal medicine residency and a gastroenterology fellowship, roughly thirteen to fourteen years of training, and is board certified in the subspecialty.
In federal data the role falls under physicians and surgeons, since there is no gastroenterology-specific occupation code. The terms gastroenterologist, GI doctor, and GI specialist all mean the same physician, while subspecialties such as advanced endoscopy, hepatology, IBD, and pediatric GI carry additional training. Naming the subspecialty and certification is the decision that shapes the whole posting.
Gastroenterologist Duties and Responsibilities
A gastroenterologist's duties cluster into clinical care, procedures, team collaboration, and documentation and quality. The balance shifts by subspecialty, more complex procedures for an advanced endoscopist, more liver focus for a hepatologist, but these areas hold across the role.
Clinical care
Evaluate, diagnose, and treat GI and liver disorders
Develop and manage individualized treatment plans
Interpret diagnostic studies and coordinate care
Procedures
Perform endoscopy (colonoscopy, upper endoscopy)
Perform advanced procedures per subspecialty
Maintain sedation and procedural standards
Team and collaboration
Collaborate with APPs, nurses, and referring physicians
Coordinate with surgery, oncology, and radiology
Mentor staff and advanced practice providers
Documentation and quality
Maintain accurate, timely clinical documentation
Support quality, safety, and patient experience
Meet HIPAA and compliance requirements
A general gastroenterologist balances clinic and routine endoscopy; an advanced endoscopist concentrates on complex procedures; a pediatric gastroenterologist treats children. For a structured way to scope the role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by subspecialty and setting. The general version is the flagship; the interventional, hepatology, IBD, pediatric, and independent-practice versions match different fellowship credentials and privileges. Use this guide to choose.
General Gastroenterologist
Consultative and procedural
The flagship: a board-certified or board-eligible GI physician providing consultative care and routine endoscopy, with the full credentialing checklist built in.
Interventional / Advanced
ERCP, EUS, EMR
For an advanced endoscopist with extra fellowship training in complex therapeutic procedures, requiring advanced-procedure privileging and case logs.
Hepatologist
Liver and transplant
For a liver-focused subspecialist, including transplant hepatology, with the added certification and program credentialing those roles require.
IBD Specialist
Crohn's and colitis
For an inflammatory bowel disease focus managing biologics and advanced therapies, often within a dedicated multidisciplinary IBD program.
Pediatric Gastroenterologist
Pediatrics pathway
For children's digestive and liver care, following a pediatrics training pathway with certification through the American Board of Pediatrics, not ABIM.
Independent / Small Practice
Physician-led, partnership track
For an independent practice adding a physician, with a partnership path and the full in-house credentialing and onboarding load made explicit.
Match the Template to the Subspecialty
Broad consultative and procedural care: General Gastroenterologist. Complex therapeutic endoscopy: Interventional / Advanced. Liver and transplant: Hepatologist. Crohn's and colitis: IBD Specialist. Children: Pediatric Gastroenterologist (note the pediatrics certification pathway). An independent practice adding a physician with a partnership track: Independent / Small Practice. Whichever you pick, name the exact board certification and spell out the credentialing requirements.
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: practice and position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a credentialing and compliance note, an EEO statement, and compensation. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Templates
General, interventional, hepatology, IBD, pediatric, and independent practice. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Gastroenterologist (General)
The flagship: a board-certified or board-eligible GI physician providing consultative care and routine endoscopy, with the full credentialing checklist built in.
Gastroenterologist Job Description (General)
GASTROENTEROLOGIST JOB DESCRIPTION (GENERAL)
Practice: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Managing Physician / Medical Director]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional)
Compensation: $______ per year [+ productivity / call / ASC distributions]
ABOUT [PRACTICE NAME]
[Practice Name] is a [single-specialty GI / multi-specialty] practice in
[City, State] serving patients with digestive and liver conditions. We are
hiring a board-certified or board-eligible Gastroenterologist to provide
consultative care and perform endoscopic procedures.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Gastroenterologist diagnoses and treats disorders of the digestive
system and liver, performs endoscopic procedures, and partners with the
care team and advanced practice providers to deliver high-quality care.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Evaluate, diagnose, and treat digestive and liver disorders
Reports to: [Managing Physician / Medical Director]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional)
Compensation: $______ per year [+ productivity / call]
ABOUT THIS ROLE
An IBD specialist is a gastroenterologist focused on inflammatory bowel
disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, often managing
complex biologic and advanced therapies within a dedicated IBD program.
POSITION SUMMARY
[Practice Name] is hiring an IBD Specialist to lead inflammatory bowel
disease care, manage advanced therapies, and coordinate multidisciplinary
treatment for complex IBD patients.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Diagnose and manage Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
•Prescribe and monitor biologic and advanced therapies
•Perform endoscopy and disease-activity assessment
•Coordinate with colorectal surgery and other specialties
•Manage complex, treatment-refractory IBD cases
•Support patient education and long-term care plans
•Maintain accurate clinical documentation
•Contribute to IBD quality and outcomes programs
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•MD or DO; IM residency plus GI fellowship
•[IBD-focused fellowship or experience preferred]
•ABIM board certification or eligibility (gastroenterology)
•Active, unencumbered state medical license
•DEA registration (and state CDS/CSR where required)
•Hospital privileges and credentialing eligibility
•Medical malpractice coverage [tail as applicable]
COMPLIANCE AND CREDENTIALING (read before posting)
Confirm state licensure, DEA registration, ABIM certification, hospital
and ASC privileges, CMS or Medicare enrollment, NPI, and HIPAA compliance.
Confirm any program-specific credentialing for advanced therapies. This is
general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Practice Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable
accommodations are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ per year [+ productivity / call]
To apply, email __.
Template 5: Pediatric Gastroenterologist
For children's digestive and liver care, following a pediatrics training pathway with certification through the American Board of Pediatrics, not ABIM.
Pediatric Gastroenterologist Job Description
PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGIST JOB DESCRIPTION
Practice: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Managing Physician / Medical Director]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional)
Compensation: $______ per year [+ productivity / call]
ABOUT THIS ROLE
A pediatric gastroenterologist diagnoses and treats digestive and liver
disorders in infants, children, and adolescents. The role follows a
pediatrics training pathway rather than internal medicine, so the
certification requirements differ from adult GI.
POSITION SUMMARY
[Practice Name] is hiring a Pediatric Gastroenterologist to evaluate and
treat children with digestive and liver conditions, perform
age-appropriate procedures, and partner with families and pediatric care
teams.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Diagnose and treat pediatric GI and liver disorders
•Perform age-appropriate endoscopic procedures
•Manage conditions such as reflux, IBD, and feeding disorders
•Partner with families on care plans
•Collaborate with pediatricians and pediatric specialists
•Maintain accurate clinical documentation
•Support family-centered, age-appropriate care
•Participate in call coverage [per schedule]
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•MD or DO; pediatrics residency plus pediatric GI fellowship
•ABP board certification or eligibility (pediatric gastroenterology)
•Active, unencumbered state medical license
•DEA registration (and state CDS/CSR where required)
•Hospital privileges and credentialing eligibility
•Pediatric sedation privileges where applicable
•Medical malpractice coverage [tail as applicable]
COMPLIANCE AND CREDENTIALING (read before posting)
Note the pediatric pathway: certification is through the American Board of
Pediatrics, not ABIM. Confirm state licensure, DEA registration, hospital
privileges, CMS or Medicare enrollment, NPI, HIPAA, and pediatric sedation
privileges. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Practice Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable
accommodations are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ per year [+ productivity / call]
To apply, email __.
Template 6: Independent / Small Practice
For an independent practice adding a physician, with a partnership path and the full in-house credentialing and onboarding load made explicit.
Gastroenterologist Job Description (Independent / Small Practice)
GASTROENTEROLOGIST JOB DESCRIPTION (INDEPENDENT / SMALL PRACTICE)
This is the part the generic templates skip, and it is the real work of hiring a gastroenterologist. The role sits on a stack of licenses, registrations, certifications, and privileges, and a missing one delays the physician's ability to see patients and bill.
License and board certification
An active, unencumbered state medical license in the practice state, plus ABIM board certification or eligibility in gastroenterology (the American Board of Pediatrics for pediatric GI). Verify USMLE or COMLEX completion, and ECFMG certification for international medical graduates.
DEA registration and controlled substances
Federal DEA registration via Form 224 to prescribe and administer controlled substances, including sedation, renewed on the DEA cycle. Some states require a separate controlled-substance registration (CDS or CSR) on top of the federal DEA registration.
Privileges and enrollment
Hospital and ambulatory surgery center privileges with primary-source verification, sedation privileges for endoscopy, CMS or Medicare enrollment, and a National Provider Identifier. These determine where the physician can work and bill from day one.
Malpractice, HIPAA, and CME
Medical malpractice coverage, often with tail coverage when changing employers, HIPAA compliance, and ongoing continuing medical education and maintenance of certification. Track every renewal date so no credential lapses.
Federal DEA registration is filed on DEA Form 224 for practitioners, and board certification runs through the American Board of Internal Medicine in gastroenterology, with pediatric GI certified through the American Board of Pediatrics. Each credential carries its own verification and renewal schedule.
Credentialing Drives the Start Date
Hospital and ambulatory surgery center privileging with primary-source verification, plus CMS or Medicare enrollment and a National Provider Identifier, determine when a physician can actually work and bill. These processes take time, so start them early and track every deadline. Build a repeatable credentialing checklist rather than tracking it by memory. This is general information, not legal advice.
FLSA and Classification
A gastroenterologist is exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act, classified under the learned professional exemption. The role requires advanced knowledge acquired through prolonged, specialized instruction, the thirteen-to-fourteen-year medical training pathway, so the duties test is easily met.
The learned professional exemption generally requires a salary basis at or above the federal threshold of $684 per week ($35,568 per year) under the 2019 rule, though a specific regulatory provision recognizes that licensed physicians practicing medicine are exempt without regard to the salary basis test. Either way, gastroenterologist pay is far above any threshold, so the classification is not a close call.
Physicians Are Exempt; Watch the Support Roles
Classify a gastroenterologist as salaried exempt. The classification questions that need real care in a medical practice usually involve support and administrative staff, not the physicians, so apply the duties test and the higher of the federal or state threshold to those roles. The guides to exempt versus non-exempt and the Fair Labor Standards Act explain how the tests work. This is general information, not legal advice.
Requirements and Qualifications
This is a credential-driven physician role. Name the board certification and privileges precisely, since they are the deciding requirements, and tailor fellowship training to the subspecialty.
Requirement
What to know
Education
MD or DO; IM residency plus GI fellowship (about 13 to 14 years)
Board certification
ABIM gastroenterology; American Board of Pediatrics for pediatric GI
License
Active, unencumbered state medical license in the practice state
DEA and controlled substances
Federal DEA Form 224; state CDS or CSR where required
Privileges
Hospital and ASC privileges; sedation privileges; primary-source verification
Enrollment and coverage
CMS or Medicare enrollment, NPI, HIPAA, malpractice with tail
Keep the must-have license and board certification clear, and tailor the fellowship and privilege requirements to the subspecialty and procedural setting. The guide to writing a job description covers how to structure the rest.
Pay and Hiring Outlook
Gastroenterologists are among the highest-paid physicians, and the federal figure understates their pay because of how it is reported.
BLS Benchmark (Physicians and Surgeons, May 2024)
Gastroenterologists fall under physicians, all other, and the federal median for physicians and surgeons is reported only as at or above $239,200 a year, the top of the federal wage scale, so the exact figure is not published. National compensation surveys place gastroenterology total compensation far higher, in the range of roughly $495,000 to $530,000 or more, with ownership income pushing it higher still. Employment of physicians and surgeons is projected to grow about 3% from 2024 to 2034 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Budget against specialty survey data rather than the topcoded federal number, and anchor the offer to your setting and region. Market data shows wide variation driven by productivity, call, and ambulatory surgery center ownership, and time-to-fill for the specialty is long, which keeps compensation high.
Hiring a Gastroenterologist for an Independent Practice
The honest picture: name the exact subspecialty and certification, the credentialing load is the real work that the templates ignore, and the hiring entity is usually large while independent practice keeps consolidating. Here are the three realities to get right.
One specialty, several subspecialties: name the exact role and certification
Gastroenterologist, GI doctor, and GI specialist are the same physician role, an MD or DO who completed internal medicine residency and a gastroenterology fellowship and is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. But the specialty splits into subspecialties that change the requirements. An interventional or advanced endoscopist has extra fellowship training for ERCP, EUS, and similar procedures and needs advanced-procedure privileging. A hepatologist focuses on liver disease, and a transplant hepatologist carries additional certification. An IBD specialist focuses on Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and advanced therapies. A pediatric gastroenterologist follows the pediatrics pathway entirely, certified by the American Board of Pediatrics rather than ABIM. Each of these needs different fellowship credentials and privileges, so before you write the posting, decide which subspecialty you are hiring, name the exact board certification, and the posting will attract the right physicians instead of a broad mix.
The credentialing load is the real work, and the templates ignore it
The generic templates list a few duties and stop, but the hard part of hiring a gastroenterologist is the credentialing stack, and getting it wrong delays the physician's start date and ability to bill. A complete posting and onboarding plan accounts for an active, unencumbered state medical license, federal DEA registration for controlled substances and sedation plus any separate state controlled-substance registration, ABIM board certification or eligibility, hospital and ambulatory surgery center privileges with primary-source verification, sedation privileges for endoscopy, CMS or Medicare enrollment, a National Provider Identifier, HIPAA compliance, malpractice coverage often with tail coverage, and ongoing continuing medical education and maintenance of certification. Each of these has its own verification step and renewal date. Building a repeatable credentialing and onboarding checklist, rather than tracking this by memory or scattered spreadsheets, is what keeps a new physician's start on schedule and the practice compliant. This is general information, not legal advice.
The hiring entity is usually large, and independent practice is consolidating
Be realistic about who hires a gastroenterologist. Most are employed by hospital systems, academic medical centers, or large single-specialty groups, many of them private-equity-backed, and independent small-group GI has been shrinking for years as groups consolidate into larger platforms. A two-to-four-physician independent practice with its nurses, advanced practice providers, and front-desk and billing staff can still fall in a small-business size band, and these owner-led practices do handle HR and credentialing in-house, but they are a shrinking segment and they typically recruit physicians through specialty networks and recruiters rather than a job-description template. Where a tool like FirstHR fits a practice like this is not the physician search itself but everything around the hire and the rest of the team: onboarding the nurses, medical assistants, and billing staff a GI practice runs on, storing and tracking license, DEA, board-certification, and malpractice documents with renewal reminders, delivering HIPAA and compliance training, and running a repeatable onboarding workflow with e-signature offer letters and a simple HRIS and org chart. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, a small practice pays one rate across the team. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider, and applicant tracking is coming soon.
After You Hire: Onboarding a Gastroenterologist
Onboarding a gastroenterologist is mostly credentialing, because the physician cannot see patients or bill until it is complete. Send the offer stating the compensation and the salaried exempt classification, collect the signed offer, and complete Form I-9 and tax forms as part of the new hire paperwork.
Then drive the credentialing process, the long pole in the tent: verify the state license, DEA registration and any state controlled-substance registration, and board certification; initiate hospital and ambulatory surgery center privileging with primary-source verification, including sedation privileges; complete CMS or Medicare enrollment and confirm the National Provider Identifier; and confirm malpractice coverage including any tail, recording every renewal deadline. Deliver HIPAA and compliance training and collect the acknowledgments. Keep the signed onboarding documents and credential records on file. If you are also building out the broader team, the guide to hiring your first employee covers the wider steps.
Because credentialing spans many documents and dates, a repeatable, documented process keeps the start date on track. FirstHR fits the surrounding workflow directly: e-signature for the offer and policy acknowledgments, document management to store license, DEA, board-certification, and malpractice documents with renewal reminders so nothing lapses, training modules to deliver and track compliance topics like HIPAA, task workflows so every onboarding runs the same way, and a simple HRIS with an org chart for the practice and its nurses, advanced practice providers, and support staff. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, a practice pays one rate across the whole team. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
Gastroenterologist, GI doctor, and GI specialist are the same physician role; the real choice is which subspecialty (general, interventional, hepatology, IBD, or pediatric) and board certification you require.
Pediatric gastroenterologists follow the pediatrics pathway and are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, not ABIM.
The credentialing stack is the real work: state license, DEA registration, board certification, hospital and ASC privileges, CMS enrollment, NPI, HIPAA, and malpractice, each with its own verification and renewal.
A gastroenterologist is FLSA exempt under the learned professional exemption, and compensation is far above any salary threshold.
Federal pay data is topcoded at $239,200 or more; budget against specialty survey data, which runs far higher, and anchor to your setting and region.
Most gastroenterologists work for large systems or groups, and independent small-practice GI is a shrinking segment that recruits physicians through specialty channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a gastroenterologist?
A gastroenterologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the digestive system and liver, including the esophagus, stomach, intestines, pancreas, gallbladder, and biliary tract. A gastroenterologist is an MD or DO who completed four years of medical school, a three-year internal medicine residency, and an additional two-to-three-year gastroenterology fellowship, then earned board certification through the American Board of Internal Medicine in the gastroenterology subspecialty. That is roughly thirteen to fourteen years of training after high school. In federal labor data the role falls under physicians, all other, because there is no gastroenterology-specific occupation code. The terms gastroenterologist, GI doctor, and GI specialist all refer to the same physician. Beyond general gastroenterology, the field includes subspecialties such as advanced or interventional endoscopy, hepatology and transplant hepatology, inflammatory bowel disease, motility, and pediatric gastroenterology, each requiring additional training or certification. A gastroenterologist both manages medical conditions, such as reflux, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver disease, and performs procedures, most commonly colonoscopy and upper endoscopy. When you hire one, the central decisions are which subspecialty you need and confirming the full set of credentials the role requires.
What does a gastroenterologist do?
A gastroenterologist evaluates, diagnoses, and treats conditions of the digestive system and liver, and performs endoscopic procedures. The work falls into a few areas. On the clinical side, the gastroenterologist meets with patients, takes histories, orders and interprets diagnostic studies, diagnoses conditions ranging from acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome to inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, and gastrointestinal cancers, and develops and manages treatment plans. On the procedural side, the gastroenterologist performs endoscopy, most commonly colonoscopy for colon cancer screening and upper endoscopy, and depending on subspecialty may perform advanced procedures such as ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound. On the collaborative side, the gastroenterologist works with advanced practice providers, nurses, and referring physicians, and coordinates with surgery, oncology, and radiology on complex cases. Throughout, the gastroenterologist maintains detailed clinical documentation, meets HIPAA and quality requirements, and often participates in call coverage. The specific mix depends on the role: a general gastroenterologist balances clinic and routine endoscopy, an advanced endoscopist concentrates on complex procedures, a hepatologist focuses on liver disease, and a pediatric gastroenterologist treats children. The role combines deep medical expertise with hands-on procedural skill.
What is the difference between a gastroenterologist and a GI doctor?
There is no difference: gastroenterologist, GI doctor, and GI specialist are different names for the same physician. GI stands for gastrointestinal, and GI doctor and GI specialist are simply the everyday, colloquial terms patients and others use for a gastroenterologist, which is the formal medical title. All of them refer to a physician who completed internal medicine residency and a gastroenterology fellowship and is board certified in the subspecialty. Where real differences appear is within the field, among subspecialties. A general gastroenterologist provides broad consultative and procedural care. An interventional or advanced endoscopist has extra fellowship training in complex procedures such as ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound. A hepatologist focuses on the liver, and a transplant hepatologist carries additional certification and manages transplant patients. An IBD specialist focuses on inflammatory bowel disease. A pediatric gastroenterologist treats children and follows a pediatrics training pathway, certified by the American Board of Pediatrics rather than the American Board of Internal Medicine. So when you write a posting, the choice that matters is not between gastroenterologist and GI doctor, which are the same thing, but which subspecialty and which board certification the role requires. Naming that precisely is what makes the posting clear.
What credentials and licenses does a gastroenterologist need?
A gastroenterologist needs a stack of licenses, certifications, and privileges, and verifying all of them is the central task in hiring one. The foundation is an MD or DO degree, completion of an internal medicine residency and a gastroenterology fellowship, and an active, unencumbered medical license in the state of practice. On top of the license, the physician needs federal DEA registration, filed on Form 224, to prescribe and administer controlled substances including sedation, and some states require a separate state controlled-substance registration as well. Board certification or eligibility in gastroenterology through the American Board of Internal Medicine is standard, with pediatric gastroenterologists certified through the American Board of Pediatrics instead. Then come the practice-specific credentials: hospital privileges and, for endoscopy, ambulatory surgery center privileges and sedation privileges, all with primary-source verification, plus CMS or Medicare enrollment and a National Provider Identifier so the physician can bill. International medical graduates also need ECFMG certification. Finally, the physician needs medical malpractice coverage, often with tail coverage when changing employers, and must maintain HIPAA compliance and ongoing continuing medical education and maintenance of certification. Confirm and document every one of these before the start date, because a missing credential delays both clinical work and billing. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a gastroenterologist exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
A gastroenterologist is exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Physicians qualify for the learned professional exemption, which applies to employees whose work requires advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning that is customarily acquired through prolonged, specialized intellectual instruction. Thirteen to fourteen years of medical training squarely meets that standard, so the duties test is easily satisfied. The exemption also generally requires being paid on a salary basis at or above the federal threshold, currently $684 per week ($35,568 per year) under the 2019 rule after the 2024 increase was vacated by a federal court, but there is also a specific regulatory provision recognizing that licensed physicians practicing medicine are exempt as learned professionals without regard to the salary basis test. In any case, gastroenterologist compensation is far above any threshold, so the classification is not a close call. The practical takeaway for an employer is that a gastroenterologist is properly classified as a salaried exempt employee and is not entitled to overtime. The classification questions that do require care in a medical practice tend to involve other roles, such as some support and administrative staff, rather than the physicians. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a gastroenterologist earn, and is the role growing?
Gastroenterologists are among the highest-paid physicians, and federal data understates their pay because of how it is reported. In the federal occupational data, gastroenterologists fall under physicians, all other, and the median wage for physicians and surgeons is reported only as at or above $239,200 a year, the top of the federal wage scale, so the true figure is not published as an exact number. Specialty compensation surveys give a more accurate picture for gastroenterology specifically, with national compensation surveys placing average total compensation in the range of roughly $495,000 to $530,000 or higher, and private-practice partners with ambulatory surgery center ownership earning more still. The wide range reflects setting, productivity, call, and ownership income. On the outlook side, employment of physicians and surgeons overall is projected to grow about 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, roughly average, with demand driven by an aging population and rising rates of digestive disease. Demand for gastroenterologists specifically is strong relative to supply, and time-to-fill for the specialty is long, often around half a year, which is one reason compensation stays high. For an employer, the takeaway is to budget realistically against specialty survey data rather than the topcoded federal figure, and to anchor the offer to your setting and region.
Do small independent practices still hire gastroenterologists?
Yes, but it is a shrinking segment, and the realistic picture matters for how you plan the hire. Most gastroenterologists today are employed by hospital systems, academic medical centers, or large single-specialty groups, an increasing share of which are private-equity-backed, and the number of small independent GI practices has declined steadily as groups consolidate into larger platforms. A small independent practice with two to four physicians plus nurses, advanced practice providers, and front-desk and billing staff can still fall within a small-business size band, and these owner-led practices typically handle HR and credentialing in-house through an office manager or practice administrator. So small practices do still hire gastroenterologists, but they are fewer than they once were, and they generally recruit physicians through specialty networks, physician job boards, and recruiters rather than by posting a generic job-description template. The more common and repeatable hiring a small GI practice does is for the rest of the team: nurses, medical assistants, endoscopy technicians, and billing and front-desk staff. That is where a structured onboarding and document-management process pays off most, alongside the heavy credentialing work that any physician hire requires. This page and its independent-practice template are built with that owner-led, lean-back-office reality in mind.
What happens after I hire a gastroenterologist?
Run a structured onboarding that treats credentialing as the central task, because a gastroenterologist cannot see patients or bill until the credentials are in place. Start with the employment basics: send the offer stating the compensation and confirming the salaried exempt classification, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 in the first days, and gather the W-4 and any state tax forms. Then drive the credentialing process, which is the long pole in the tent. Verify the state medical license, DEA registration and any state controlled-substance registration, and ABIM or American Board of Pediatrics certification; initiate hospital and ambulatory surgery center privileging with primary-source verification, including sedation privileges for endoscopy; complete CMS or Medicare enrollment and confirm the National Provider Identifier; and confirm malpractice coverage including any tail. Record every renewal and continuing-education deadline so nothing lapses. Deliver HIPAA and compliance training and collect the signed acknowledgments, then orient the physician to the clinical workflow, the procedural setting, and the care team, including the advanced practice providers and nurses they will work with. Because credentialing spans many documents and dates, a repeatable, documented process is what keeps the start date on track. FirstHR fits the surrounding workflow directly: e-signature for the offer and acknowledgments, document management to store license, DEA, board-certification, and malpractice documents with renewal reminders, training modules to deliver and track compliance topics, task workflows so every onboarding runs the same way, and a simple HRIS with an org chart for the practice and its broader team. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
