Pain management doctors are physicians who specialize in anesthesiology and pain medication for the treatment of chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and post-surgery complications. Pain management is a more recent subsection of medicine as the methods of treating pain became more varied and complex. Becoming a pain management doctor is challenging since it involves getting a standard medical degree before dedicating more years to gaining experience in the vast array of medications and treatments that pain management provides.

Earn a 4-year degree from an accredited university in a degree of your choice.

Go to medical school. You will need to pass your final exams, get your doctorate in medicine and be certified as a medical doctor before you can move on to pain specialty. This will take another 4 years on average.

Choose a specialty to pursue after you become a medical doctor. Pain management doctors generally have specialties in orthopedics, neurology, physiatry, or anesthesiology. Decide which one interests you the most and pursue it.

Complete the courses required for your chosen specialty, which can take up to another 4 years and involves a lot of residency experience.

Undergo a final year of pain management treatment and pass the exam to be certified as a pain management specialist by the American Board of Anesthesiology, who is authorized by the American Board of Medical Specialties to issue certifications in pain management.