How To Become An Acute Care Physician: What It Is and Career Path

What is an acute care physician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

An acute care physician treats patients with urgent medical conditions. They work in hospitals, emergency rooms, and acute care settings, providing immediate care for serious health problems. Acute care physicians have ample training in critical care and can diagnose and treat a wide range of illnesses and injuries. They work with others to coordinate care and ensure the best possible treatment. Acute care physicians also help patients cope with the emotional effects of illness or injury.

ScoreAcute Care PhysicianUS Average

Salary

10.0

Avg. Salary $219,416

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 19.03%

Black or African American 5.27%

Hispanic or Latino 9.81%

Unknown 4.49%

White 61.24%

Gender

female 59.88%

male 40.12%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an acute care physician?

Pros

High earning potential
Fast-paced and intellectually challenging work environment
Wide range of medical conditions and patient populations to work with
Opportunities for advancement and specialization within the field
Job stability and high demand for acute care physicians

Cons

Long work hours and unpredictable schedule
High liability and risk for malpractice lawsuits
Limited autonomy in decision-making due to institutional protocols and regulations
Difficulties balancing work and personal life
High competition for job openings in certain geographic areas

Key steps to become an acute care physician

Explore acute care physician education requirements

Most common acute care physician degrees

Bachelor's

34.5 %

Doctorate

26.5 %

Certificate

14.2 %

Start to develop specific acute care physician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	38.08%
Family Practice	11.67%
Internal Medicine	6.45%
Epic	4.23%
Medical Care	3.53%

Complete relevant acute care physician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New acute care physicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an acute care physician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real acute care physician resumes.

Research acute care physician duties and responsibilities

Gain experience managing patients with cardiopulmonary, post-surgical orthopedic, post-traumatic, and metabolic conditions
Pursue exposure to ICU, NICU and orthopedic surgery.
Evaluate and analyze patients' medical charts, physical and mental abilities to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
Collect patient's health information before having surgery.

Prepare your acute care physician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your acute care physician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an acute care physician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable acute care physician resume templates

Build a professional acute care physician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your acute care physician resume.