Attending vs Resident

Question

Zippia Team · Accepted Answer

An attending is a fully credentialed physician who is able to practice medicine independently, while a resident is a professional that has earned their medical degree but is not able to practice medicine independently.

An attending is a board-certified doctor who has finished their residency training and is seeking more specialized training in a specific field of medicine. An attending physician supervises residents.

A resident is a professional that has graduated from medical school and is seeking additional training in a specific field of interest. Almost all doctors complete a residency program, as a doctor-in-training, post medical school.

Many residents work in hospitals to complete their residency. They perform medical exams and procedures under the guidance of an attending physician.

Here are the key differences between an attending physician and a resident:

An attending physician is a board-certified doctor who has finished their residency program.	A resident is a doctor that has finished medical school and is seeking medical training.
An attending physician can practice medicine independently.	A resident can not practice medicine independently.
An attending physician may work in hospitals but can also have a private practice.	Many residents work in hospitals to complete their residency.
An attending physician has a higher average salary than a resident.	A resident makes an average salary of $60,000 per year.

Attending vs Resident

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