Attending physician vs acute care physician

The differences between attending physicians and acute care physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an attending physician and an acute care physician. Additionally, an acute care physician has an average salary of $219,416, which is higher than the $200,702 average annual salary of an attending physician.

The top three skills for an attending physician include patients, primary care and surgery. The most important skills for an acute care physician are patients, family practice, and internal medicine.

Attending physician vs acute care physician overview

	Attending Physician	Acute Care Physician
Yearly salary	$200,702	$219,416
Hourly rate	$96.49	$105.49
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	53,195	118,621
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does an attending physician do?

An Attending Physician typically supervises fellows, residents, medical students, and other practitioners. They are responsible for supervising each patient every day, reviewing treatment plans with residents, and supervising patient management documents.

What does an acute care physician do?

An acute care physician is responsible for providing quality care services for the patients, diagnosing them, and administering medications. These physicians have the same duties as regular physicians, usually working for patients with a short-term illness or those patients recovered from medical conditions that require ongoing treatment and medications. Acute care physicians monitor patients' medical histories, scheduling follow-up checkups, as well as other procedures. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, and most importantly, the knowledge of the medical industry within their expertise.

Attending physician vs acute care physician salary

Attending physicians and acute care physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Attending Physician	Acute Care Physician
Average salary	$200,702	$219,416
Salary range	Between $125,000 And $321,000	Between $141,000 And $340,000
Highest paying City	Miami, FL	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Vermont
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	Freeman Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Non Profits

Differences between attending physician and acute care physician education

There are a few differences between an attending physician and an acute care physician in terms of educational background:

	Attending Physician	Acute Care Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Attending physician vs acute care physician demographics

Here are the differences between attending physicians' and acute care physicians' demographics:

	Attending Physician	Acute Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 36.5% Female, 63.5%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between attending physician and acute care physician duties and responsibilities

Attending physician example responsibilities.

Manage neurological cancer research protocols: collected/organize data, assure compliance with protocol guidelines, manage study database and enroll patients.
Prepare patients for ultrasound guide injections and aspirations which includes draping patients, prepping medications and preparing sterile instruments.
Manage neurological cancer research protocols: collected/organize data, assure compliance with protocol guidelines, manage study database and enroll patients.
Monitor and manage patient medical records in compliance with HIPPA.

Acute care physician example 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.
Analyze procedures and diagnoses using ICD-9 & CPT codes.
Rotate in rheumatology, medicine, pediatrics, neurology.

Attending physician vs acute care physician skills

Common attending physician skills

Patients, 35%
Primary Care, 8%
Surgery, 5%
Internal Medicine, 5%
BLS, 4%
Rehabilitation, 3%

Common acute care physician skills

Patients, 38%
Family Practice, 12%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Epic, 4%
Medical Care, 4%
ICU, 3%

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Attending Physician
Attending Physician vs Acute Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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