Attending physician vs medical staff physician

The differences between attending physicians and medical staff 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 a medical staff physician. Additionally, a medical staff physician has an average salary of $206,686, 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 a medical staff physician are patients, healthcare, and patient care.

Attending physician vs medical staff physician overview

	Attending Physician	Medical Staff Physician
Yearly salary	$200,702	$206,686
Hourly rate	$96.49	$99.37
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	53,195	150,445
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
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 a medical staff physician do?

Medical staff physicians are medical professionals who work in the Public Health Department to direct and provide medical diagnostic and treatment services in a medical practice setting. These physicians are required to provide different public health programs while providing general medical care to patients diagnosed with illnesses, diseases, and other medical conditions. They must direct the work of practitioners, nurses, and other support staff in the treatment of health problems. Medical staff physicians must also attend medical staff meetings to implement and review hospital policies and procedures.

Attending physician vs medical staff physician salary

Attending physicians and medical staff physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Attending Physician	Medical Staff Physician
Average salary	$200,702	$206,686
Salary range	Between $125,000 And $321,000	Between $128,000 And $332,000
Highest paying City	Miami, FL	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Vermont
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	Union Hospital of Cecil County
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between attending physician and medical staff physician education

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

	Attending Physician	Medical Staff Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Attending physician vs medical staff physician demographics

Here are the differences between attending physicians' and medical staff physicians' demographics:

	Attending Physician	Medical Staff Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 36.5% Female, 63.5%	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%
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 medical staff 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.

Medical staff physician example responsibilities.

Manage catheters and dress wounds.
Assist nursing leadership with ICU and telemetry bed triage at times of high census.
Experience with Medicare and Medicaid regulations, billing requirements, collections, and HIPAA and compliance rules.Experience working with informational systems.
Prepare necessary correspondence that is related to medical records of patients including sending lab results to outside physicians/hospitals.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Determine and provide medication, dosage and schedule having patient's condition and allergies.

Attending physician vs medical staff physician skills

Common attending physician skills

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

Common medical staff physician skills

Patients, 37%
Healthcare, 15%
Patient Care, 9%
Primary Care, 5%
Internal Medicine, 5%
Epic, 4%

Attending Physician vs. similar jobs

Attending Physician related careers

Attending Physician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Attending Physician
Attending Physician vs Medical Staff Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs