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The differences between attending physicians and residents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an attending physician, becoming a resident takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an attending physician has an average salary of $200,702, which is higher than the $60,589 average annual salary of a resident.
The top three skills for an attending physician include patients, primary care and surgery. The most important skills for a resident are home health, patients, and rehabilitation.
| Attending Physician | Resident | |
| Yearly salary | $200,702 | $60,589 |
| Hourly rate | $96.49 | $29.13 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 53,195 | 14,186 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
A resident, often known as a resident physician, is a medical doctor who just graduated from medical school and pursued the residency program for further training. Residents work with health care team members to provide direct medical care by diagnosing medical problems and devising appropriate treatment plans. Depending on their medical specialty and training, residents may assist in performing surgeries to patients but are supervised by senior residents and physicians. Residents must also have an in-depth understanding of ethical, socioeconomic, and medical-legal issues surrounding patient care.
Attending physicians and residents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Attending Physician | Resident | |
| Average salary | $200,702 | $60,589 |
| Salary range | Between $125,000 And $321,000 | Between $44,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Miami, FL | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Community Health Systems | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between an attending physician and a resident in terms of educational background:
| Attending Physician | Resident | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Medicine | Medicine |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Virginia |
Here are the differences between attending physicians' and residents' demographics:
| Attending Physician | Resident | |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.5% Female, 63.5% | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% |
| 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, 15.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 7.1% White, 51.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 11% |