Emergency medicine physician vs trauma surgeon

The differences between emergency medicine physicians and trauma surgeons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an emergency medicine physician and a trauma surgeon. Additionally, a trauma surgeon has an average salary of $406,184, which is higher than the $162,369 average annual salary of an emergency medicine physician.

The top three skills for an emergency medicine physician include patients, medical care and critical care. The most important skills for a trauma surgeon are critical care, patient care, and trauma surgery.

Emergency medicine physician vs trauma surgeon overview

	Emergency Medicine Physician	Trauma Surgeon
Yearly salary	$162,369	$406,184
Hourly rate	$78.06	$195.28
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	64,109	3,750
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 25%
Average age	48	49
Years of experience	6	6

What does an emergency medicine physician do?

An emergency medicine physician is responsible for performing immediate medical treatment for patients in critical condition and life-threatening cases. Emergency medicine physicians operate various medical tools and equipment to stabilize the patients, following the safety course of medical procedures. They work closely with other physicians and medical health professionals to diagnose patients' cases immediately, endorsing them to other hospitals or health care providers as necessary. An emergency medicine physician usually works in the emergency room of a hospital, requiring them to be attentive and organizational at all times.

What does a trauma surgeon do?

Trauma surgeons attend to ER patients who fall into certain categories of medical conditions such as low blood pressure following a car accident or if emergency surgery is needed to prevent permanent damage or save their lives. They will assume responsibility for the patient's care if hospital admission is needed as well as follow-up care. Other duties of a trauma surgeon include evaluating, diagnosing, and stabilizing a patient with traumatic physical injury, treating patients with cuts, internal injuries, and bone fractures, and evaluating which injuries need medical intervention first.

Emergency medicine physician vs trauma surgeon salary

Emergency medicine physicians and trauma surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Medicine Physician	Trauma Surgeon
Average salary	$162,369	$406,184
Salary range	Between $77,000 And $340,000	Between $204,000 And $806,000
Highest paying City	Providence, RI	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Minnesota
Best paying company	University of Southern Indiana	Trinity Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between emergency medicine physician and trauma surgeon education

There are a few differences between an emergency medicine physician and a trauma surgeon in terms of educational background:

	Emergency Medicine Physician	Trauma Surgeon
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 25%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Stanford University	Duke University

Emergency medicine physician vs trauma surgeon demographics

Here are the differences between emergency medicine physicians' and trauma surgeons' demographics:

	Emergency Medicine Physician	Trauma Surgeon
Average age	48	49
Gender ratio	Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7%	Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	13%	12%

Differences between emergency medicine physician and trauma surgeon duties and responsibilities

Emergency medicine physician example responsibilities.

Lead surgeries on: hemorrhoid thrombectomy, abscess drainage, CPR, as well as complicated plastic surgeries due to injury.
Start IVs, draw blood, perform EKGs, administer joint and IM injections, and write admission orders.
Interpret labs, x-rays, CTs, MRIs, and ECGs.
Assist with management of acute cardiac arrest, including intubation and ACLS protocol.
Order and interpret lab data, radiologic exams, EKGs and diagnostic studies.
Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing, wind care, and infection management.

Trauma surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage all incoming medical records requests (ensuring office is within HIPPA guidelines).
Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
Observe fracture plating, skin grafting, wind cleaning, amputation, and other Orthopaedic surgeries.

Emergency medicine physician vs trauma surgeon skills

Common emergency medicine physician skills

Patients, 27%
Medical Care, 16%
Critical Care, 16%
IM, 9%
Family Practice, 9%
Acls, 7%

Common trauma surgeon skills

Critical Care, 44%
Patient Care, 29%
Trauma Surgery, 20%
Emergency Medicine, 3%
Private Practice, 2%
IV, 1%

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Emergency Medicine Physician
Emergency Medicine Physician vs Trauma Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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