Emergency room physician vs internal medicine physician

The differences between emergency room physicians and internal medicine physicians 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 room physician and an internal medicine physician. Additionally, an internal medicine physician has an average salary of $215,014, which is higher than the $160,275 average annual salary of an emergency room physician.

The top three skills for an emergency room physician include patients, emergency medicine and surgery. The most important skills for an internal medicine physician are patients, critical care, and epic.

Emergency room physician vs internal medicine physician overview

	Emergency Room Physician	Internal Medicine Physician
Yearly salary	$160,275	$215,014
Hourly rate	$77.06	$103.37
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	85,836	49,698
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 40%	Doctoral Degree, 38%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does an emergency room physician do?

An Emergency Room Physician provides medical treatment to patients requiring acute and life-saving care. They keep them alive so they can receive the proper treatments.

What does an internal medicine physician do?

An Internal Medicine Physician examines adult patients to ensure proper injury care and disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. They conduct and supervise direct patient care, and plan and execute disease prevention and health promotion programs.

Emergency room physician vs internal medicine physician salary

Emergency room physicians and internal medicine physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Room Physician	Internal Medicine Physician
Average salary	$160,275	$215,014
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $342,000	Between $142,000 And $325,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Vermont
Best paying company	Calhoun Liberty Hospital	Freeman Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between emergency room physician and internal medicine physician education

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

	Emergency Room Physician	Internal Medicine Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 40%	Doctoral Degree, 38%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Virginia	Duke University

Emergency room physician vs internal medicine physician demographics

Here are the differences between emergency room physicians' and internal medicine physicians' demographics:

	Emergency Room Physician	Internal Medicine Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 19.2% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between emergency room physician and internal medicine physician duties and responsibilities

Emergency room physician example responsibilities.

Lead surgeries on: hemorrhoid thrombectomy, abscess drainage, CPR, as well as complicated plastic surgeries due to injury.
Provide inpatient, outpatient and emergency care in a teaching hospital in different areas of internal medicine and surgery.
Assist attending physician in all aspects of medical care (diagnosis, delivery and minor surgery).
Schedule patients for surgeries, instruct them about post-operative care and answer questions regarding recovery and limitations after surgery.
Operate electrocardiogram (EKG) and other equipment to administer diagnostic test.
Educate patients about self-management of acute or chronic illnesses, tailoring instructions to patients' individual circumstances.

Internal medicine physician example responsibilities.

Rotate in cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, nephrology, hematology, endocrinology, neurology and ICU.
Work in ICU, ER, surgery, OB/GYN, and internal medicine.
Lecture in the field of geriatrics.
Perform injections such as antibiotics, flu shots and hormones.
Assist in their surgery and take care of the post op needs.
Certify in BCLS, ACLS and also in majority of invasive procedures.

Emergency room physician vs internal medicine physician skills

Common emergency room physician skills

Patients, 29%
Emergency Medicine, 23%
Surgery, 5%
Acls, 4%
Patient Care, 4%
Medical Care, 4%

Common internal medicine physician skills

Patients, 41%
Critical Care, 17%
Epic, 7%
Family Practice, 5%
Internal Medicine Practice, 3%
Medical Education, 2%

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Emergency Room Physician
Emergency Room Physician vs Internal Medicine Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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