Emergency room physician vs physician

The differences between emergency room physicians and physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an emergency room physician, becoming a physician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, 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 a physician are patients, surgery, and patient care.

Emergency room physician vs physician overview

	Emergency Room Physician	Physician
Yearly salary	$160,275	$238,887
Hourly rate	$77.06	$114.85
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	85,836	46,489
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	4

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 a physician do?

Physicians' general responsibility is to check, diagnose, and treat a patient's condition to improve their overall wellness. A physician could be General Practitioners or Specialist Physicians, wherein General Practitioners are physicians who provide regular checkups for patients depending on their needs and refer them to a Specialist Physicians who are more skilled in a particular field of expertise for a thorough diagnosis. Physicians monitor a patient's medical history and ensure follow-up checkups to observe if the condition of a patient is changing over time. A physician may refer a patient to other health professionals for further examination as needed.

Emergency room physician vs physician salary

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

	Emergency Room Physician	Physician
Average salary	$160,275	$238,887
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $342,000	Between $128,000 And $442,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	Cleveland, TN
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Wisconsin
Best paying company	Calhoun Liberty Hospital	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between emergency room physician and physician education

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

	Emergency Room Physician	Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Virginia	Duke University

Emergency room physician vs physician demographics

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

	Emergency Room Physician	Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%
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, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between emergency room physician and 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.

Physician example responsibilities.

Manage catheters and dress wounds.
Maintain ACLS and BLS certifications.
Treat complicated oncology cases in ICU and emergency.
Schedule new, follow-up and diagnostic testing for cardiology patients.
Attend radiation oncology clinic for new patients beginning treatment as well as follow-ups for returning patients.
Schedule tests and procedures (including radiology, cardiology, and respiratory) utilizing the hospital and clinic computer systems.

Emergency room physician vs physician skills

Common emergency room physician skills

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

Common physician skills

Patients, 22%
Surgery, 8%
Patient Care, 7%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Primary Care, 6%
EMR, 6%

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Emergency Room Physician
Emergency Room Physician vs Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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