How to hire an emergency room physician

How to hire an emergency room physician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step emergency room physician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an emergency room physician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency room physician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an emergency room physician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your emergency room physician job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an emergency room physician for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An emergency room physician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, emergency room physicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents emergency room physician salaries for various positions.

   Type of Emergency Room Physician	Description	Hourly rate
   Emergency Room Physician	Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests... Show more	$35-164
   Endocrinologist	Endocrinologists specialize in the glands and the hormones our body makes. These doctors deal with the biochemical process, like how your body changes food into energy and how it grows... Show more	$66-188
   Internist	An internist is a physician of internal medicine whose primary duty is to diagnose and treat different illnesses and injuries. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial assessment and examination, reviewing medical records and histories, providing consultations, prescribing medicines, and coordinating with different health care workers to ensure optimal care and service to patients... Show more	$57-199

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Emergency Medicine
   • Surgery
   • Acls
   • Patient Care
   • Medical Care
   • Primary Care
   • Emergency Room
   • Internal Medicine
   • Family Practice
   • Exam Rooms
   • Vital Signs
   • Patient Examinations
   • Medical History

   Check all skills

   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.

   More emergency room physician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the emergency room physician job description is a good way to get more applicants. An emergency room physician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an emergency room physician in Colorado may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level emergency room physician. Additionally, an emergency room physician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average emergency room physician salary

   $160,275yearly

   $77.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level emergency room physician salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average emergency room physician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$133,450	$64
   2	Alaska	$132,773	$64
   3	Oregon	$129,240	$62
   4	New York	$128,109	$62
   5	Maine	$122,088	$59
   6	Ohio	$121,685	$59
   7	Massachusetts	$120,380	$58
   8	Mississippi	$119,609	$58
   9	Louisiana	$112,974	$54
   10	Florida	$112,233	$54
   11	North Carolina	$110,543	$53
   12	Wisconsin	$109,977	$53
   13	Illinois	$108,489	$52
   14	Minnesota	$107,273	$52
   15	Michigan	$103,246	$50
   16	Alabama	$102,701	$49
   17	Texas	$100,656	$48
   18	Virginia	$99,795	$48
   19	Indiana	$95,967	$46
   20	District of Columbia	$95,026	$46

   Average emergency room physician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Calhoun Liberty Hospital	$269,184	$129.42
   2	Ely Bloomenson Community Ho	$249,045	$119.73
   3	Franklin County Medical Center	$237,417	$114.14	1
   4	Fairview Health Services	$235,460	$113.20	133
   5	Asante	$232,734	$111.89	19
   6	Mile Bluff Medical Center	$231,563	$111.33	4
   7	CHRISTUS Health	$228,257	$109.74	397
   8	MAS Medical Staffing	$223,310	$107.36	9
   9	Emergency Medical Services, Inc.	$220,802	$106.15
   10	Ansible by Red Hat	$216,499	$104.09	23
   11	All Medical Personnel	$215,298	$103.51	47
   12	Houston Physicians Hospital	$213,422	$102.61
   13	SoutheastHEALTH	$213,024	$102.42
   14	Waverly Health Center	$206,046	$99.06
   15	BestPractices	$200,191	$96.25
   16	Lee Regional Health System	$199,335	$95.83	32
   17	Integrity Locums	$198,404	$95.39	82
   18	Cape Cod Healthcare	$196,621	$94.53	3
   19	Emergency Physicians	$193,635	$93.09	11
   20	Sanford Health	$180,243	$86.66	473

4. Writing an emergency room physician job description

   A good emergency room physician job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an emergency room physician job description:

   Emergency room physician job description example

   University of Minnesota Physicians (M Physicians) is a non-profit organization seeking driven individuals in both clinical and non-clinical areas to help transform health and medicine. Headquartered in Minneapolis, our organization employs more than 1,200 physicians, 300 advanced practice providers and 2,200 health professionals and staff throughout Minnesota and beyond.
   Join us on a mission to advance medicine.
   
   University of Minnesota Physicians is seeking BE/BC Psychiatrist to join our Psychiatry Emergency Department Consult Service.
   
   Join a team of psychiatry clinicians and licensed mental health professionals in a fast-paced role providing psychiatric evaluation and treatment to child/adolescent and adult patients in the emergency departments at the University of Minnesota Medical Center - West Bank and University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.
   
   This role will transition to the new EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing) center at UMMC, slated to open in 2023. The EmPATH is an innovative approach to emergency mental health care designed to guide people safely through a current crisis while building skills that will support them through future challenges.
   
   Practice Highlights:
   Provide psychiatric evaluation and treatment to patients in the emergency departments at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.Possible shifts at the M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital EmPATH and telemedicine coverage for outlying hospitals throughout the M Health Fairview system.See new patient consults and follow-ups each shift.Consult on child/adolescent and adult patients.Collaboration with Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, Licensed Mental Health Professionals and RNs to develop a consistent standard of care to our patients.No call.
   
   Qualifications:
   Graduate of an accredited ACGME Psychiatry residency with preferred Emergency Psychiatry and/or Child/Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship-training program.Board eligible/certified in Psychiatry and/or Child/Adolescent Psychiatry.Licensed or ability to obtain medical license and DEA in the State of Minnesota, and meet threshold criteria/qualifications for credentialing and privileges.
   
   Preferred Qualifications:
   Must be credentialed to see children, adolescent, and adult patients.
   
   Benefits Highlights:
   We're proud to offer our employees a robust benefits package. Our benefits package was recently recognized for its appealing and inclusive nature. Some highlights include:
   Comprehensive medical and dental insurance plans Best in industry 401K employer contribution As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we are a qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness ProgramConcierge services and a well-being allowance
   
   Additional information on our benefits can be found here.
   
   M Health and Clinical Partnerships:
   University of Minnesota Physicians providers practice at affiliated locations under the University of Minnesota Health (M Health) shared care delivery system. M Health represents a collaboration between University of Minnesota Physicians, University of Minnesota Medical Center and Fairview Health Services to create a nationally renowned academic health system that combines academic and community resources to provide the very best clinical care to patients and communities, while also supporting research and education across the joint healthcare delivery system.
   
   M Health Fairview is one of the largest providers of behavioral mental health and addiction services in the Upper Midwest. We offer a wide range of adult and child/adolescent services that includes: inpatient, behavioral emergency center, partial hospitalization, outpatient clinics, counseling centers, chemical dependency programs, and day treatment programs. In addition, our psychiatrists have access to consultation, collaborative management or referral with University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Physicians and Behavioral Healthcare Providers.
   
   Community Information
   We are based in Minneapolis and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in America by U.S. News & World Report. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area offers a high quality of life and a low cost of living. You'll find excellent school systems, a robust economy, an award-winning culinary scene, museums of all types, outstanding theaters, and a reliable international airport. If you love the outdoors, you can enjoy all four seasons with the plethora of lakes, parks, and some of the country's best bike trails! #UMP
   Explore MinnesotaGreater Minneapolis - St. Paul Metropolitan Area
   
   M Physicians offers competitive salary and excellent benefits and provides you with the opportunity to enhance your career in the exciting field of health care through rewarding and challenging assignments and the opportunities for advancement.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find emergency room physicians for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any emergency room physicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level emergency room physicians with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your emergency room physician job on Zippia to find and recruit emergency room physician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with emergency room physician candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency room physician

   Once you've found the emergency room physician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new emergency room physician. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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