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Hospitalist vs physician

The differences between hospitalists and physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a hospitalist and a physician. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $214,817 average annual salary of a hospitalist.

The top three skills for a hospitalist include patients, EMR and acls. The most important skills for a physician are patients, surgery, and patient care.

Hospitalist vs physician overview

HospitalistPhysician
Yearly salary$214,817$238,887
Hourly rate$103.28$114.85
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs29,54446,489
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 31%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age4848
Years of experience44

What does a hospitalist do?

A hospitalist, also known as a physician, is primarily responsible for diagnosing and treating patients' ailments or injuries, providing optimal care and service. They assess a patient's condition by running tests, interviews, and examinations, providing consultations, prescribing or administering medicines, coordinating with other health experts, and following up on patients' cases. A hospitalist may also study and update a patient's medical records, discuss conditions to patients and families, and implement the medical health and safety policies and regulations within the hospital.

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.

Hospitalist vs physician salary

Hospitalists and physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

HospitalistPhysician
Average salary$214,817$238,887
Salary rangeBetween $140,000 And $329,000Between $128,000 And $442,000
Highest paying CityEau Claire, WICleveland, TN
Highest paying stateAlaskaWisconsin
Best paying companyTrinity HealthYuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between hospitalist and physician education

There are a few differences between a hospitalist and a physician in terms of educational background:

HospitalistPhysician
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 31%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Hospitalist vs physician demographics

Here are the differences between hospitalists' and physicians' demographics:

HospitalistPhysician
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 44.5% Female, 55.5%Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 18.1% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%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 Percentage10%13%

Differences between hospitalist and physician duties and responsibilities

Hospitalist example responsibilities.

  • Manage acute and chronic illnesses including cardiac, respiratory, GI, infectious and skin issues.
  • Provide acute care to infants, children and adolescents admit to the hospital, nursery and emergency room.
  • Work with full EMR system.
  • Calculate medications and TPN dosages.
  • Review and process NICU TPN orders
  • Place all nocturnal arterial lines for ICU.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Hospitalist vs physician skills

Common hospitalist skills
  • Patients, 44%
  • EMR, 13%
  • Acls, 6%
  • Epic, 6%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Critical Care, 4%
Common physician skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Surgery, 8%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Primary Care, 6%
  • EMR, 6%

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