Internist vs emergency medicine physician

The differences between internists and emergency 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 internist and an emergency medicine physician. Additionally, an internist has an average salary of $223,415, which is higher than the $162,369 average annual salary of an emergency medicine physician.

The top three skills for an internist include patients, primary care and EMR. The most important skills for an emergency medicine physician are patients, medical care, and critical care.

Internist vs emergency medicine physician overview

	Internist	Emergency Medicine Physician
Yearly salary	$223,415	$162,369
Hourly rate	$107.41	$78.06
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	31,659	64,109
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 41%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does an internist do?

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. Moreover, it is essential to discuss and explain conditions to patients or their families, monitor their condition, provide health care advice, and refer them to any specialists or support services as needed.

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.

Internist vs emergency medicine physician salary

Internists and emergency medicine physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Internist	Emergency Medicine Physician
Average salary	$223,415	$162,369
Salary range	Between $120,000 And $415,000	Between $77,000 And $340,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, OH	Providence, RI
Highest paying state	Alaska	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Central Ohio Primary Care	University of Southern Indiana
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between internist and emergency medicine physician education

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

	Internist	Emergency Medicine Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 41%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Virginia	Stanford University

Internist vs emergency medicine physician demographics

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

	Internist	Emergency Medicine Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7%	Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between internist and emergency medicine physician duties and responsibilities

Internist example responsibilities.

Train and manage new interns/ volunteers assisting with the evidence-based hypertension management program.
Implement EMR solely in a huge practice.
Evaluate health education needs of patients and provide necessary training and instruction.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Perform uncomplicated surgical extractions, bone grafting and suturing as needed independently.
Provide physiotherapy, rehabilitation and chiropractic treatment for various conditions and injuries.

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.

Internist vs emergency medicine physician skills

Common internist skills

Patients, 30%
Primary Care, 13%
EMR, 7%
Critical Care, 6%
Private Practice, 6%
Rehabilitation, 5%

Common emergency medicine physician skills

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

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Internist vs Emergency Medicine Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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