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The differences between medical doctors and postdoctoral scholars can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a medical doctor and a postdoctoral scholar. Additionally, a medical doctor has an average salary of $181,967, which is higher than the $57,587 average annual salary of a postdoctoral scholar.
The top three skills for a medical doctor include patients, patient care and internal medicine. The most important skills for a postdoctoral scholar are chemistry, python, and patients.
| Medical Doctor | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Yearly salary | $181,967 | $57,587 |
| Hourly rate | $87.48 | $27.69 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 60,642 | 18,983 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Medical Doctor, also known as a physician, is a healthcare professional who diagnoses and treats patients from injuries and illnesses. As a Medical Doctor, your day-to-day duties will typically include assessing a patient's symptoms, prescribing and administering treatment to patients, and providing follow-up medical care to patients. You will be responsible for interpreting patients' laboratory results and referring them to other providers when needed. Also, you will need to work closely with other healthcare professionals and promote health education.
A Postdoctoral Scholar is responsible for supporting an educational research group to conduct studies and gather relevant data to support study claims and scientific evidence. They review initial findings, perform field investigations, and interview the target respondents for data and statistical analysis. They also coordinate with the whole team for efficient research methods, ensuring adherence to budget limitations and required timetables. A Postdoctoral Scholar must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to document reports and discuss results with the research team.
Medical doctors and postdoctoral scholars have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Doctor | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Average salary | $181,967 | $57,587 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $347,000 | Between $41,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Brownsville, TX | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Pacific Medical Centers | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between a medical doctor and a postdoctoral scholar in terms of educational background:
| Medical Doctor | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Medicine | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between medical doctors' and postdoctoral scholars' demographics:
| Medical Doctor | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1% | Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 8% |