Medical officer vs physician

The differences between medical officers 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 a medical officer, becoming a physician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $90,615 average annual salary of a medical officer.

The top three skills for a medical officer include patients, public health and infectious disease. The most important skills for a physician are patients, surgery, and patient care.

Medical officer vs physician overview

	Medical Officer	Physician
Yearly salary	$90,615	$238,887
Hourly rate	$43.56	$114.85
Growth rate	28%	7%
Number of jobs	103,222	46,489
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	47	48
Years of experience	6	4

What does a medical officer do?

A Medical Officer delivers health and first-aid provisions for patients as well as prepares and maintains the paper and electronic health care records of clients. They ensure that all related equipment and supplies are suitably maintained at all times.

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.

Medical officer vs physician salary

Medical officers and physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Officer	Physician
Average salary	$90,615	$238,887
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $236,000	Between $128,000 And $442,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Cleveland, TN
Highest paying state	Maine	Wisconsin
Best paying company	FHCB Health System	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical officer and physician education

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

	Medical Officer	Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Medical officer vs physician demographics

Here are the differences between medical officers' and physicians' demographics:

	Medical Officer	Physician
Average age	47	48
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	12%	13%

Differences between medical officer and physician duties and responsibilities

Medical officer example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to support and continually improve the coordination and delivery of oncology services using evidence base guidelines.
Perform emergency and elective surgery for both obstetrics and gynecology cases.
Provide guidance to industry, stakeholders, and other experts within FDA on clinical issues and clinical trial designs.
Enter and scan patient history, current medical conditions, medications, immunizations and labs into the novel EHR system.
Facilitate performance improvement initiatives for CME credit.
Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicate medical procedures.

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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.

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Medical officer vs physician skills

Common medical officer skills

Patients, 20%
Public Health, 17%
Infectious Disease, 8%
Diagnosis, 7%
Direct Patient Care, 4%
Internal Medicine, 4%

Common physician skills

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

Medical Officer vs. similar jobs

Medical Officer related careers

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What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

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