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The differences between medical physicists and health physicists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a medical physicist and a health physicist. Additionally, a medical physicist has an average salary of $122,845, which is higher than the $74,942 average annual salary of a health physicist.
The top three skills for a medical physicist include patients, oncology and radiology. The most important skills for a health physicist are radioactive materials, oversight, and ALARA.
| Medical Physicist | Health Physicist | |
| Yearly salary | $122,845 | $74,942 |
| Hourly rate | $59.06 | $36.03 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 46,513 | 47,640 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Medical Physicist develops and tests new systems to help investigate patients' conditions. They work for hospitals, diagnostic or medical instrumentation manufactures, or universities.
A health physicist investigates research principles by which radiation interacts with living systems and matter. Health physicists study environmental radioactivity levels. Part of their research is radiation's effects on biological systems in space and on earth. They ensure the proper functioning of the x-ray and the storage of radiation therapy. Part of their responsibility is to make sure that scientists are following regulations and safely using their radioactive materials. Also, they are advocates of human and environmental protection.
Medical physicists and health physicists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Physicist | Health Physicist | |
| Average salary | $122,845 | $74,942 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $193,000 | Between $41,000 And $134,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rochester, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Saint Luke's Health System | UCI Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Energy |
There are a few differences between a medical physicist and a health physicist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Physicist | Health Physicist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Physics | Physics |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between medical physicists' and health physicists' demographics:
| Medical Physicist | Health Physicist | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% | Male, 76.9% Female, 23.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 12.8% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 77.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 24% | 24% |