Occupational physician vs orthopedic surgeon

The differences between occupational physicians and orthopedic surgeons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an occupational physician, becoming an orthopedic surgeon takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an occupational physician has an average salary of $211,324, which is higher than the $137,571 average annual salary of an orthopedic surgeon.

The top three skills for an occupational physician include occupational medicine, DOT and medical care. The most important skills for an orthopedic surgeon are patients, spine, and EMR.

Occupational physician vs orthopedic surgeon overview

	Occupational Physician	Orthopedic Surgeon
Yearly salary	$211,324	$137,571
Hourly rate	$101.60	$66.14
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	61,738	5,046
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	48	49
Years of experience	4	6

Occupational physician vs orthopedic surgeon salary

Occupational physicians and orthopedic surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Occupational Physician	Orthopedic Surgeon
Average salary	$211,324	$137,571
Salary range	Between $103,000 And $431,000	Between $73,000 And $257,000
Highest paying City	-	Brockton, MA
Highest paying state	-	Maine
Best paying company	-	Trinity Health
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between occupational physician and orthopedic surgeon education

There are a few differences between an occupational physician and an orthopedic surgeon in terms of educational background:

	Occupational Physician	Orthopedic Surgeon
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Medicine	Nursing
Most common college	Stanford University	New York University

Occupational physician vs orthopedic surgeon demographics

Here are the differences between occupational physicians' and orthopedic surgeons' demographics:

	Occupational Physician	Orthopedic Surgeon
Average age	48	49
Gender ratio	Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1%	Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 19.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	13%	12%

Differences between occupational physician and orthopedic surgeon duties and responsibilities

Occupational physician example responsibilities.

Initiate new treatment protocols for managing complex patients with co-morbid psychiatric and medical illnesses.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Care for chronic conditions include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, thyroid conditions and depression/anxiety among many other common conditions.

Orthopedic surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
Handle medical billing, medical transcription, and medical billing.
Perform surgical procedures of the foot and ankle in both a hospital and surgery center setting.
Provide conservative and surgical care of foot and ankle relate medical conditions for children and adults.
Register and interview patients for purpose of compiling medical history and record keeping.
Perform laparoscopic surgery on regular basis (cholecystectomy, appendectomy, gynecological surgery).

Occupational physician vs orthopedic surgeon skills

Common occupational physician skills

Occupational Medicine, 43%
DOT, 29%
Medical Care, 15%
Health Programs, 10%
EKG, 2%
Diagnosis, 1%

Common orthopedic surgeon skills

Patients, 31%
Spine, 15%
EMR, 11%
Sports Medicine, 10%
Patient Care, 8%
Private Practice, 7%

Occupational Physician vs. similar jobs

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Occupational Physician
Occupational Physician vs Orthopedic Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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