Physician vs md

The differences between physicians and mds can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a physician, becoming an md takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $75,011 average annual salary of an md.

The top three skills for a physician include patients, surgery and patient care. The most important skills for an md are patients, customer service, and surgical procedures.

Physician vs md overview

	Physician	MD
Yearly salary	$238,887	$75,011
Hourly rate	$114.85	$36.06
Growth rate	7%	16%
Number of jobs	46,489	58,569
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	48	37
Years of experience	4	12

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.

What does an md do?

A Doctor of Medicine or MD is the designation of a person who completed medical education. Generally, MDs focus on the treatment of conditions in need of medication. These doctors do health assessments, prescribe medication, run diagnostic tests, treat patients, and offer health and wellness advice. Among their health specialties are in the areas of neurology, gynecology, and dermatology. They may also perform surgery when necessary. All these are made possible with their knowledge and skills in medicine.

Physician vs md salary

Physicians and mds have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician	MD
Average salary	$238,887	$75,011
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $442,000	Between $25,000 And $224,000
Highest paying City	Cleveland, TN	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	Wisconsin	Washington
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Atrium Health Floyd
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between physician and md education

There are a few differences between a physician and an md in terms of educational background:

	Physician	MD
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Medicine	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	-

Physician vs md demographics

Here are the differences between physicians' and mds' demographics:

	Physician	MD
Average age	48	37
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 47.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	13%	6%

Differences between physician and md duties and responsibilities

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.

Md example responsibilities.

Manage the office regarding Clia and OSHA laws and regulations
Manage on call pager for after hours triage and urgent matters while staying in complete communication with the physician.
Manage patient files by making new charts, keying all encounters through ICD-9 coding procedures and posting in patient database.
Operate electrocardiograph (EKG), call to schedule test for patients and routine office visits.
Back office responsibilities include rooming patients, obtaining vitals, chief complaint and documenting into EMR system.
Assist physicians in exams rooms, administer intramuscular injections and perform venipuncture on adult and pediatric patients.

Physician vs md skills

Common physician skills

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

Common md skills

Patients, 33%
Customer Service, 8%
Surgical Procedures, 6%
Surgery, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Vital Signs, 4%

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Physician vs MD

Updated January 8, 2025

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