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The differences between physicians and physicists 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 a physicist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $110,869 average annual salary of a physicist.
The top three skills for a physician include patients, surgery and patient care. The most important skills for a physicist are patients, radiology, and oncology.
| Physician | Physicist | |
| Yearly salary | $238,887 | $110,869 |
| Hourly rate | $114.85 | $53.30 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 46,489 | 803 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
Physicists explain the effect of structures, phenomena, and forces on the natural world. Physicists determine and explore the primary principles governing the behavior and structure of matter. They study energy generation and transfer as well as the interaction between matter and energy. Their job involves the development of theories on the properties of matter, time, space, and energy. The position requires extensive research for technical papers and reports contributing to the industry. Physicians teach and lecture students on the laws associated with physics.
Physicians and physicists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Physician | Physicist | |
| Average salary | $238,887 | $110,869 |
| Salary range | Between $128,000 And $442,000 | Between $68,000 And $180,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cleveland, TN | Rochester, NY |
| Highest paying state | Wisconsin | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Yuma Regional Medical Center | Sanford Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a physician and a physicist in terms of educational background:
| Physician | Physicist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Medicine | Physics |
| Most common college | Duke University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between physicians' and physicists' demographics:
| Physician | Physicist | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0% | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% |
| 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, 2.0% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 13.2% White, 73.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 24% |