Physician vs psychiatrist

The differences between physicians and psychiatrists 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 psychiatrist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $229,034 average annual salary of a psychiatrist.

The top three skills for a physician include patients, surgery and patient care. The most important skills for a psychiatrist are patients, diagnosis, and patient care.

Physician vs psychiatrist overview

	Physician	Psychiatrist
Yearly salary	$238,887	$229,034
Hourly rate	$114.85	$110.11
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	46,489	29,979
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	6

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 a psychiatrist do?

A Psychiatrist is a medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. They treat patients utilizing psychotherapeutic methods and medications.

Physician vs psychiatrist salary

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

	Physician	Psychiatrist
Average salary	$238,887	$229,034
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $442,000	Between $133,000 And $393,000
Highest paying City	Cleveland, TN	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	Wisconsin	Alaska
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between physician and psychiatrist education

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

	Physician	Psychiatrist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Physician vs psychiatrist demographics

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

	Physician	Psychiatrist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
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, 5.3% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	13%	10%

Differences between physician and psychiatrist 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.

Psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Provide psychiatric evaluations, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing and administering psychotropic medications, conduct individual and group psychotherapy.
Case load includes children, adolescents and adults.
Provide accurate, timely and complete documentation in the EMR.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
Work closely with Medicaid in areas of compliance needs and information of the clients.
Create multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, marriage family therapist) to spear head new veterans parenting class.

Physician vs psychiatrist skills

Common physician skills

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

Common psychiatrist skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Mental Illness, 5%
Psychiatric Services, 5%
EMR, 4%

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Physician vs Psychiatrist

Updated January 8, 2025

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