Physician vs staff physician

The differences between physicians and staff physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a physician and a staff physician. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $216,755 average annual salary of a staff physician.

The top three skills for a physician include patients, surgery and patient care. The most important skills for a staff physician are patients, surgery, and internal medicine.

Physician vs staff physician overview

	Physician	Staff Physician
Yearly salary	$238,887	$216,755
Hourly rate	$114.85	$104.21
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	46,489	107,732
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 38%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

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 staff physician do?

A Staff Physician oversees and directs the work of physicians and mid-level practitioners, and assists in internal quality control audits. They are also responsible for making diagnoses and prescribing specialized treatment plans.

Physician vs staff physician salary

Physicians and staff physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician	Staff Physician
Average salary	$238,887	$216,755
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $442,000	Between $136,000 And $344,000
Highest paying City	Cleveland, TN	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Wisconsin	North Dakota
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Scripps Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between physician and staff physician education

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

	Physician	Staff Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 38%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Physician vs staff physician demographics

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

	Physician	Staff Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%
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, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between physician and staff physician 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.

Staff physician example responsibilities.

Initiate new treatment protocols for managing complex patients with co-morbid psychiatric and medical illnesses.
Read x-ray & ekg till refer to specialist.
Serve as a junior house physician in the pediatrics and neonatology intensive care unit.
Assist and independently place hem dialysis catheter.
Initial medical evaluation and medical management of patients receiving medication assist therapy for chemical dependency.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service

Physician vs staff physician skills

Common physician skills

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

Common staff physician skills

Patients, 28%
Surgery, 10%
Internal Medicine, 7%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Primary Care, 7%
Veterans, 5%

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Physician vs Staff Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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