Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between physicists and medical physicists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a physicist and a medical physicist. Additionally, a medical physicist has an average salary of $122,845, which is higher than the $110,869 average annual salary of a physicist.
The top three skills for a physicist include patients, radiology and oncology. The most important skills for a medical physicist are patients, oncology, and radiology.
| Physicist | Medical Physicist | |
| Yearly salary | $110,869 | $122,845 |
| Hourly rate | $53.30 | $59.06 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 803 | 46,513 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A Medical Physicist develops and tests new systems to help investigate patients' conditions. They work for hospitals, diagnostic or medical instrumentation manufactures, or universities.
Physicists and medical physicists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Physicist | Medical Physicist | |
| Average salary | $110,869 | $122,845 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $180,000 | Between $77,000 And $193,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rochester, NY | Rochester, NY |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New York |
| Best paying company | Sanford Health | Saint Luke's Health System |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a physicist and a medical physicist in terms of educational background:
| Physicist | Medical Physicist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Physics | Physics |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between physicists' and medical physicists' demographics:
| Physicist | Medical Physicist | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 1.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 12.8% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 24% | 24% |