How To Become A Staff Physician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a staff physician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Janet Williams Ph.D.

Physicians are also known as doctors or medical practitioners. They are responsible for the patient's health throughout their stay in the hospital and afterward. These professionals handle everything from common colds to life-threatening illnesses. Physicians can also specialize in a variety of fields, from anesthesiology to general practice.

The role of a doctor is highly respected in the community because they save lives. This also makes it a gratifying profession, albeit demanding. Staff physicians may spend long hours on their feet or work odd hours, depending on their department. The job can also be stressful, so doctors need a cool head and emotional stability.

To become a staff physician, you need to get a bachelor's degree and attend medical school. You'll also need to complete an internship and residency program.

What general advice would you give to a Staff Physician?

Janet Williams Ph.D.

Professor of Biology, College of Our Lady of the Elms

Students who wish to continue their education in healthcare (MD, DO, DMD, DVM, PA, PT, OT, and many other areas), should ensure that they have plenty of experience in healthcare by becoming certified as an EMT or CNA, and spend at least 1-2 years working or volunteering in that capacity. Students should graduate with strong GPAs, over 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and should have taken all of their prerequisite courses. Students should be prepared to take standardized admissions exams, and plan to do well in them.

ScoreStaff PhysicianUS Average

Salary

10.0

Avg. Salary $216,755

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 19.14%

Black or African American 5.16%

Hispanic or Latino 9.56%

Unknown 4.46%

White 61.52%

Gender

female 42.20%

male 57.80%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a staff physician

Explore staff physician education requirements

Most common staff physician degrees

Doctorate

37.8 %

Bachelor's

26.6 %

Certificate

18.5 %

Start to develop specific staff physician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	27.60%
Surgery	9.60%
Internal Medicine	7.22%
Rehabilitation	7.06%
Primary Care	6.69%

Complete relevant staff physician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New staff physicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a staff physician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real staff physician resumes.

Research staff physician duties and 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.

Prepare your staff physician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your staff physician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a staff physician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Staff Physician Resume templates

Build a professional Staff Physician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Staff Physician resume.