Staff physician vs acute care physician

The differences between staff physicians and acute care 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 staff physician and an acute care physician. Additionally, an acute care physician has an average salary of $219,416, which is higher than the $216,755 average annual salary of a staff physician.

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

Staff physician vs acute care physician overview

	Staff Physician	Acute Care Physician
Yearly salary	$216,755	$219,416
Hourly rate	$104.21	$105.49
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	107,732	118,621
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

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.

What does an acute care physician do?

An acute care physician is responsible for providing quality care services for the patients, diagnosing them, and administering medications. These physicians have the same duties as regular physicians, usually working for patients with a short-term illness or those patients recovered from medical conditions that require ongoing treatment and medications. Acute care physicians monitor patients' medical histories, scheduling follow-up checkups, as well as other procedures. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, and most importantly, the knowledge of the medical industry within their expertise.

Staff physician vs acute care physician salary

Staff physicians and acute care physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Physician	Acute Care Physician
Average salary	$216,755	$219,416
Salary range	Between $136,000 And $344,000	Between $141,000 And $340,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Vermont
Best paying company	Scripps Health	Freeman Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Non Profits

Differences between staff physician and acute care physician education

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

	Staff Physician	Acute Care Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Staff physician vs acute care physician demographics

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

	Staff Physician	Acute Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between staff physician and acute care physician duties and responsibilities

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

Acute care physician example responsibilities.

Gain experience managing patients with cardiopulmonary, post-surgical orthopedic, post-traumatic, and metabolic conditions
Pursue exposure to ICU, NICU and orthopedic surgery.
Evaluate and analyze patients' medical charts, physical and mental abilities to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
Collect patient's health information before having surgery.
Analyze procedures and diagnoses using ICD-9 & CPT codes.
Rotate in rheumatology, medicine, pediatrics, neurology.

Staff physician vs acute care physician skills

Common staff physician skills

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

Common acute care physician skills

Patients, 38%
Family Practice, 12%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Epic, 4%
Medical Care, 4%
ICU, 3%

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Staff Physician
Staff Physician vs Acute Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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