Staff physician vs medical doctor

The differences between staff physicians and medical doctors 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 a medical doctor. Additionally, a staff physician has an average salary of $216,755, which is higher than the $181,967 average annual salary of a medical doctor.

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

Staff physician vs medical doctor overview

	Staff Physician	Medical Doctor
Yearly salary	$216,755	$181,967
Hourly rate	$104.21	$87.48
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	107,732	60,642
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Doctoral Degree, 56%
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 a medical doctor do?

A Medical Doctor, also known as a physician, is a healthcare professional who diagnoses and treats patients from injuries and illnesses. As a Medical Doctor, your day-to-day duties will typically include assessing a patient's symptoms, prescribing and administering treatment to patients, and providing follow-up medical care to patients. You will be responsible for interpreting patients' laboratory results and referring them to other providers when needed. Also, you will need to work closely with other healthcare professionals and promote health education.

Staff physician vs medical doctor salary

Staff physicians and medical doctors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Physician	Medical Doctor
Average salary	$216,755	$181,967
Salary range	Between $136,000 And $344,000	Between $95,000 And $347,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Brownsville, TX
Highest paying state	North Dakota	New Jersey
Best paying company	Scripps Health	Pacific Medical Centers
Best paying industry	Health Care	Transportation

Differences between staff physician and medical doctor education

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

	Staff Physician	Medical Doctor
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Doctoral Degree, 56%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Staff physician vs medical doctor demographics

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

	Staff Physician	Medical Doctor
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%	Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1%
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, 9.9% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between staff physician and medical doctor 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

Medical doctor example responsibilities.

Partner with team to achieve overall well-being patients and contribute to successful department research accreditation.
Perform selection and interpretation of labs including EKG readings, diagnostic imaging, blood work, and urinalyses.
Batch to clearing house, upload files from insurance, data entry answer phones, collect payments over phone, EMR.
Examine patients, order laboratory test and other diagnostic procedures and follow up with acute and chronic diseases
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Perform and interpret ECG test.

Staff physician vs medical doctor skills

Common staff physician skills

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

Common medical doctor skills

Patients, 30%
Patient Care, 9%
Internal Medicine, 7%
Primary Care, 7%
Diagnosis, 4%
Medical History, 4%

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Staff Physician
Staff Physician vs Medical Doctor

Updated January 8, 2025

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