Staff physician vs public health physician

The differences between staff physicians and public health 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 a public health physician. Additionally, a staff physician has an average salary of $216,755, which is higher than the $199,316 average annual salary of a public health physician.

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

Staff physician vs public health physician overview

	Staff Physician	Public Health Physician
Yearly salary	$216,755	$199,316
Hourly rate	$104.21	$95.83
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	107,732	93,090
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
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 public health physician do?

A public health physician provides health services in communities, treating and diagnosing illnesses and injuries, referring patients to other services when necessary. Besides providing direct health care, they also spearhead various programs focusing on disease and injury prevention, help local communities in dealing with natural disasters and outbreaks, and facilitating seminars and information drives. Moreover, a public health physician may also utilize their health care expertise by participating in various studies and research programs meant to help communities.

Staff physician vs public health physician salary

Staff physicians and public health physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Physician	Public Health Physician
Average salary	$216,755	$199,316
Salary range	Between $136,000 And $344,000	Between $103,000 And $382,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Santa Ana, CA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	California
Best paying company	Scripps Health	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between staff physician and public health physician education

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

	Staff Physician	Public Health Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	University of Virginia

Staff physician vs public health physician demographics

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

	Staff Physician	Public Health Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%	Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9%
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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 18.9% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between staff physician and public health 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

Public health physician example responsibilities.

Develop skills in managing diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension.
Educate employees about the prevention of hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.
Develop, administer, and follow up on new to EHR competency assessments complete by new hires during EMR training.
Work and supervise patients with severe emotional problems.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Scan and upload patient documentation into eClinicalWorks system.

Staff physician vs public health physician skills

Common staff physician skills

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

Common public health physician skills

Patients, 39%
Primary Care, 13%
Patient Care, 10%
Urgent Care, 7%
Family Practice, 5%
Medical Care, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Staff Physician
Staff Physician vs Public Health Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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