Staff physician vs resident physician

The differences between staff physicians and resident physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff physician has an average salary of $216,755, which is higher than the $164,598 average annual salary of a resident physician.

The top three skills for a staff physician include patients, surgery and internal medicine. The most important skills for a resident physician are patients, family medicine, and medical education.

Staff physician vs resident physician overview

	Staff Physician	Resident Physician
Yearly salary	$216,755	$164,598
Hourly rate	$104.21	$79.13
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	107,732	43,775
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	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 resident physician do?

A Resident Physician participates in a program of graduate medical education and training in a specialized area of medicine. They work with other members of the healthcare team to provide direct medical care to patients.

Staff physician vs resident physician salary

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

	Staff Physician	Resident Physician
Average salary	$216,755	$164,598
Salary range	Between $136,000 And $344,000	Between $78,000 And $344,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Worcester, MA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Alaska
Best paying company	Scripps Health	Baptist Health Care
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between staff physician and resident physician education

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

	Staff Physician	Resident Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Doctoral Degree, 47%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Staff physician vs resident physician demographics

Here are the differences between staff physicians' and resident physicians' demographics:

	Staff Physician	Resident Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%	Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%
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, 5.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 23.5% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between staff physician and resident 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

Resident physician example responsibilities.

Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
See CTO position with Vocada above.

Staff physician vs resident physician skills

Common staff physician skills

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

Common resident physician skills

Patients, 24%
Family Medicine, 13%
Medical Education, 6%
Primary Care, 6%
Internal Medicine, 5%
Psychiatry, 3%

Staff Physician vs. similar jobs

Staff Physician related careers

Staff Physician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Staff Physician
Staff Physician vs Resident Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs