Career Overview
Make immediate medical decisions and act to prevent death or further disability. Provide immediate recognition, evaluation, care, stabilization, and disposition of patients. May direct emergency medical staff in an emergency department.
Also Known As
- Attending Emergency Physician
- Emergency Medicine Physician (EM Physician)
- Emergency Physician
- Physician
Alternate Job Titles
- Attending Emergency Physician
- Attending Physician
- Critical Care Intensivist
- Critical Care Intensivist Physician
- Critical Care Physician
- Disaster Medicine Physician
- Emergency Department Doctor (ED Doctor)
- Emergency Department Physician (ED Physician)
- Emergency Doctor
- Emergency MD (Emergency Medicine Doctor)
- Emergency Medicine Physician (EM Physician)
- Emergency Medicine Specialist
- Emergency Physician
- ER Doctor (Emergency Room Doctor)
- ER Physician (Emergency Room Physician)
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Select, request, perform, or interpret diagnostic procedures, such as laboratory tests, electrocardiograms, emergency ultrasounds, and radiographs.
- Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs and priority of treatment.
- Perform emergency resuscitations on patients.
- Stabilize patients in critical condition.
- Perform such medical procedures as emergent cricothyrotomy, endotracheal intubation, and emergency thoracotomy.
- Analyze records, examination information, or test results to diagnose medical conditions.
- Consult with hospitalists and other professionals, such as social workers, regarding patients' hospital admission, continued observation, transition of care, or discharge.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Consult and direct other medical personnel on patient care.
- Process patient transfers to and from other hospitals.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Biology
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Inductive Reasoning
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Speech Recognition
- Speech Clarity
- Information Ordering
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Self-Control
- Stress Tolerance
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Integrity
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience Required: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Epic Systems
- MEDITECH software
Work Environment
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Exposed to Disease or Infections
- Contact With Others
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $114,680 |
| Median | >$239,200 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | >$239,200 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 33,680
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Paramedics
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $58,410
Pediatric Surgeons
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: >$239,200
Family Medicine Physicians
Education: Doctoral Degree
Median Salary: $238,380
General Internal Medicine Physicians
Education: Post-Doctoral Training
Median Salary: $236,350
Physician Assistants
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $133,260
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.