Emergency Medicine Physicians
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.
What it pays
Emergency Medicine Physicians earn a median of $161.32/hr — about $335,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $49.81/hr; the top 10% earn $238.42/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Emergency Medicine Physicians earn a median of $161.32/hr — about $335,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $49.81/hr; the top 10% earn $238.42/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Analyze records, examination information, or test results to diagnose medical conditions.
- Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.
- Collect and record patient information, such as medical history or examination results, in electronic or handwritten medical records.
- Communicate likely outcomes of medical diseases or traumatic conditions to patients or their representatives.
- Conduct primary patient assessments that include information from prior medical care.
- Consult with hospitalists and other professionals, such as social workers, regarding patients' hospital admission, continued observation, transition of care, or discharge.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Doctoral degree. Overall preparation: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; you're around people constantly; time pressure is a real part of the job; it rewards working independently; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 4.6% of emergency medicine physicians are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are analytical, people-focused and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Anesthesiologists
- Physicians, All Other
- General Internal Medicine Physicians
- Family Medicine Physicians
- Nurse Anesthetists
- Pediatricians, General
Quick questions
- How much does a emergency medicine physician make?
- The median pay is $161.32 per hour — roughly $335,500 a year, with the real range running from about $49.81/hr (10th percentile) to $238.42/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a emergency medicine physician?
- The typical entry-level education is: Doctoral degree. Overall preparation level: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
- What does a emergency medicine physician actually do all day?
- Analyze records, examination information, or test results to diagnose medical conditions. Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements. Collect and record patient information, such as medical history or examination results, in electronic or handwritten medical records.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.