Healthcare practitioners
Emergency medicine physician
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.
Median pay
$335,550
Growth to 2035
+3%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
900
Time to qualify*
7 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Emergency medicine physician
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Emergency medicine physician: 27% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
- Conduct primary patient assessments that include information from prior medical care.
Also called: Attending Emergency Physician · Attending Physician · Emergency MD (Emergency Medicine Doctor) · Emergency Medicine Physician (EM Physician) · Emergency Physician · MD (Medical Doctor) · Physician
Outlook and AI
Emergency medicine physicians held 34,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 36,100 by 2035 (+3%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
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