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Healthcare

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$335,550

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$104k – $496k

Job outlook

+3% (about average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $93,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

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Education

Typical entry: Doctorate / professional (MD, JD, PhD)

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$90,200–$411,000

Time to qualify

8.2 yr

Renewal

$75/yr

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    Doctoral / professional degree (PhD, MD, JD…)

    Degree

    Three to seven years beyond the bachelor's. PhDs are often funded with a stipend; MD and JD programs are among the most expensive.

    $50,000–$260,000 · 4 years source

  3. 3

    National & state licensure

    License

    A national board/registry exam plus a state license application (the NCLEX pattern). Exact exam and fees depend on the role and state.

    $200–$1,000 · 2 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Emergency Medicine Physicians" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Emergency Medicine Physicians

    Entry / Junior

    $103,610

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Emergency Medicine Physicians

    Established

    $335,550

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Emergency Medicine Physicians

    Senior

    $415,730

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Healthcare

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.