Emergency Medicine Physicians
Also called: 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)
Make immediate medical decisions and act to prevent death or further disability.
What emergency medicine physicians do
Typical 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.
- Communicate likely outcomes of medical diseases or traumatic conditions to patients or their representatives.
- Monitor patients' conditions, and reevaluate treatments, as necessary.
- Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff.
- Select and prescribe medications to address patient needs.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Emergency Medicine Physicians salary
The median annual wage for emergency medicine physicians is $335,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $103,610 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $495,910. The mean annual wage is $317,480.
The mean hourly wage of $152.00 is 21.0× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Emergency Medicine Physicians (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $335,550 → in 3 years $367,800 → in 5 years $390,900 → in 10 years $455,500 (10-year range $391,700–$528,800). The model assumes pay growth of +3.1% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Emergency Medicine Physicians
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Emergency Medicine Physicians? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Emergency Medicine Physicians
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Emergency Medicine Physicians
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 5 — extensive preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★★☆ Demanding (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become emergency medicine physicians
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as emergency medicine physicians
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.