# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/emergency-medicine-physicians
- SOC code: 29-1214.00
- Career family: Healthcare practitioners
- Median annual pay: $335,550 (10th percentile $103,610, 90th percentile $495,910)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.2%
- Openings a year: 900
- Typical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ISC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 53 |
| Investigative (I) | 77 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 77 |
| Enterprising (E) | 28 |
| Conventional (C) | 54 |

## What you'd do

- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 98/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 97/100)
- Getting Information (importance 96/100)
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (importance 94/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 94/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 93/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 93/100)
- Analyzing Data or Information (importance 90/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 88/100)
- Processing Information (importance 86/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Service Orientation, Writing

## Knowledge

Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Biology, Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security, Chemistry, Mathematics

## 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), Emergency Doctor, Emergency MD (Emergency Medicine Doctor)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Medicine](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5112) (CIP 5112, 133 colleges)
- Multiple-Pathway Medical Fellowship Programs (CIP 6102, 2 colleges)

## Related careers

- [Paramedics](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/paramedics): $60,600 median pay
- [Pediatric Surgeons](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pediatric-surgeons): $559,030 median pay
- [Family Medicine Physicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/family-medicine-physicians): $244,180 median pay
- [General Internal Medicine Physicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/general-internal-medicine-physicians): $256,560 median pay
- [Physician Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physician-assistants): $135,880 median pay
- [Pediatricians, General](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pediatricians-general): $210,040 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.