After completing their medical school studies, doctors have a variety of specialties to choose from. Emergency medicine is a popular area of expertise for many medical practitioners, although it is not necessarily recognized as such. Finding out more about the pay of emergency room (ER) doctors may be useful if you’re thinking about a career in emergency medicine. In this article, we define an emergency medicine physician, explore the salary for pediatric emergency medicine and physician assistant emergency medicine (PA ER), including salaries in every state, and discuss the job outlook for these professionals.
What is an ER Doctor?
Doctors who specialize in treating illnesses or injuries that need emergency medical care are known as emergency room doctors or emergency medicine physicians. These medical professionals typically operate in hospital emergency departments and, depending on the day, may handle a wide range of urgent and mild conditions. Some of the most typical ailments that emergency room doctors see are as follows:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Concussions and other head trauma
- Broken bones or sprains
- Traumatic injuries
- Viral or bacterial infections
- Food poisoning and ingestion of other toxins
- Ulcers
- Appendicitis
- Cuts and contusions
- Skin infections
- Foreign objects in the body
- Urinary tract infections
When treating these illnesses, emergency medicine doctors may be tasked with a variety of activities, including:
#1. Evaluating a patient
Performing a patient evaluation when they come to the hospital for treatment is one of an ER doctor’s most crucial duties. This includes observing how the patient describes their disease, performing examinations, and taking note of symptoms.
#2. Demanding tests
In some circumstances, a doctor might not know a patient’s health right away and would need tests to provide a diagnosis. Blood tests, urinalysis, toxicology screenings, and a variety of other diagnostic procedures may be ordered by ER doctors.
#3. Administering medicines
ER doctors frequently make a diagnosis and urge nurses to prescribe medication after analyzing a patient’s symptoms. To stabilize patients upon arrival, they may also give them painkillers and other medications.
#4. Patient referrals to experts
ER physicians can find that their patients have problems that need to be treated by experts. This can entail directing patients to surgeons right away or to other professionals like radiologists, cardiologists, or gynecologists.
#5. Patient stabilization
An ER doctor’s responsibility is to make sure that patients who arrive with significant injuries don’t worsen before receiving the care they require. The process of stabilization may involve intubation, pain relief, intravenous fluid administration, and other procedures.
#6. Giving discharge guidelines
ER doctors frequently decide whether to discharge patients after they have received care. Additionally, they could provide instructions for taking medicine and scheduling appointments after discharge.
#7. Consulting and keeping records
When choosing a course of treatment, emergency medicine doctors frequently check the medical histories of their patients. They are also in charge of maintaining thorough records of every diagnosis and course of therapy for each of their patients.
#8. Making plans for follow-up care
Emergency medicine Doctors frequently create strategies to aid their patients’ recoveries after providing them with emergency care. They might plan follow-up appointments, recommend a self-care practice, or write a prescription for medicine. They might also refer their patients to specialists.
#9. Collaborating with other medical professionals
A vast range of professionals are employed by hospitals, including nurses, PAs, pharmacists, orderlies, EMTs, and doctors. For the benefit of their patients, emergency care doctors must work together with their colleagues.
#10. Maintaining compliance with legal regulations
The treatment of patients and the dissemination of medical information are governed by several legislative laws. In their daily jobs, ER physicians are expected to adhere to these rules.
Emergency Medicine Salary
As of May 1, 2023, the average salary for emergency medicine physicians in the United States is $360,100; however, this figure frequently ranges between $304,900 and $404,300. Education, certifications, additional talents, and the length of time you have worked in your field can all have a significant impact on the salary ranges for emergency medicine physicians. Salary.com assists you in determining your precise pay target by providing more online, real-time compensation data than any other website.
PA Emergency Medicine Salary
In the US, an emergency medicine PA has a median salary of $157,140. Salary ranges for PA emergency medicine typically fall between $90,000 and $272,000. Emergency medicine PAs make, on average, $75.55 per hour.
How much a PA emergency medicine physician may anticipate making depends on location, education, and experience. In Nebraska, Alaska, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Vermont, PA emergency medicine generates the highest revenues.
Research Summary.
- An emergency medicine PA has an average salary of $157,140 in the US.
- In the US, the typical compensation for a PA emergency medicine physician is between $90,000 and $272,000.
- Physician assistants in the US typically charge between $43 and $130 per hour for emergency medications.
- The typical physician assistant salary for emergency medicine is $181 399 in Nebraska, $176 774 in Alaska, and $173 475 in Minnesota. Physician assistants who specialize in emergency medicine are paid the most in these three US states.
- The nonprofit sector pays the best for physician assistants working in emergency medicine in the US.
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Salary
A pediatric emergency medicine physician in the US makes an average yearly salary of $272,003 as of May 2, 2023. If you need a quick pay estimator, that comes out to be about $130.77 per hour. This amounts to $5,230 each week or $22,666 per month.
The majority of pediatric emergency medicine physician salaries currently range between $195,000 (25th percentile) and $400,000 (75th percentile), with top earners (90th percentile) making $400,000 annually across the United States, even though ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $400,000 and as low as $35,000. There may be numerous prospects for progression and higher pay depending on skill level, region, and years of experience because the average salary range for a pediatric emergency medicine physician ranges substantially (by as much as $205,000).
The pediatric emergency medicine physician employment market in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area is quite active, according to recent job posts on ZipRecruiter. Your area’s average yearly salary for a pediatric emergency medicine physician is $269,278; this is $2,725 (1%) less than the $272,003 average nationwide compensation. For pediatric emergency medicine physician salaries, Georgia is ranked 48th out of 50 states nationwide.
As millions of current jobs are listed locally around America, ZipRecruiter regularly searches its database to determine the most precise annual salary range for pediatric emergency medicine physician positions.
Physician Assistant Emergency Medicine Salary
The average annual salary for an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant in the US is $202,983 as of May 2, 2023. If you need a quick pay estimator, that comes out to be about $97.59 per hour. This equates to $16,915 a month or $3,903 per week.
The majority of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant salaries currently range between $122,500 (25th percentile) and $254,000 (75th percentile), with top earners (90th percentile) making $400,000 annually across the United States, even though ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $400,000 and as low as $30,500. There may be numerous prospects for progression and greater salary dependent on skill level, region, and years of experience because the typical pay for an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant varies substantially (by as much as $131,500).
The Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant job market is quite active in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area, according to recent job posts on ZipRecruiter. In your region, the average yearly salary for an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant is $200,950, which is $2,033 (1%) less than the $202,983 national average. For Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant’s salary, Georgia is ranked 48th out of 50 states.
Highest Paying States for Physician Assistant Emergency Medicine
The typical annual salary for a physician assistant in emergency care in the United States is about $157,140, or $75.55 per hour. Interestingly, physician assistants who specialize in emergency medicine make the highest income in Austin, Minnesota, at around $195,502 per year. The average entry-level salary in Austin, Minnesota, is $110,000 for new employees.
In addition, physician assistants who specialize in emergency care earn more than the average wage in Burlington, Vermont; Burlington, Massachusetts; Las Vegas, Nevada; Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC. On a more general level, Nebraska, Alaska, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Vermont, Nevada, and Wisconsin have the highest physician assistant salaries in emergency medicine. On the other hand, Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana give the lowest physician assistant pay in emergency medicine.
Emergency Medicine Salary by State
According to data from Indeed, ACEPNow, and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, below are the average yearly earnings for emergency room (ER) doctors in each state.
- Alabama: $454,000 per year
- Alaska: $232,130 per year
- Arizona: $430,000 per year
- Arkansas: $343,650 per year
- California: $405,000 per year
- Colorado: $310,000 per year
- Connecticut: $337,000 per year
- Delaware: $290,000 per year
- Florida: $313,590 per year
- Georgia: $446,000 per year
- Hawaii: $349,000 per year
- Idaho: $435,000 per year
- Illinois: $382,000 per year
- Indiana: $362,000 per year
- Iowa: $400,000 per year
- Kansas: $381,000 per year
- Kentucky: $384,000 per year
- Louisiana: $395,000 per year
- Maine: $326,000 per year
- Maryland: $362,000 per year
- Massachusetts: $357,000 per year
- Michigan: $354,650 per year
- Minnesota: $350,000 per year.
- Mississippi: $446,000 per year
- Missouri: $396,000 per year
- Montana: No information is available.
- Nebraska: $378,000 per year
- Nevada: $379,000 per year
- New Hampshire: $320,000 per year
- New Jersey: $356,000 per year
- New Mexico: $475,000 per year
- New York: $279,590 per year
- North Carolina: $370,000 per year
- North Dakota: No information available
- Ohio: $406,000 per year
- Oklahoma: $365,000 per year
- Oregon: $365,000 per year
- Pennsylvania: $378,000 per year
- Rhode Island: $287,000 per year
- South Carolina: $353,000 per year
- South Dakota: $270,000 per year
- Tennessee: $369,000 per year
- Texas: $422,000 per year
- Utah: No information is available.
- Vermont: $310,000 per year
- Virginia: $340,100 per year
- Washington: $371,000 per year
- West Virginia: $388,000 per year
- Wisconsin: $402,000 per year
- Wyoming: $404,000 per year
The job outlook for ER doctors
The BLS does not specifically gather data on the employment outlook for emergency medicine physicians. By 2030, the need for doctors and surgeons is expected to increase by 3%, according to the BLS. The majority of these jobs might result from a requirement for a younger staff knowledgeable of the most recent medical innovations.
What Is the Highest Paid Emergency Medicine?
Pay Scales for emergency medicine:
- Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Medicine (ETA Salary: $375K–$482K)
- Pediatric emergency medicine ($363K–$486K in ETA pay)
- Pain medicine (ETA salary approximately $295K–346K)
- Emergency medical services (ETA pay range: $293,33,000 to $393,33,000)
How Much Does an ER Doctor Earn in NY?
As of May 1, 2023, the average income for a physician working in an emergency room in New York, NY, is $423,055, although the normal range is between $358,182 and $475,005.
How Much Does an ER Doctor Make in Manhattan?
The 25th percentile is $349,300. Pay Scales below this are unusual. The 90% percentile is $437,308. Salary levels above this are unusual.
Where Do ER Doctors Make the Most?
The top three states with the highest salaries for emergency physicians are Florida, Arizona, and Texas, according to the 2022–2023 Emergency Physician Compensation Report. Illinois, Idaho, California, North Dakota, Ohio, Louisiana, and North Carolina round out the top ten states.
Is ER Doctor a Stressful Job?
Yes. According to earlier research, emergency medicine routinely ranks among the highest medical specialties in terms of clinician burnout and work-life integration satisfaction.
What Is the Burnout Rate for ER Doctors?
65 percent
53 percent of doctors said they were burned out the previous year. According to Medscape’s most recent analysis on physician burnout and depression, emergency medicine specialists had the highest prevalence among them at 65%.
What Is the Stereotype for ER Doctors?
The perception of emergency medicine specialists is that they are “jacks-of-all-trades,” have a short attention span, and enjoy performing procedures.
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