What it is
Emergency medicine physicians provide immediate care for acute illness and injury — from heart attacks and trauma to infections and emergencies of every kind — in the ED.
What you do
They rapidly assess, stabilize, and treat undifferentiated patients, perform procedures, and coordinate admissions or transfers, working in shifts.
Training path & length
3- or 4-year residency, with fellowships available.
Fellowship subspecialties
Fellowships include pediatric emergency medicine, medical toxicology, EMS/prehospital care, sports medicine, ultrasound, and critical care.
Pay & job outlook
Physicians are among the highest-paid professionals. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of $275,930 for physicians and surgeons (May 2025), with employment projected to grow about 4% from 2025 to 2035 and ~22,100 openings per year. Pay varies widely by specialty — procedural and surgical fields generally earn more, primary-care and pediatric fields less.
EM physicians earn above the physician median; the work is shift-based and high-intensity.
How to get there
Become a physician first: earn an MD or DO, then match into this residency through the national match. Licensure requires completing residency and passing the board exams.
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Key facts
- Residency3–4 years
- FocusAcute, emergency, and trauma care
- SettingEmergency department (shift work)
- FellowshipsPeds EM, toxicology, EMS, ultrasound
- EntryMD or DO via the match