Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
What is an attending physician and how to become one
There's a lot to attend to when you're an attending physician. Attending physicians not only enjoy practicing medicine but also enjoy passing down knowledge to others. The attending physician has two main responsibilities: patient care and teaching/supervising fellows, residents, and medical students.
An attending physician is considered an expert in their particular field of medicine or surgery. Some of the responsibilities of the attending physician include directing the care of the patient, reviewing treatment plans with residents, and documenting supervision of the patient's management. To excel as an attending physician, you'll need thorough medical knowledge, the ability to provide compassionate, appropriate, and effective patient care, and an understanding of practice-based learning.
If you're interested in becoming an Attending Physician, you'll need to complete medical school and an accredited residency program. In addition, you'll usually have to obtain specialty board certification. Teaching Attendings often have additional fellowship training as well as faculty appointments.
Avg. Salary $200,702
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 7%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%
Asian 19.14%
Black or African American 5.16%
Hispanic or Latino 9.55%
Unknown 4.46%
White 61.53%
Genderfemale 63.50%
male 36.50%
Age - 48American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 48Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Attending Physician career paths
Key steps to become an attending physician
Explore attending physician education requirements
Start to develop specific attending physician skills
Skills 
Percentages Patients 34.53% Primary Care 7.55% Surgery 5.38% Internal Medicine 5.04% BLS 3.62% Complete relevant attending physician training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New attending physicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an attending physician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real attending physician resumes.Research attending physician duties and responsibilities
- Manage neurological cancer research protocols: collected/organize data, assure compliance with protocol guidelines, manage study database and enroll patients.
- Prepare patients for ultrasound guide injections and aspirations which includes draping patients, prepping medications and preparing sterile instruments.
- Manage neurological cancer research protocols: collected/organize data, assure compliance with protocol guidelines, manage study database and enroll patients.
- Monitor and manage patient medical records in compliance with HIPPA.
Prepare your attending physician resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your attending physician resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an attending physician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Attending Physician Resume templates
Build a professional Attending Physician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Attending Physician resume.
Apply for attending physician jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an attending physician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Attending Physician Job
Are you an Attending Physician?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average attending physician salary
The average Attending Physician salary in the United States is $200,702 per year or $96 per hour. Attending physician salaries range between $125,000 and $321,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do attending physicians rate their job?
Attending Physician reviews
The definition of Physician Liaison here is entirely incorrect. You are describing a provider role - not what liaisons do. Please refer to physicianliaison.com which is AAPL, the national organization of physician liaisons.
Your definition is incorrect. Please refer to physicianliaison.com which is AAPL, the national organization of physician liaisons.
Updated January 8, 2025
