How To Become A Resident Doctor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a resident doctor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

John Colclough

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a resident doctor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $77.62 an hour? That's $161,459 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 55,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Resident Doctor?

John Colclough

Professor, Marshall University

Be patient and stay informed. Many performers think their career is about the work in the rehearsal hall or in performance-not so, the real work is in the management of your business. Being an authority of WHO, WHAT and WHERE is key. WHO are the players in your market? The directors, actors, casting people, producing organizations, etc...these are who you need to know-your network. WHAT opportunities exist in your market? The theatres, video companies, universities (if you have an MFA you may be able to teach a class or two), Improvisation groups, any opportunity that allows you to grow your brand is worth your attention. And finally, WHERE are the opportunities-knowing your community and having a sense of how each company fits into the fabric of the community. Having a sense of where the company resides both geographically and virtually (web sites) and having a solid knowledge base of details of each company can inform your marketing tactics as well as provide you with specific details unique to each organization. Careers develop over time and keeping expectations realistic over the first year can be challenging. Be practical and methodical in your approach: save money (there's never enough), find a place to live (the best you can afford), find a side hustle (you're going to need money and routine), find out the lay of the land (WHO, WHAT, and WHERE), develop your skill set (take a class and meet colleagues), go to productions, screenings, workshops, document your growth (keep a journal or calendar to track your progress), celebrate your successes and be patient with your stumbles-Hard knocks are the best teachers!

ScoreResident DoctorUS Average

Salary

9.2

Avg. Salary $161,459

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 30.15%

Black or African American 4.22%

Hispanic or Latino 7.49%

Unknown 4.21%

White 53.76%

Gender

female 42.36%

male 57.64%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a resident doctor

Explore resident doctor education requirements

Most common resident doctor degrees

Bachelor's

53.7 %

Doctorate

30.7 %

Master's

10.2 %

Start to develop specific resident doctor skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	35.68%
Emergency Room	8.47%
Internal Medicine	7.85%
General Surgery	5.23%
Outpatient Clinic	4.53%

Research resident doctor duties and responsibilities

Assist in major elective and emergency surgeries such as appendectomies, exploratory laparotomy, thyroid surgery, hysterectomy and cesarean operations.
Treat internal disorder, such as hypertension, health diseases, diabetes and others medical conditions.
Maintain patient privacy and confidentiality by adhering to HIPPA regulations.

Prepare your resident doctor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your resident doctor 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 a resident doctor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Resident Doctor Resume templates

Build a professional Resident Doctor 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 Resident Doctor resume.

Apply for resident doctor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a resident doctor 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 do resident doctors rate their job?

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Resident Doctor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023

Pros

Money and also working in a hospital I also love biology

Cons

watching babies die and dealing with the emotional trauma of staring in to dead eyes