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Anesthesiologists vs Emergency Medicine Physicians: what changes?

Consider Anesthesiologists if you want to administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery. Consider Emergency Medicine Physicians if you would rather make immediate medical decisions and act to prevent death or further disability. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Anesthesiologists and Emergency Medicine Physicians. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Anesthesiologists

National median pay (2025)
$391,490
Route into the job
Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate
Monitor patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
1,100
Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Anesthesiologists brief

Emergency Medicine Physicians

National median pay (2025)
$335,550
Route into the job
Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate
Select, request, perform, or interpret diagnostic procedures, such as laboratory tests, electrocardiograms, emergency ultrasounds, and radiographs.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
900
Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Emergency Medicine Physicians brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Anesthesiologists has the edge on annual openings

Anesthesiologists is at 1,100 annual openings, compared with 900 annual openings for Emergency Medicine Physicians.

2

Anesthesiologists has the edge on projected growth

Anesthesiologists is at 3.6% projected growth, compared with 3.2% projected growth for Emergency Medicine Physicians.

3

Anesthesiologists has the edge on median pay

Anesthesiologists is at $391,490, compared with $335,550 for Emergency Medicine Physicians.

52/ 100

Anesthesiologists

vs
49.5/ 100

Emergency Medicine Physicians

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Anesthesiologists vs Emergency Medicine Physicians

DimensionAnesthesiologistsEmergency Medicine Physicians
Median pay (2025)$391,490$335,550
Pay percentile99.8 percentile99.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)3.6%3.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)1,100900
2025 employment41,50034,900
How you qualifyDoctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirementsDoctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 5Job Zone 5
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingInternship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Anesthesiologists briefRead Emergency Medicine Physicians brief

Try another comparison

Anesthesiologists vs Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Anesthesiologists
$391,490 · 3.6% growth
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
$352,220 · 5.6% growth
Compare careers →

Emergency Medicine Physicians vs Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Emergency Medicine Physicians
$335,550 · 3.2% growth
Obstetricians and Gynecologists
$292,910 · 1.7% growth
Compare careers →

Emergency Medicine Physicians vs Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Emergency Medicine Physicians
$335,550 · 3.2% growth
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
$352,220 · 5.6% growth
Compare careers →
ChooseField compares fields using public labor-market and professional sources.