All Medical Careers

1. Role Overview & Clinical Scope of Practice

Physicians and surgeons stand at the apex of clinical diagnosis, medical decision-making, and surgical intervention. Both Doctors of Medicine (M.D. — allopathic physicians) and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O. — osteopathic physicians, who receive additional training in osteopathic manipulative medicine) hold identical unrestricted legal authority across all 50 states to practice medicine, prescribe medications, and perform surgery in every medical specialty.

Primary care physicians—including Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics/Gynecology—manage longitudinal preventive health, acute illnesses, and complex chronic comorbidities. Medical specialists—such as Cardiologists, Gastroenterologists, Oncologists, Neurologists, Dermatologists, Radiologists, and Anesthesiologists—deliver subspecialized diagnostic and procedural care.

Surgeons—spanning General Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Urology, and Otolaryngology—operate in hospital surgical suites and ambulatory centers to repair traumatic injuries, resect malignant tumors, replace degenerated joints, and correct anatomical defects.

2. Core Clinical & Technical Responsibilities

In daily clinical practice, a Physician and Surgeon performs the following core responsibilities:

• Obtain comprehensive medical histories, conduct physical examinations, and synthesize laboratory, genomic, and advanced diagnostic imaging findings to formulate differential diagnoses.
• Prescribe and manage complex pharmacological regimens, biologics, chemotherapy, and critical care life-support interventions.
• Perform invasive diagnostic and therapeutic surgical operations in the operating room (Surgeons and interventional specialists).
• Lead multidisciplinary inpatient hospital rounds and outpatient care teams, supervising resident physicians, Physician Assistants (PAs), and Nurse Practitioners (APRNs).
• Counsel patients and families on disease prognosis, preventive screening, surgical risks and informed consent, and chronic disease management.
• Direct clinical quality improvement initiatives, medical research protocols, and evidence-based practice guidelines.

3. Education Requirements & Accredited Schools

Becoming a physician requires 11 to 16+ years of post-secondary education and training: a 4-year undergraduate bachelor’s degree (completing pre-med biology, general/organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and the MCAT exam), followed by 4 years of medical school at an LCME-accredited (M.D.) or COCA-accredited (D.O.) college of medicine.

Upon graduating from medical school, new doctors enter a mandatory 3- to 7-year graduate medical education (GME) residency accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)—such as 3 years for Internal Medicine or Pediatrics, 5 years for General or Orthopedic Surgery, and 7 years for Neurosurgery—often followed by a 1- to 3-year subspecialty fellowship.

4. National Certification Exams & State Licensure

Every state requires physicians to hold an unrestricted State Medical License and federal DEA registration. Licensure requires graduating from an accredited medical school, completing 1 to 3 years of ACGME postgraduate residency training, and passing all three steps of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE Steps 1, 2 CK, and 3) or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA Levels 1, 2-CE, and 3).

Nearly all hospitals and health insurers also require specialty Board Certification through one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

5. Salary Percentile Breakdown & Top-Paying Settings

Compensation for a Physician and Surgeon varies based on clinical experience, specialty certifications, shift differentials, geographic region, and facility type.

6. Work Environment & Career Advancement Ladder

Primary Employment Settings: Academic medical centers, community hospitals, multi-specialty physician groups, ambulatory surgical centers

7. 50-State Licensure, Compact Status & Regulatory Directory

Use the interactive directory below to review state regulatory boards, interstate compact participation, and license renewal requirements for Physician and Surgeon professionals across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.