Physician Vs Doctor

Introduction

Many people think that physician and doctor are the same and they use both these terms interchangeably. It is evident that both these terms are completely different from each other and their applications and roles in health care and other sectors are different from each other. Some other people know the difference between these terms and believe that one is better than the other. In this article, we will discuss the difference between those two medical specialists and identify which one is better. Though, both these medical experts provide people with healthcare and treatment.

What is a doctor?

A doctor is a person who received a doctoral degree which is the highest degree one can earn. Moreover, there are doctors for medical science, philosophy and even doctors of education. Doctorate degrees have a wide variety of subjects and fields. The following are some other doctorate degrees:

• Doctor of fine arts
• Doctor of Public Health
• Doctor of engineering
• Doctor of theology
• Doctor of Public Administration

So when you see the tag ‘Dr.’ in someone’s name, do not assume that he or she is some medical professional who provides healthcare to people.

But even if we discuss the term in a medical context, a doctor is different from a physician. A person with PhD such as a doctoral degree in fine arts referred to as doctor hence it is evident that doctors are not only connected with medicines. A doctor can be a physician, dentist, paediatrician, orthopedist etc. because there are many subcategories.

What is a physician?

A physician is a medical doctor that can be either D.O or M.D. who has a complete graduation training regarding health care. Often the physicians are referred to as doctors but all doctors are not referred to as physicians. Many books and journals say that the physicians have to provide healthcare to patients through diagnosis or by some physical checkup. They are authorized for determining the urgency of follow-up examination after providing drugs and prescriptions. The patients visit the physicians after taking an appointment in hospitals and clinics.

If someone wants to be a physician a medical student needs to obtain a bachelor degree from a medical college or university. After that, they can do a two to five year of specialization course regarding surgery, dermatology, oncology etc. Though, they are labelled as doctors and not physicians only. This is the point where the main difference between doctor and physician drawn. The physician does almost eight years of medical study where the doctors go through 11-13 years of study. Physicians mostly treat people with non-surgical methods but they provide medications to the patient on basis of their test results.

Job requirements of doctor and physician

The above descriptions of these two terms tell a lot about the difference between the two but there is also a difference between the two in terms of the job requirement. The physicians require a medical degree from a reputed medical college and a two-year internship certificate. Though doctors also have to fulfil those requirements there is an additional internship experience required. Moreover, physicians have different methods of treatment than doctors. The physician provides medication and drugs for the treatment of the patients whether the doctors can also perform surgeries and operations. Both these professionals get a different amount of salary and most of the doctors are paid more than physicians. Though both these specialists have high demand hence students have high career opportunities in both these degrees.

Main differences between doctor and physician

It is evident that both these terms are quite different and we must have the knowledge of differentiating between the two. The following are the points that will help you to understand the main difference between the two easily:

• A physician is a doctor but all doctors are not physicians
• Doctors require more certificates and internship experience than a physician
• The physician treats the patient with drugs and medications but doctors use more comprehensive medical procedures such as operations and surgeries
• Physicians need to complete medical school but doctors need to finish an additional two to five years of residency after the medical school

These points make a clear difference between doctor and physician and now you can easily distinguish these two and it will also clear your confusion in terms of the authorities and positions of the two.

Doctor vs Physician, which one is better?

Although both these medical experts have their requirements and specializations still people have different opinions when it comes to identifying which one is better than the other. It would be wrong to say that one is better than others because they both serve difference duties and both have different contribution to the humankind. Moreover, some physicians work under the supervision of the doctor whereas the doctor works independently. Sometimes it is seen that the prescriptions by a physician are not authorized. Hence it is evident that the doctor has higher authorities and power than physicians because they have extensive knowledge and experience. In terms of salary, the doctors get higher pay than physicians because the doctors need to perform intricate surgeries and medical procedures. Though the physicians provide non-surgical treatments still they are equally important as their requirement is as much as doctors.

Conclusion

Doctor and physicians are different from each other but still, people mostly say the statement ‘consult a doctor’ to the people who fall sick. But now you are much aware of these two terms and you might have cleared your confusion. Both these specialists have their role and responsibilities and their specific place in the society. The responsibility regarding the patient s is shared by both, the doctor and the physician. We hope that this article has now made your concepts clear about doctors and physicians. Now you might also clear others who often interchange both these terms with each other. But at the end of the day, nobody wants to go to either of them, so stay healthy.