Cardiologists

Employers

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that, as of May 2023, there were 816,900 physicians and surgeons employed in the United States. According to the State Health Facts Web site of the Kaiser Family Foundation, there were 34,664 actively practicing cardiologists in the United States as of August 2024. Cardiologists are employed in a wide variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, office-based multispecialty group practices, office-based single-specialty group practices, healthcare organizations, outpatient clinics, and academic (nonhospital) research, military, and government institutions. Some are self-employed in their own practice or group practice. In the past, many physicians, including cardiologists, went into business for themselves, either by starting their own practice or by becoming a partner in an existing one. However, the costs of starting a medical practice or buying into an existing medical practice are too high. Beginning in 2005, more than 50 percent of all physicians worked as salaried employees for hospitals rather than in solo or group practices, and research surveys of the sectoral employment of cardiologists illustrate that this particular employment trend continued during the 2010s.

Jobs for physicians are available all over the world, although licensing requirements may vary. In developing countries, there is great demand for medical professionals of all types. Conditions, supplies, and equipment may be poor and pay is minimal, but there are great rewards in terms of experience. Many doctors fulfill part or all of their residency requirements by practicing in other countries.

Physicians interested in teaching may find employment at medical schools or university hospitals. There are also positions available in government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.

Pharmaceutical companies and chemical companies hire physicians to research and develop new drugs, instruments, and procedures.

Starting Out

There are no shortcuts to entering the medical profession. Requirements are an M.D. degree, a licensing examination, a one- or two-year internship, and a period of residency that may extend as long as five years (and seven years if they are pursuing board certification in a specialty).

Upon completing this program, which may take up to 15 years, physicians are then ready to enter practice. They may choose to open a solo private practice, enter a partnership practice, enter a group practice, or take a salaried job with a managed-care facility or hospital. Salaried positions are also available with federal and state agencies, the military, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, and private companies. Teaching and research jobs are usually obtained after other experience is acquired.

The highest ratio of physicians to patients is in the New England and Middle Atlantic states. The lowest ratio is in the South Central and Mountain states. Most M.D.s practice in urban areas near hospitals and universities.