 They are compensated in the mid-range (averaging $13,000 annually) for non-patient activities, such as speaking engagements or acting as an expert witness; they also saw a 12% increase in salary from 2014 – 2015 (which was not out of line with many other physician specialties that year).While emergency physicians work 8–12 hour shifts and do not tend to work on-call, the high level of stress and need for strong diagnostic and triage capabilities for the undifferentiated, acute patient contributes to arguments justifying higher salaries for these physicians.Emergency care must be available every hour of every day, and requires a doctor to be available on site 24/7, unlike an outpatient clinic or some other hospital departments that have more limited hours, and may only call a physician in when needed.