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Acute care physician vs family practitioner

The differences between acute care physicians and family practitioners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an acute care physician and a family practitioner. Additionally, an acute care physician has an average salary of $219,416, which is higher than the $180,399 average annual salary of a family practitioner.

The top three skills for an acute care physician include patients, family practice and internal medicine. The most important skills for a family practitioner are family medicine, patients, and family practice.

Acute care physician vs family practitioner overview

Acute Care PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Yearly salary$219,416$180,399
Hourly rate$105.49$86.73
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs118,62150,599
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age4848
Years of experience44

What does an acute care physician do?

An acute care physician is responsible for providing quality care services for the patients, diagnosing them, and administering medications. These physicians have the same duties as regular physicians, usually working for patients with a short-term illness or those patients recovered from medical conditions that require ongoing treatment and medications. Acute care physicians monitor patients' medical histories, scheduling follow-up checkups, as well as other procedures. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, and most importantly, the knowledge of the medical industry within their expertise.

What does a family practitioner do?

Family practitioners are medical professionals who are responsible for providing care for an entire family in small and rural communities. By using their knowledge in the medical profession, these doctors are required to diagnose and treat a variety of medical issues while referring patients to an appropriate specialist if medical problems are outside their range of practice. They must participate in well-care visits with their patients to monitor the development of their health as well as perform routine tests such as cholesterol tests and blood pressure readings. Family practitioners must also help women give birth to a child.

Acute care physician vs family practitioner salary

Acute care physicians and family practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Acute Care PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Average salary$219,416$180,399
Salary rangeBetween $141,000 And $340,000Between $90,000 And $359,000
Highest paying CityGrand Forks, NDPhiladelphia, PA
Highest paying stateVermontFlorida
Best paying companyFreeman Health SystemPeaceHealth
Best paying industryNon ProfitsHealth Care

Differences between acute care physician and family practitioner education

There are a few differences between an acute care physician and a family practitioner in terms of educational background:

Acute Care PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborDuke University

Acute care physician vs family practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between acute care physicians' and family practitioners' demographics:

Acute Care PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 40.1% Female, 59.9%Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between acute care physician and family practitioner duties and responsibilities

Acute care physician example responsibilities.

  • Gain experience managing patients with cardiopulmonary, post-surgical orthopedic, post-traumatic, and metabolic conditions
  • Pursue exposure to ICU, NICU and orthopedic surgery.
  • Evaluate and analyze patients' medical charts, physical and mental abilities to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
  • Collect patient's health information before having surgery.
  • Analyze procedures and diagnoses using ICD-9 & CPT codes.
  • Rotate in rheumatology, medicine, pediatrics, neurology.
  • Show more

Family practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Manage family health problems, examine patients, perform physical examination.
  • Manage conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, asthma, and GERD.
  • Provide examination, testing, diagnosis, treatment, referral and follow- up care for newborn through geriatrics.
  • Provide residential care and emergency medical treatment to incapacitate elderly patients
  • Operate electrocardiogram equipment to administer diagnostic testing (EKG).
  • Ensure patient and family understanding of diagnosis treatment and all accompanying relevant information.
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Acute care physician vs family practitioner skills

Common acute care physician skills
  • Patients, 38%
  • Family Practice, 12%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Epic, 4%
  • Medical Care, 4%
  • ICU, 3%
Common family practitioner skills
  • Family Medicine, 32%
  • Patients, 25%
  • Family Practice, 12%
  • Internal Medicine, 8%
  • Urgent Care, 7%
  • Pediatrics, 6%

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