Attending physician vs family physician

The differences between attending physicians and family physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an attending physician and a family physician. Additionally, a family physician has an average salary of $215,471, which is higher than the $200,702 average annual salary of an attending physician.

The top three skills for an attending physician include patients, primary care and surgery. The most important skills for a family physician are patients, family medicine, and primary care.

Attending physician vs family physician overview

	Attending Physician	Family Physician
Yearly salary	$200,702	$215,471
Hourly rate	$96.49	$103.59
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	53,195	47,352
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Doctoral Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does an attending physician do?

An Attending Physician typically supervises fellows, residents, medical students, and other practitioners. They are responsible for supervising each patient every day, reviewing treatment plans with residents, and supervising patient management documents.

What does a family physician do?

A family physician specializes in providing health care services to an entire family, regardless of age, health condition, or gender. Aside from conducting regular check-ups and consultations, they serve as a family's primary contact when health problems occur. Among their responsibilities include maintaining a family's health records, helping families navigate through the healthcare system, coordinating with insurance companies, and referring them to other specialists when necessary. Moreover, a family physician builds positive relationships with clients, helping them feel comfortable every step of the way.

Attending physician vs family physician salary

Attending physicians and family physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Attending Physician	Family Physician
Average salary	$200,702	$215,471
Salary range	Between $125,000 And $321,000	Between $135,000 And $342,000
Highest paying City	Miami, FL	Mount Vernon, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Vermont
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	Oregon Medical Group
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between attending physician and family physician education

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

	Attending Physician	Family Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Doctoral Degree, 36%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Virginia

Attending physician vs family physician demographics

Here are the differences between attending physicians' and family physicians' demographics:

	Attending Physician	Family Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 36.5% Female, 63.5%	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between attending physician and family physician duties and responsibilities

Attending physician example responsibilities.

Manage neurological cancer research protocols: collected/organize data, assure compliance with protocol guidelines, manage study database and enroll patients.
Prepare patients for ultrasound guide injections and aspirations which includes draping patients, prepping medications and preparing sterile instruments.
Manage neurological cancer research protocols: collected/organize data, assure compliance with protocol guidelines, manage study database and enroll patients.
Monitor and manage patient medical records in compliance with HIPPA.

Family physician example responsibilities.

Manage complicated and often difficult to control chronic medical conditions in patients with limit resources.
Examine patients, using medical instruments and equipment; elicit and record information about patient's medical history.
Perform hematology, chemistry and immunology screen test to provide immediate results for diagnosis.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Case, endotracheal intubation and artificial mechanical ventilation to which it require, bladder catheterizations rectal and nasogastric.

Attending physician vs family physician skills

Common attending physician skills

Patients, 35%
Primary Care, 8%
Surgery, 5%
Internal Medicine, 5%
BLS, 4%
Rehabilitation, 3%

Common family physician skills

Patients, 28%
Family Medicine, 26%
Primary Care, 15%
Urgent Care, 8%
EMR, 7%
Internal Medicine, 3%

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Attending Physician
Attending Physician vs Family Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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