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Attending physician vs family practitioner

The differences between attending 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 attending physician and a family practitioner. Additionally, an attending physician has an average salary of $200,702, which is higher than the $180,399 average annual salary of a family practitioner.

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

Attending physician vs family practitioner overview

Attending PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Yearly salary$200,702$180,399
Hourly rate$96.49$86.73
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs53,19550,599
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 33%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age4848
Years of experience44

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 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.

Attending physician vs family practitioner salary

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

Attending PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Average salary$200,702$180,399
Salary rangeBetween $125,000 And $321,000Between $90,000 And $359,000
Highest paying CityMiami, FLPhiladelphia, PA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyFlorida
Best paying companyCommunity Health SystemsPeaceHealth
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between attending physician and family practitioner education

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

Attending PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 33%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborDuke University

Attending physician vs family practitioner demographics

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

Attending PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 36.5% Female, 63.5%Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.3% 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 attending physician and family practitioner 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 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.
  • Show more

Attending physician vs family practitioner skills

Common attending physician skills
  • Patients, 35%
  • Primary Care, 8%
  • Surgery, 5%
  • Internal Medicine, 5%
  • BLS, 4%
  • Rehabilitation, 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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