Attending physician vs primary care provider

The differences between attending physicians and primary care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an attending physician has an average salary of $200,702, which is higher than the $35,422 average annual salary of a primary care provider.

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

Attending physician vs primary care provider overview

	Attending Physician	Primary Care Provider
Yearly salary	$200,702	$35,422
Hourly rate	$96.49	$17.03
Growth rate	7%	36%
Number of jobs	53,195	103,863
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	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 primary care provider do?

Primary Care Providers, also known as general practitioners instead of specialists, are doctors trained to be the first point of contact for a patient entering the health care system. They diagnose, treat, and prevent a broad range of injuries and illnesses from allergies and colds to longer-term conditions such as Diabetes Mellitus. Their duties include performing lab tests to identify a condition, prescribing medications, checking for drug interactions, provide wound care, executing spirometry tests and electrocardiograms, and coordinating specialist care for your condition. A Primary Care Provider will also help create self-care plans prescribing a certain diet and recommending exercise routines.

Attending physician vs primary care provider salary

Attending physicians and primary care providers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Attending Physician	Primary Care Provider
Average salary	$200,702	$35,422
Salary range	Between $125,000 And $321,000	Between $21,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	Miami, FL	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between attending physician and primary care provider education

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

	Attending Physician	Primary Care Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Medicine	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	-

Attending physician vs primary care provider demographics

Here are the differences between attending physicians' and primary care providers' demographics:

	Attending Physician	Primary Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 36.5% Female, 63.5%	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 9.7% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	13%	7%

Differences between attending physician and primary care provider 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.

Primary care provider example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Work alongside ABA therapists to continue to apply appropriate behavioral techniques.
Examine patients and carefully analyze test results and information gather during examinations to properly diagnose illnesses and diseases.
Used strong oral and written communications skills to develop and maintain effective relationships with patients, co-workers and international medical professionals.
Provide caring companionship to developmentally disabled/elderly residents.
Assist with toileting, including bedpans, urinals and commode chairs.

Attending physician vs primary care provider skills

Common attending physician skills

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

Common primary care provider skills

Patients, 31%
Internal Medicine, 13%
Family Practice, 12%
Patient Care, 11%
Urgent Care, 10%
NP, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Attending Physician
Attending Physician vs Primary Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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