Emergency room physician vs general practice

The differences between emergency room physicians and general practices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an emergency room physician and a general practice. Additionally, an emergency room physician has an average salary of $160,275, which is higher than the $117,178 average annual salary of a general practice.

The top three skills for an emergency room physician include patients, emergency medicine and surgery. The most important skills for a general practice are patients, private practice, and internal medicine.

Emergency room physician vs general practice overview

	Emergency Room Physician	General Practice
Yearly salary	$160,275	$117,178
Hourly rate	$77.06	$56.34
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	85,836	55,666
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 40%	Doctoral Degree, 48%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does an emergency room physician do?

An Emergency Room Physician provides medical treatment to patients requiring acute and life-saving care. They keep them alive so they can receive the proper treatments.

What does a general practice do?

A general practitioner handles common medical health conditions of patients and refers them to hospitals and specialists for urgent treatment. They are commonly referred to as a family doctor or physician. They are often the first point of contact for anyone with a physical or mental health challenge. They may be expected to carry out clinical examinations of patients to access and diagnose disease, perform the necessary tests, interpret findings, and recommend a treatment plan.

Emergency room physician vs general practice salary

Emergency room physicians and general practices have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Room Physician	General Practice
Average salary	$160,275	$117,178
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $342,000	Between $58,000 And $234,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	-
Highest paying state	Connecticut	-
Best paying company	Calhoun Liberty Hospital	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between emergency room physician and general practice education

There are a few differences between an emergency room physician and a general practice in terms of educational background:

	Emergency Room Physician	General Practice
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 40%	Doctoral Degree, 48%
Most common major	Medicine	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences
Most common college	University of Virginia	University of Southern California

Emergency room physician vs general practice demographics

Here are the differences between emergency room physicians' and general practices' demographics:

	Emergency Room Physician	General Practice
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%	Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 25.0% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between emergency room physician and general practice duties and responsibilities

Emergency room physician example responsibilities.

Lead surgeries on: hemorrhoid thrombectomy, abscess drainage, CPR, as well as complicated plastic surgeries due to injury.
Provide inpatient, outpatient and emergency care in a teaching hospital in different areas of internal medicine and surgery.
Assist attending physician in all aspects of medical care (diagnosis, delivery and minor surgery).
Schedule patients for surgeries, instruct them about post-operative care and answer questions regarding recovery and limitations after surgery.
Operate electrocardiogram (EKG) and other equipment to administer diagnostic test.
Educate patients about self-management of acute or chronic illnesses, tailoring instructions to patients' individual circumstances.

General practice example responsibilities.

Set up OSHA plan for the office, and lead OSHA training.
Provide comprehensive quality health care by utilizing skills in pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology.
Provide technical guidance to promote educational programs on HIV prevention and diabetes and hypertension prevention and management.
Fix prosthetics focusing on crown and bridge.
Fix and removable dentures, both complete and partial dentures.
General floor care including 12 lead EKG's, medication delivery, ABG sampling.

Emergency room physician vs general practice skills

Common emergency room physician skills

Patients, 29%
Emergency Medicine, 23%
Surgery, 5%
Acls, 4%
Patient Care, 4%
Medical Care, 4%

Common general practice skills

Patients, 23%
Private Practice, 13%
Internal Medicine, 10%
Emergency Room, 6%
IV, 5%
Restorative Dentistry, 5%

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Emergency Room Physician
Emergency Room Physician vs General Practice

Updated January 8, 2025

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