Post job

Family practice doctor vs general practice

The differences between family practice doctors and general practices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a family practice doctor, becoming a general practice takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a family practice doctor has an average salary of $187,028, which is higher than the $117,178 average annual salary of a general practice.

The top three skills for a family practice doctor include patients, family medicine and urgent care. The most important skills for a general practice are patients, private practice, and internal medicine.

Family practice doctor vs general practice overview

Family Practice DoctorGeneral Practice
Yearly salary$187,028$117,178
Hourly rate$89.92$56.34
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs32,97955,666
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 35%Doctoral Degree, 48%
Average age4848
Years of experience46

What does a family practice doctor do?

Family practice doctors provide lifelong care for a patient and their family. They offer medical attention to all family members, educates patients on disease prevention, provide health maintenance, and ensure mental and emotional needs are met. They manage basic complaints, like colds or flus, and also treat chronic illnesses, like asthma, diabetes, or degenerative conditions. They provide ongoing personalized care. Doctors must be empathetic, professional, and knowledgeable.

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.

Family practice doctor vs general practice salary

Family practice doctors and general practices have different pay scales, as shown below.

Family Practice DoctorGeneral Practice
Average salary$187,028$117,178
Salary rangeBetween $101,000 And $345,000Between $58,000 And $234,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between family practice doctor and general practice education

There are a few differences between a family practice doctor and a general practice in terms of educational background:

Family Practice DoctorGeneral Practice
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 35%Doctoral Degree, 48%
Most common majorMedicineAdvanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Southern California

Family practice doctor vs general practice demographics

Here are the differences between family practice doctors' and general practices' demographics:

Family Practice DoctorGeneral Practice
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 34.2% Female, 65.8%Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4%
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, 5.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 25.0% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between family practice doctor and general practice duties and responsibilities

Family practice doctor example responsibilities.

  • Manage conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, asthma, and GERD.
  • Provide patients with a clinical diagnosis and provide appropriate follow-up evaluation, with referrals to clinical specialists when deem necessary.
  • Set up appointments.Billing and coding for emergency procedures (EKG).
  • Interpret diagnosis results and help in treatment of acute, chronic illnesses.
  • Advise patients about appropriate lifestyle modifications, preventative medicine, and recommend health screenings.
  • Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Family practice doctor vs general practice skills

Common family practice doctor skills
  • Patients, 34%
  • Family Medicine, 21%
  • Urgent Care, 8%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Internal Medicine, 5%
  • Outpatient Clinic, 3%
Common general practice skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Private Practice, 13%
  • Internal Medicine, 10%
  • Emergency Room, 6%
  • IV, 5%
  • Restorative Dentistry, 5%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs