General practitioner vs acute care physician

The differences between general practitioners and acute care physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a general practitioner and an acute care physician. Additionally, an acute care physician has an average salary of $219,416, which is higher than the $172,831 average annual salary of a general practitioner.

The top three skills for a general practitioner include patients, diagnosis and internal medicine. The most important skills for an acute care physician are patients, family practice, and internal medicine.

General practitioner vs acute care physician overview

	General Practitioner	Acute Care Physician
Yearly salary	$172,831	$219,416
Hourly rate	$83.09	$105.49
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	64,698	118,621
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a general practitioner do?

A General Practitioner provides primary and continuing medical care for patients within their community. They are responsible for diagnosing patients, checking patients results, and providing treatment as required.

What does an acute care physician do?

An acute care physician is responsible for providing quality care services for the patients, diagnosing them, and administering medications. These physicians have the same duties as regular physicians, usually working for patients with a short-term illness or those patients recovered from medical conditions that require ongoing treatment and medications. Acute care physicians monitor patients' medical histories, scheduling follow-up checkups, as well as other procedures. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, and most importantly, the knowledge of the medical industry within their expertise.

General practitioner vs acute care physician salary

General practitioners and acute care physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Practitioner	Acute Care Physician
Average salary	$172,831	$219,416
Salary range	Between $85,000 And $347,000	Between $141,000 And $340,000
Highest paying City	Oklahoma City, OK	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	Mississippi	Vermont
Best paying company	Altru Health System	Freeman Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Non Profits

Differences between general practitioner and acute care physician education

There are a few differences between a general practitioner and an acute care physician in terms of educational background:

	General Practitioner	Acute Care Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

General practitioner vs acute care physician demographics

Here are the differences between general practitioners' and acute care physicians' demographics:

	General Practitioner	Acute Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between general practitioner and acute care physician duties and responsibilities

General practitioner example responsibilities.

Shadow and note specific medical cases as well as participated in patient diagnosis and treatment plan discussions
Evaluate a variety of medical conditions and afflictions, including making comprehensive diagnosis and specifying treatment plans.
Serve as initial contact to hospital patients; conduct thorough patient assessments and coordinate referrals to appropriate physicians base on findings
Assist in major elective and emergency surgeries such as appendectomies, exploratory laparotomy, thyroid surgery, hysterectomy and cesarean operations.
Collect and dispatch blood samples according to national malaria eradication and sputum samples for national tuberculosis control program.

Acute care physician example responsibilities.

Gain experience managing patients with cardiopulmonary, post-surgical orthopedic, post-traumatic, and metabolic conditions
Pursue exposure to ICU, NICU and orthopedic surgery.
Evaluate and analyze patients' medical charts, physical and mental abilities to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
Collect patient's health information before having surgery.
Analyze procedures and diagnoses using ICD-9 & CPT codes.
Rotate in rheumatology, medicine, pediatrics, neurology.

General practitioner vs acute care physician skills

Common general practitioner skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 7%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Outpatient Clinic, 5%
Emergency Room, 5%
Oral Surgery, 4%

Common acute care physician skills

Patients, 38%
Family Practice, 12%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Epic, 4%
Medical Care, 4%
ICU, 3%

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General Practitioner vs Acute Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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