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General practitioner vs doctor

The differences between general practitioners and doctors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a doctor has an average salary of $208,582, 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 a doctor are patients, customer service, and emergency medicine.

General practitioner vs doctor overview

General PractitionerDoctor
Yearly salary$172,831$208,582
Hourly rate$83.09$100.28
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs64,69814,571
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age4848
Years of experience4-

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 a doctor do?

A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.

General practitioner vs doctor salary

General practitioners and doctors have different pay scales, as shown below.

General PractitionerDoctor
Average salary$172,831$208,582
Salary rangeBetween $85,000 And $347,000Between $106,000 And $408,000
Highest paying CityOklahoma City, OKGreen Bay, WI
Highest paying stateMississippiOhio
Best paying companyAltru Health SystemSaint Luke's Health System
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between general practitioner and doctor education

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

General PractitionerDoctor
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

General practitioner vs doctor demographics

Here are the differences between general practitioners' and doctors' demographics:

General PractitionerDoctor
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 60.9% Female, 39.1%Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.6% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between general practitioner and doctor 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.

Doctor example responsibilities.

  • Manage conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, asthma, and GERD.
  • Develop personalize treatment plans, rehabilitation plans, exercise plans, report of findings, nutritional plans and narrative reports.
  • Perform patient x-rays, provide MRI consultations.
  • Perform x-rays of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.
  • Hire, train, educate and monitor staff in HIPPA policies and procedures.
  • Create, update, and maintain confidential patient EHRs in compliance with all HIPAA laws and regulations.
  • Show more

General practitioner vs doctor skills

Common general practitioner skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Outpatient Clinic, 5%
  • Emergency Room, 5%
  • Oral Surgery, 4%
Common doctor skills
  • Patients, 33%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Emergency Medicine, 5%
  • Surgery, 5%
  • DR, 4%
  • Cleanliness, 3%

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