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General practitioner vs family medicine physician

The differences between general practitioners and family medicine 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 a family medicine physician. Additionally, a family medicine physician has an average salary of $217,942, 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 family medicine physician are patients, primary care, and urgent care.

General practitioner vs family medicine physician overview

General PractitionerFamily Medicine Physician
Yearly salary$172,831$217,942
Hourly rate$83.09$104.78
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs64,69873,309
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Doctoral Degree, 44%
Average age4848
Years of experience44

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 family medicine physician do?

A Family Medicine Physician provides medical services for members of families through the use of various medical instruments and equipment. They administer treatments and prescribe various medications.

General practitioner vs family medicine physician salary

General practitioners and family medicine physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

General PractitionerFamily Medicine Physician
Average salary$172,831$217,942
Salary rangeBetween $85,000 And $347,000Between $141,000 And $336,000
Highest paying CityOklahoma City, OKFargo, ND
Highest paying stateMississippiVermont
Best paying companyAltru Health SystemYuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between general practitioner and family medicine physician education

There are a few differences between a general practitioner and a family medicine physician in terms of educational background:

General PractitionerFamily Medicine Physician
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Doctoral Degree, 44%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

General practitioner vs family medicine physician demographics

Here are the differences between general practitioners' and family medicine physicians' demographics:

General PractitionerFamily Medicine Physician
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 60.9% Female, 39.1%Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%
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, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between general practitioner and family medicine 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.

Family medicine physician example responsibilities.

  • Obtain information about clients' medical history, drug history, complaints and allergies.
  • Implement integrated practice management and EHR system.
  • Perform EKG's, glucose, A1C, and urine testing.
  • Send referrals, enter referrals in epic system.
  • Perform clinical evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of outpatients
  • Assist ATC's with first aid, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries.
  • Show more

General practitioner vs family medicine physician skills

Common general practitioner skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Outpatient Clinic, 5%
  • Emergency Room, 5%
  • Oral Surgery, 4%
Common family medicine physician skills
  • Patients, 34%
  • Primary Care, 20%
  • Urgent Care, 14%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Health System, 5%
  • Surgery, 3%

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