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General practitioner vs family practice doctor

The differences between general practitioners and family practice doctors 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 practice doctor. Additionally, a family practice doctor has an average salary of $187,028, 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 practice doctor are patients, family medicine, and urgent care.

General practitioner vs family practice doctor overview

General PractitionerFamily Practice Doctor
Yearly salary$172,831$187,028
Hourly rate$83.09$89.92
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs64,69832,979
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Doctoral Degree, 35%
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 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.

General practitioner vs family practice doctor salary

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

General PractitionerFamily Practice Doctor
Average salary$172,831$187,028
Salary rangeBetween $85,000 And $347,000Between $101,000 And $345,000
Highest paying CityOklahoma City, OK-
Highest paying stateMississippi-
Best paying companyAltru Health System-
Best paying industryHealth Care-

Differences between general practitioner and family practice doctor education

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

General PractitionerFamily Practice Doctor
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Doctoral Degree, 35%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

General practitioner vs family practice doctor demographics

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

General PractitionerFamily Practice Doctor
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 60.9% Female, 39.1%Male, 34.2% Female, 65.8%
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, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between general practitioner and family practice 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.

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 practitioner vs family practice doctor skills

Common general practitioner skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Outpatient Clinic, 5%
  • Emergency Room, 5%
  • Oral Surgery, 4%
Common family practice doctor skills
  • Patients, 34%
  • Family Medicine, 21%
  • Urgent Care, 8%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Internal Medicine, 5%
  • Outpatient Clinic, 3%

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