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General practitioner vs internal medicine physician

The differences between general practitioners and internal medicine physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a general practitioner, becoming an internal medicine physician takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an internal medicine physician has an average salary of $215,014, 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 internal medicine physician are patients, critical care, and epic.

General practitioner vs internal medicine physician overview

General PractitionerInternal Medicine Physician
Yearly salary$172,831$215,014
Hourly rate$83.09$103.37
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs64,69849,698
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Doctoral Degree, 38%
Average age4848
Years of experience46

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 internal medicine physician do?

An Internal Medicine Physician examines adult patients to ensure proper injury care and disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. They conduct and supervise direct patient care, and plan and execute disease prevention and health promotion programs.

General practitioner vs internal medicine physician salary

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

General PractitionerInternal Medicine Physician
Average salary$172,831$215,014
Salary rangeBetween $85,000 And $347,000Between $142,000 And $325,000
Highest paying CityOklahoma City, OKFargo, ND
Highest paying stateMississippiVermont
Best paying companyAltru Health SystemFreeman Health System
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between general practitioner and internal medicine physician education

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

General PractitionerInternal Medicine Physician
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 50%Doctoral Degree, 38%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

General practitioner vs internal medicine physician demographics

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

General PractitionerInternal Medicine Physician
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, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 19.2% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between general practitioner and internal 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.

Internal medicine physician example responsibilities.

  • Rotate in cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, nephrology, hematology, endocrinology, neurology and ICU.
  • Work in ICU, ER, surgery, OB/GYN, and internal medicine.
  • Lecture in the field of geriatrics.
  • Perform injections such as antibiotics, flu shots and hormones.
  • Assist in their surgery and take care of the post op needs.
  • Certify in BCLS, ACLS and also in majority of invasive procedures.
  • Show more

General practitioner vs internal medicine physician skills

Common general practitioner skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Outpatient Clinic, 5%
  • Emergency Room, 5%
  • Oral Surgery, 4%
Common internal medicine physician skills
  • Patients, 41%
  • Critical Care, 17%
  • Epic, 7%
  • Family Practice, 5%
  • Internal Medicine Practice, 3%
  • Medical Education, 2%

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