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The differences between general practitioners and nurse practitioners 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 a nurse practitioner takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a general practitioner has an average salary of $172,831, which is higher than the $100,033 average annual salary of a nurse practitioner.
The top three skills for a general practitioner include patients, diagnosis and internal medicine. The most important skills for a nurse practitioner are patients, diagnosis, and home health.
| General Practitioner | Nurse Practitioner | |
| Yearly salary | $172,831 | $100,033 |
| Hourly rate | $83.09 | $48.09 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 40% |
| Number of jobs | 64,698 | 27,912 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2.67 |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 50% | Master's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
A nurse practitioner's role is diverse. It revolves around supervising nurses in a particular area and providing immediate care and treatment to patients through extensive knowledge and clinical experience. Among the duties of a nurse practitioner involves diagnosing and treating medical conditions, performing research and analysis through various tests, evaluating data and results, operating different kinds of medical equipment, and gathering samples from patients. Furthermore, a nurse practitioner must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among fellow health workers in a hospital or clinic.
General practitioners and nurse practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Practitioner | Nurse Practitioner | |
| Average salary | $172,831 | $100,033 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $347,000 | Between $62,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oklahoma City, OK | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Mississippi | California |
| Best paying company | Altru Health System | Pace University |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a general practitioner and a nurse practitioner in terms of educational background:
| General Practitioner | Nurse Practitioner | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 50% | Master's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Medicine | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between general practitioners' and nurse practitioners' demographics:
| General Practitioner | Nurse Practitioner | |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1% | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 12% |