General practitioner vs primary care physician

The differences between general practitioners and primary care 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 primary care physician. Additionally, a primary care physician has an average salary of $214,843, 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 primary care physician are patients, internal medicine, and family practice.

General practitioner vs primary care physician overview

	General Practitioner	Primary Care Physician
Yearly salary	$172,831	$214,843
Hourly rate	$83.09	$103.29
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	64,698	130,606
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

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 primary care physician do?

A Primary Care Physician is responsible for providing regular medical care for their patients. They provide personal assistance, medical attention, and emotional support to others, such as coworkers, customers, and patients.

General practitioner vs primary care physician salary

General practitioners and primary care physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Practitioner	Primary Care Physician
Average salary	$172,831	$214,843
Salary range	Between $85,000 And $347,000	Between $134,000 And $344,000
Highest paying City	Oklahoma City, OK	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Mississippi	North Dakota
Best paying company	Altru Health System	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between general practitioner and primary care physician education

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

	General Practitioner	Primary Care Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

General practitioner vs primary care physician demographics

Here are the differences between general practitioners' and primary care physicians' demographics:

	General Practitioner	Primary Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%
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, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between general practitioner and primary care 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.

Primary care physician example responsibilities.

Full spectrum of family medicine, including obstetrics, pediatrics and inpatient medicine.
Maintain renewal for physicians' licenses, DEA certificates, ACLS certifications and CME records.
Attend ICU patient care rounds with the medical team.
Display technical proficiency in using NaturaeSoft electronic medical record (EMR).
Provide on-site, immediate response for all hospital emergencies following ACLS protocols.
Enter prescriptions on computer, giving injections, filing charting information in patient chart.

General practitioner vs primary care physician skills

Common general practitioner skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 7%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Outpatient Clinic, 5%
Emergency Room, 5%
Oral Surgery, 4%

Common primary care physician skills

Patients, 25%
Internal Medicine, 14%
Family Practice, 11%
Urgent Care, 8%
Pediatrics, 7%
Patient Care, 6%

General Practitioner vs. similar jobs

General Practitioner related careers

General Practitioner related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
General Practitioner
General Practitioner vs Primary Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs