General practitioner vs staff physician

The differences between general practitioners and staff 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 staff physician. Additionally, a staff physician has an average salary of $216,755, 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 staff physician are patients, surgery, and internal medicine.

General practitioner vs staff physician overview

	General Practitioner	Staff Physician
Yearly salary	$172,831	$216,755
Hourly rate	$83.09	$104.21
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	64,698	107,732
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Doctoral Degree, 38%
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 staff physician do?

A Staff Physician oversees and directs the work of physicians and mid-level practitioners, and assists in internal quality control audits. They are also responsible for making diagnoses and prescribing specialized treatment plans.

General practitioner vs staff physician salary

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

	General Practitioner	Staff Physician
Average salary	$172,831	$216,755
Salary range	Between $85,000 And $347,000	Between $136,000 And $344,000
Highest paying City	Oklahoma City, OK	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Mississippi	North Dakota
Best paying company	Altru Health System	Scripps Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between general practitioner and staff physician education

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

	General Practitioner	Staff Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Doctoral Degree, 38%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

General practitioner vs staff physician demographics

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

	General Practitioner	Staff Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%
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 staff 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.

Staff physician example responsibilities.

Initiate new treatment protocols for managing complex patients with co-morbid psychiatric and medical illnesses.
Read x-ray & ekg till refer to specialist.
Serve as a junior house physician in the pediatrics and neonatology intensive care unit.
Assist and independently place hem dialysis catheter.
Initial medical evaluation and medical management of patients receiving medication assist therapy for chemical dependency.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service

General practitioner vs staff physician skills

Common general practitioner skills

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

Common staff physician skills

Patients, 28%
Surgery, 10%
Internal Medicine, 7%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Primary Care, 7%
Veterans, 5%

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 Staff Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs