Geriatric physician vs acute care physician

The differences between geriatric physicians and acute 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 geriatric physician and an acute care physician. Additionally, an acute care physician has an average salary of $219,416, which is higher than the $210,898 average annual salary of a geriatric physician.

The top three skills for a geriatric physician include patient care, EMR and nursing home. The most important skills for an acute care physician are patients, family practice, and internal medicine.

Geriatric physician vs acute care physician overview

	Geriatric Physician	Acute Care Physician
Yearly salary	$210,898	$219,416
Hourly rate	$101.39	$105.49
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	38,498	118,621
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a geriatric physician do?

A geriatric physician is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disease ailments in elderly patients. To be precise, they are a primary care doctor specially trained in the aging process. They may be required to plan the successful transfers of patients from the hospital, educate patients on how they can stay active and healthy, and ensure patients are up to date with necessary health tips.

What does an acute care physician do?

An acute care physician is responsible for providing quality care services for the patients, diagnosing them, and administering medications. These physicians have the same duties as regular physicians, usually working for patients with a short-term illness or those patients recovered from medical conditions that require ongoing treatment and medications. Acute care physicians monitor patients' medical histories, scheduling follow-up checkups, as well as other procedures. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, and most importantly, the knowledge of the medical industry within their expertise.

Geriatric physician vs acute care physician salary

Geriatric physicians and acute care physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Geriatric Physician	Acute Care Physician
Average salary	$210,898	$219,416
Salary range	Between $104,000 And $423,000	Between $141,000 And $340,000
Highest paying City	Anderson, SC	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Vermont
Best paying company	Freeman Health System	Freeman Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Non Profits

Differences between geriatric physician and acute care physician education

There are a few differences between a geriatric physician and an acute care physician in terms of educational background:

	Geriatric Physician	Acute Care Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Geriatric physician vs acute care physician demographics

Here are the differences between geriatric physicians' and acute care physicians' demographics:

	Geriatric Physician	Acute Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 20.4% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between geriatric physician and acute care physician duties and responsibilities

Geriatric physician example responsibilities.

Initiate new treatment protocols for managing complex patients with co-morbid psychiatric and medical illnesses.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Assist physician with minor office surgeries and other various procedures ECG's and immunizations.

Acute care physician example responsibilities.

Gain experience managing patients with cardiopulmonary, post-surgical orthopedic, post-traumatic, and metabolic conditions
Pursue exposure to ICU, NICU and orthopedic surgery.
Evaluate and analyze patients' medical charts, physical and mental abilities to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
Collect patient's health information before having surgery.
Analyze procedures and diagnoses using ICD-9 & CPT codes.
Rotate in rheumatology, medicine, pediatrics, neurology.

Geriatric physician vs acute care physician skills

Common geriatric physician skills

Patient Care, 30%
EMR, 28%
Nursing Home, 22%
Medical Care, 8%
Epic, 8%
Private Practice, 2%

Common acute care physician skills

Patients, 38%
Family Practice, 12%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Epic, 4%
Medical Care, 4%
ICU, 3%

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Geriatric Physician
Geriatric Physician vs Acute Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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