Geriatric physician vs family medicine physician

The differences between geriatric physicians and family medicine 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 a family medicine physician. Additionally, a family medicine physician has an average salary of $217,942, 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 a family medicine physician are patients, primary care, and urgent care.

Geriatric physician vs family medicine physician overview

	Geriatric Physician	Family Medicine Physician
Yearly salary	$210,898	$217,942
Hourly rate	$101.39	$104.78
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	38,498	73,309
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 44%
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 a family medicine physician do?

A Family Medicine Physician provides medical services for members of families through the use of various medical instruments and equipment. They administer treatments and prescribe various medications.

Geriatric physician vs family medicine physician salary

Geriatric physicians and family medicine physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Geriatric Physician	Family Medicine Physician
Average salary	$210,898	$217,942
Salary range	Between $104,000 And $423,000	Between $141,000 And $336,000
Highest paying City	Anderson, SC	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Vermont
Best paying company	Freeman Health System	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between geriatric physician and family medicine physician education

There are a few differences between a geriatric physician and a family medicine physician in terms of educational background:

	Geriatric Physician	Family Medicine Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 44%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Geriatric physician vs family medicine physician demographics

Here are the differences between geriatric physicians' and family medicine physicians' demographics:

	Geriatric Physician	Family Medicine Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%	Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%
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 family medicine 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.

Family medicine physician example responsibilities.

Obtain information about clients' medical history, drug history, complaints and allergies.
Implement integrated practice management and EHR system.
Perform EKG's, glucose, A1C, and urine testing.
Send referrals, enter referrals in epic system.
Perform clinical evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of outpatients
Assist ATC's with first aid, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries.

Geriatric physician vs family medicine physician skills

Common geriatric physician skills

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

Common family medicine physician skills

Patients, 34%
Primary Care, 20%
Urgent Care, 14%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Health System, 5%
Surgery, 3%

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Geriatric Physician
Geriatric Physician vs Family Medicine Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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