Geriatric physician vs family practice doctor

The differences between geriatric physicians and family practice doctors 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 practice doctor. Additionally, a geriatric physician has an average salary of $210,898, which is higher than the $187,028 average annual salary of a family practice doctor.

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

Geriatric physician vs family practice doctor overview

	Geriatric Physician	Family Practice Doctor
Yearly salary	$210,898	$187,028
Hourly rate	$101.39	$89.92
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	38,498	32,979
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 35%
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 practice doctor do?

Family practice doctors provide lifelong care for a patient and their family. They offer medical attention to all family members, educates patients on disease prevention, provide health maintenance, and ensure mental and emotional needs are met. They manage basic complaints, like colds or flus, and also treat chronic illnesses, like asthma, diabetes, or degenerative conditions. They provide ongoing personalized care. Doctors must be empathetic, professional, and knowledgeable.

Geriatric physician vs family practice doctor salary

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

	Geriatric Physician	Family Practice Doctor
Average salary	$210,898	$187,028
Salary range	Between $104,000 And $423,000	Between $101,000 And $345,000
Highest paying City	Anderson, SC	-
Highest paying state	North Dakota	-
Best paying company	Freeman Health System	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between geriatric physician and family practice doctor education

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

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

Geriatric physician vs family practice doctor demographics

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

	Geriatric Physician	Family Practice Doctor
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%	Male, 34.2% Female, 65.8%
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, 5.2% 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 geriatric physician and family practice doctor 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 practice doctor example responsibilities.

Manage conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, asthma, and GERD.
Provide patients with a clinical diagnosis and provide appropriate follow-up evaluation, with referrals to clinical specialists when deem necessary.
Set up appointments.Billing and coding for emergency procedures (EKG).
Interpret diagnosis results and help in treatment of acute, chronic illnesses.
Advise patients about appropriate lifestyle modifications, preventative medicine, and recommend health screenings.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service

Geriatric physician vs family practice doctor skills

Common geriatric physician skills

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

Common family practice doctor skills

Patients, 34%
Family Medicine, 21%
Urgent Care, 8%
Patient Care, 7%
Internal Medicine, 5%
Outpatient Clinic, 3%

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Geriatric Physician
Geriatric Physician vs Family Practice Doctor

Updated January 8, 2025

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