Geriatric physician vs physician

The differences between geriatric physicians and 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 physician. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, 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 physician are patients, surgery, and patient care.

Geriatric physician vs physician overview

	Geriatric Physician	Physician
Yearly salary	$210,898	$238,887
Hourly rate	$101.39	$114.85
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	38,498	46,489
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's 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 physician do?

Physicians' general responsibility is to check, diagnose, and treat a patient's condition to improve their overall wellness. A physician could be General Practitioners or Specialist Physicians, wherein General Practitioners are physicians who provide regular checkups for patients depending on their needs and refer them to a Specialist Physicians who are more skilled in a particular field of expertise for a thorough diagnosis. Physicians monitor a patient's medical history and ensure follow-up checkups to observe if the condition of a patient is changing over time. A physician may refer a patient to other health professionals for further examination as needed.

Geriatric physician vs physician salary

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

	Geriatric Physician	Physician
Average salary	$210,898	$238,887
Salary range	Between $104,000 And $423,000	Between $128,000 And $442,000
Highest paying City	Anderson, SC	Cleveland, TN
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Wisconsin
Best paying company	Freeman Health System	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between geriatric physician and physician education

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

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

Geriatric physician vs physician demographics

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

	Geriatric Physician	Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%
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, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between geriatric physician and 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.

Physician example responsibilities.

Manage catheters and dress wounds.
Maintain ACLS and BLS certifications.
Treat complicated oncology cases in ICU and emergency.
Schedule new, follow-up and diagnostic testing for cardiology patients.
Attend radiation oncology clinic for new patients beginning treatment as well as follow-ups for returning patients.
Schedule tests and procedures (including radiology, cardiology, and respiratory) utilizing the hospital and clinic computer systems.

Geriatric physician vs physician skills

Common geriatric physician skills

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

Common physician skills

Patients, 22%
Surgery, 8%
Patient Care, 7%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Primary Care, 6%
EMR, 6%

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Geriatric Physician
Geriatric Physician vs Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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