Geriatric physician vs primary care physician

The differences between geriatric physicians and primary 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 a primary care physician. Additionally, a primary care physician has an average salary of $214,843, 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 primary care physician are patients, internal medicine, and family practice.

Geriatric physician vs primary care physician overview

	Geriatric Physician	Primary Care Physician
Yearly salary	$210,898	$214,843
Hourly rate	$101.39	$103.29
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	38,498	130,606
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
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 primary care physician do?

A Primary Care Physician is responsible for providing regular medical care for their patients. They provide personal assistance, medical attention, and emotional support to others, such as coworkers, customers, and patients.

Geriatric physician vs primary care physician salary

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

	Geriatric Physician	Primary Care Physician
Average salary	$210,898	$214,843
Salary range	Between $104,000 And $423,000	Between $134,000 And $344,000
Highest paying City	Anderson, SC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	North Dakota
Best paying company	Freeman Health System	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between geriatric physician and primary care physician education

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

	Geriatric Physician	Primary Care Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Geriatric physician vs primary care physician demographics

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

	Geriatric Physician	Primary Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%
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, 5.2% 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 primary 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.

Primary care physician example responsibilities.

Full spectrum of family medicine, including obstetrics, pediatrics and inpatient medicine.
Maintain renewal for physicians' licenses, DEA certificates, ACLS certifications and CME records.
Attend ICU patient care rounds with the medical team.
Display technical proficiency in using NaturaeSoft electronic medical record (EMR).
Provide on-site, immediate response for all hospital emergencies following ACLS protocols.
Enter prescriptions on computer, giving injections, filing charting information in patient chart.

Geriatric physician vs primary care physician skills

Common geriatric physician skills

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

Common primary care physician skills

Patients, 25%
Internal Medicine, 14%
Family Practice, 11%
Urgent Care, 8%
Pediatrics, 7%
Patient Care, 6%

Geriatric Physician vs. similar jobs

Geriatric Physician related careers

Geriatric Physician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Geriatric Physician
Geriatric Physician vs Primary Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs