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.
Geriatric physician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real geriatric physician resumes:
- 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.
Geriatric physician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 30% of Geriatric Physicians are proficient in Patient Care, EMR, and Nursing Home. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Geriatric Physicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patient Care, 30%
Provided and managed direct patient care including physical examination, evaluation, assessment and treatment of children with immunological diseases.
- EMR, 28%
Maintain accurate EMR documentation of all services given to patient under strict confidentiality.
- Nursing Home, 22%
Carried patient caseload of 25-40 within short-term rehabilitative and long-term maintenance care programs in 250-bed nursing home.
- Medical Care, 8%
Assisted this organization in achieving level 2 of meaningful use in using electronic medical records to establish patient-centered medical care.
- Epic, 8%
Monitor and revise calendars for the Director of Medical Staff and Harrison's Provider Clinical Educator for EPIC training.
- Private Practice, 2%
Solo Private Practice; General Obstetrics-Gynecology; inpatient and outpatient services
Common skills that a geriatric physician uses to do their job include "patient care," "emr," and "nursing home." You can find details on the most important geriatric physician responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a geriatric physician to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Geriatric physicians often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "communicate laboratory test results and surgeon s instructions to patient, and obtain insurance carriers following extensive communication of patient histories. "
Compassion. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling geriatric physician duties is compassion. The role rewards competence in this skill because "patients who are sick or injured may be in extreme pain or distress." According to a geriatric physician resume, here's how geriatric physicians can utilize compassion in their job responsibilities: "foster cheerful, positive outlook and provide compassionate response to patients' emotional needs. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of geriatric physicians is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday geriatric physician duties, as "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "take detailed patient history, notes and triage upon admission. "
Dexterity. geriatric physician responsibilities often require "dexterity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "physicians and surgeons may work with very precise and sometimes sharp tools, and mistakes can have serious consequences." This resume example shows what geriatric physicians do with dexterity on a typical day: "help move / lift patients with limited mobility to chair, bed. "
Leadership skills. Another common skill required for geriatric physician responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of geriatric physicians all the time, as "physicians who work in their own practice must manage a staff of other professionals." An excerpt from a real geriatric physician resume shows how this skill is central to what a geriatric physician does: "assisted nursing leadership with icu and telemetry bed triage at times of high census. "
Physical stamina. While "physical stamina" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to geriatric physician responsibilities. Much of what a geriatric physician does relies on this skill, seeing as "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of geriatric physicians: "ensured regulatory compliance for all procedures by reviewing patients' medical histories, medication allergies, and physical conditions. "
The three companies that hire the most geriatric physicians are:
- Integrity Locums93 geriatric physicians jobs
- Provider Solutions & Development5 geriatric physicians jobs
- Fallon Health4 geriatric physicians jobs
Compare different geriatric physicians
Geriatric physician vs. Chiropractor, sole practitioner
Family practitioners are medical professionals who are responsible for providing care for an entire family in small and rural communities. By using their knowledge in the medical profession, these doctors are required to diagnose and treat a variety of medical issues while referring patients to an appropriate specialist if medical problems are outside their range of practice. They must participate in well-care visits with their patients to monitor the development of their health as well as perform routine tests such as cholesterol tests and blood pressure readings. Family practitioners must also help women give birth to a child.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between geriatric physicians and chiropractor, sole practitioner. For instance, geriatric physician responsibilities require skills such as "patient care," "emr," "nursing home," and "medical care." Whereas a chiropractor, sole practitioner is skilled in "litigation," "real estate transactions," "probate," and "bench trials." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that chiropractors, sole practitioner earn slightly differ from geriatric physicians. In particular, chiropractors, sole practitioner are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a geriatric physician. Additionally, they're 14.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Geriatric physician vs. Family practitioner
A Medical Doctor, also known as a physician, is a healthcare professional who diagnoses and treats patients from injuries and illnesses. As a Medical Doctor, your day-to-day duties will typically include assessing a patient's symptoms, prescribing and administering treatment to patients, and providing follow-up medical care to patients. You will be responsible for interpreting patients' laboratory results and referring them to other providers when needed. Also, you will need to work closely with other healthcare professionals and promote health education.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real geriatric physician resumes. While geriatric physician responsibilities can utilize skills like "patient care," "emr," "epic," and "phone calls," family practitioners use skills like "family medicine," "patients," "family practice," and "internal medicine."
Family practitioners may earn a lower salary than geriatric physicians, but family practitioners earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $159,527. On the other hand, geriatric physicians receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $186,184.In general, family practitioners achieve higher levels of education than geriatric physicians. They're 11.7% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 14.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Geriatric physician vs. Medical doctor
A family practice MD is responsible for monitoring and diagnosing patients' conditions of all ages. Family practice MDs identify the patients' medical histories and administer treatment plans and medications. They also coordinate with other medical professionals for further laboratory examinations. A family practice MD must have excellent communication and extensive knowledge of the medical industry to identify the best treatment methods for the patients. Family practice MDs keep an organized record of medical charts for reference and reports.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a geriatric physician is likely to be skilled in "nursing home," "epic," "private practice," and "phone calls," while a typical medical doctor is skilled in "patients," "internal medicine," "primary care," and "diagnosis."
Medical doctors make a very good living in the transportation industry with an average annual salary of $180,010. On the other hand, geriatric physicians are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $186,184.When it comes to education, medical doctors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to geriatric physicians. In fact, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 20.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Geriatric physician vs. Family practice md
Types of geriatric physician
Updated January 8, 2025
