Hospitalist physician vs family practice physician

The differences between hospitalist physicians and family practice 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 hospitalist physician and a family practice physician. Additionally, a hospitalist physician has an average salary of $246,629, which is higher than the $205,717 average annual salary of a family practice physician.

The top three skills for a hospitalist physician include patients, internal medicine and EMR. The most important skills for a family practice physician are patients, family practice, and primary care.

Hospitalist physician vs family practice physician overview

	Hospitalist Physician	Family Practice Physician
Yearly salary	$246,629	$205,717
Hourly rate	$118.57	$98.90
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	40,597	55,016
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a hospitalist physician do?

A Hospitalist Physician is responsible for examining, diagnosing, and treating hospitalized patients. They supervise communication with hospitalized patients, family members, and nurses, as well as handle problems, emergencies, and changes in situations rapidly.

What does a family practice physician do?

Family practice physicians provide comprehensive medical care services to each family member. These services may include disease diagnosis and treatment, family planning, and immunizations. They typically have undergone specialty training on the various primary care disciplines, including preventive care, pediatric medicine, and OB care. They are responsible for diagnosing and treating illnesses and medical conditions, providing routine health screenings, and advising patients on lifestyle changes to prevent diseases. Family practice physicians supervise physician assistants, medical assistants, and nurses and coordinate with occupational and rehabilitation therapists on a patient's behalf.

Hospitalist physician vs family practice physician salary

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

	Hospitalist Physician	Family Practice Physician
Average salary	$246,629	$205,717
Salary range	Between $167,000 And $362,000	Between $136,000 And $310,000
Highest paying City	Puyallup, WA	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	Alaska	North Dakota
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Central Ohio Primary Care
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between hospitalist physician and family practice physician education

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

	Hospitalist Physician	Family Practice Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Hospitalist physician vs family practice physician demographics

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

	Hospitalist Physician	Family Practice Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 53.8% Female, 46.2%	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.5% 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 hospitalist physician and family practice physician duties and responsibilities

Hospitalist physician example responsibilities.

Conduct vendor assessments with variety of EMR vendors to assure adherence with CMS standards.
Maintain CRM database of referring physicians, including their demographics, referral patterns and other relevant information.
Participate in a pilot program that utilize physician assistants to assist physicians with covering unassign patients on the hospital wards.
Perform EKG, monitoring & interpretation of EKG.
Coordinate with marketing, sales and CME departments to build cohesive community physician outreach program.
Organize and schedule physician to physician meetings, lunch and learn events, and CME programs.

Family practice physician example responsibilities.

Manage conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, asthma, and GERD.
Provide and perform x-rays and EKG upon doctor's request.
Perform EHR practice assessments and work and documentation flow analysis and redesign.
Review EHR on an as needed basis per missing information or documentation.
Review and help select EMR and transition providers and clinics to the new system.
Float to various departments such as the emergency room, ICU, and geriatric psych.

Hospitalist physician vs family practice physician skills

Common hospitalist physician skills

Patients, 37%
Internal Medicine, 17%
EMR, 17%
Acls, 4%
Surgery, 4%
Emergency Medicine, 4%

Common family practice physician skills

Patients, 22%
Family Practice, 19%
Primary Care, 14%
Urgent Care, 11%
EMR, 8%
Internal Medicine, 4%

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Hospitalist Physician
Hospitalist Physician vs Family Practice Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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