Physician vs family practice doctor

The differences between 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 physician and a family practice doctor. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $187,028 average annual salary of a family practice doctor.

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

Physician vs family practice doctor overview

	Physician	Family Practice Doctor
Yearly salary	$238,887	$187,028
Hourly rate	$114.85	$89.92
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	46,489	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 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.

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.

Physician vs family practice doctor salary

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

	Physician	Family Practice Doctor
Average salary	$238,887	$187,028
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $442,000	Between $101,000 And $345,000
Highest paying City	Cleveland, TN	-
Highest paying state	Wisconsin	-
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between physician and family practice doctor education

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

	Physician	Family Practice Doctor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 35%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Physician vs family practice doctor demographics

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

	Physician	Family Practice Doctor
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 34.2% Female, 65.8%
Race ratio	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%	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 physician and family practice doctor duties and responsibilities

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.

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

Physician vs family practice doctor skills

Common physician skills

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

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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Physician vs Family Practice Doctor

Updated January 8, 2025

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