Physician vs general practitioner

The differences between physicians and general practitioners 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 general practitioner. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $172,831 average annual salary of a general practitioner.

The top three skills for a physician include patients, surgery and patient care. The most important skills for a general practitioner are patients, diagnosis, and internal medicine.

Physician vs general practitioner overview

	Physician	General Practitioner
Yearly salary	$238,887	$172,831
Hourly rate	$114.85	$83.09
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	46,489	64,698
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 50%
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 general practitioner do?

A General Practitioner provides primary and continuing medical care for patients within their community. They are responsible for diagnosing patients, checking patients results, and providing treatment as required.

Physician vs general practitioner salary

Physicians and general practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician	General Practitioner
Average salary	$238,887	$172,831
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $442,000	Between $85,000 And $347,000
Highest paying City	Cleveland, TN	Oklahoma City, OK
Highest paying state	Wisconsin	Mississippi
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Altru Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between physician and general practitioner education

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

	Physician	General Practitioner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 50%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Physician vs general practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between physicians' and general practitioners' demographics:

	Physician	General Practitioner
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%
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, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between physician and general practitioner 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.

General practitioner example responsibilities.

Shadow and note specific medical cases as well as participated in patient diagnosis and treatment plan discussions
Evaluate a variety of medical conditions and afflictions, including making comprehensive diagnosis and specifying treatment plans.
Serve as initial contact to hospital patients; conduct thorough patient assessments and coordinate referrals to appropriate physicians base on findings
Assist in major elective and emergency surgeries such as appendectomies, exploratory laparotomy, thyroid surgery, hysterectomy and cesarean operations.
Collect and dispatch blood samples according to national malaria eradication and sputum samples for national tuberculosis control program.

Physician vs general practitioner skills

Common physician skills

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

Common general practitioner skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 7%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Outpatient Clinic, 5%
Emergency Room, 5%
Oral Surgery, 4%

Physician vs. similar jobs

Physician related careers

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Physician jobs by location

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Physician vs General Practitioner

Updated January 8, 2025

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