Physician vs primary care physician

The differences between 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 physician and a primary care physician. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $214,843 average annual salary of a primary care physician.

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

Physician vs primary care physician overview

	Physician	Primary Care Physician
Yearly salary	$238,887	$214,843
Hourly rate	$114.85	$103.29
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	46,489	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 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 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.

Physician vs primary care physician salary

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

	Physician	Primary Care Physician
Average salary	$238,887	$214,843
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $442,000	Between $134,000 And $344,000
Highest paying City	Cleveland, TN	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Wisconsin	North Dakota
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between physician and primary care physician education

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

	Physician	Primary Care Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Physician vs primary care physician demographics

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

	Physician	Primary Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%
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 primary care physician 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.

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.

Physician vs primary care physician skills

Common physician skills

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

Common primary care physician skills

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

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Physician vs Primary Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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