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Primary care physician vs acute care physician

The differences between primary care physicians and acute 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 primary care physician and an acute care physician. Additionally, an acute care physician has an average salary of $219,416, which is higher than the $214,843 average annual salary of a primary care physician.

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

Primary care physician vs acute care physician overview

Primary Care PhysicianAcute Care Physician
Yearly salary$214,843$219,416
Hourly rate$103.29$105.49
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs130,606118,621
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age4848
Years of experience44

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.

What does an acute care physician do?

An acute care physician is responsible for providing quality care services for the patients, diagnosing them, and administering medications. These physicians have the same duties as regular physicians, usually working for patients with a short-term illness or those patients recovered from medical conditions that require ongoing treatment and medications. Acute care physicians monitor patients' medical histories, scheduling follow-up checkups, as well as other procedures. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, and most importantly, the knowledge of the medical industry within their expertise.

Primary care physician vs acute care physician salary

Primary care physicians and acute care physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Primary Care PhysicianAcute Care Physician
Average salary$214,843$219,416
Salary rangeBetween $134,000 And $344,000Between $141,000 And $340,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WAGrand Forks, ND
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaVermont
Best paying companyAlameda Health SystemFreeman Health System
Best paying industryInsuranceNon Profits

Differences between primary care physician and acute care physician education

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

Primary Care PhysicianAcute Care Physician
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Primary care physician vs acute care physician demographics

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

Primary Care PhysicianAcute Care Physician
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 49.4% Female, 50.6%Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between primary care physician and acute care physician duties and responsibilities

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.
    • Show more

Acute care physician example responsibilities.

  • Gain experience managing patients with cardiopulmonary, post-surgical orthopedic, post-traumatic, and metabolic conditions
  • Pursue exposure to ICU, NICU and orthopedic surgery.
  • Evaluate and analyze patients' medical charts, physical and mental abilities to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
  • Collect patient's health information before having surgery.
  • Analyze procedures and diagnoses using ICD-9 & CPT codes.
  • Rotate in rheumatology, medicine, pediatrics, neurology.
    • Show more

Primary care physician vs acute care physician skills

Common primary care physician skills
  • Patients, 25%
  • Internal Medicine, 14%
  • Family Practice, 11%
  • Urgent Care, 8%
  • Pediatrics, 7%
  • Patient Care, 6%
Common acute care physician skills
  • Patients, 38%
  • Family Practice, 12%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Epic, 4%
  • Medical Care, 4%
  • ICU, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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