Primary care physician vs internist

The differences between primary care physicians and internists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a primary care physician, becoming an internist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an internist has an average salary of $223,415, 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 internist are patients, primary care, and EMR.

Primary care physician vs internist overview

	Primary Care Physician	Internist
Yearly salary	$214,843	$223,415
Hourly rate	$103.29	$107.41
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	130,606	31,659
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	6

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 internist do?

An internist is a physician of internal medicine whose primary duty is to diagnose and treat different illnesses and injuries. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial assessment and examination, reviewing medical records and histories, providing consultations, prescribing medicines, and coordinating with different health care workers to ensure optimal care and service to patients. Moreover, it is essential to discuss and explain conditions to patients or their families, monitor their condition, provide health care advice, and refer them to any specialists or support services as needed.

Primary care physician vs internist salary

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

	Primary Care Physician	Internist
Average salary	$214,843	$223,415
Salary range	Between $134,000 And $344,000	Between $120,000 And $415,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Springfield, OH
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Alaska
Best paying company	Alameda Health System	Central Ohio Primary Care
Best paying industry	Insurance	Health Care

Differences between primary care physician and internist education

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

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

Primary care physician vs internist demographics

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

	Primary Care Physician	Internist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%	Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between primary care physician and internist 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.

Internist example responsibilities.

Train and manage new interns/ volunteers assisting with the evidence-based hypertension management program.
Implement EMR solely in a huge practice.
Evaluate health education needs of patients and provide necessary training and instruction.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Perform uncomplicated surgical extractions, bone grafting and suturing as needed independently.
Provide physiotherapy, rehabilitation and chiropractic treatment for various conditions and injuries.

Primary care physician vs internist skills

Common primary care physician skills

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

Common internist skills

Patients, 30%
Primary Care, 13%
EMR, 7%
Critical Care, 6%
Private Practice, 6%
Rehabilitation, 5%

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Primary Care Physician vs Internist

Updated January 8, 2025

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