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Primary care physician vs primary care provider

The differences between primary care physicians and primary care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a primary care physician has an average salary of $214,843, which is higher than the $35,422 average annual salary of a primary care provider.

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

Primary care physician vs primary care provider overview

Primary Care PhysicianPrimary Care Provider
Yearly salary$214,843$35,422
Hourly rate$103.29$17.03
Growth rate7%36%
Number of jobs130,606103,863
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age4848
Years of experience4-

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 a primary care provider do?

Primary Care Providers, also known as general practitioners instead of specialists, are doctors trained to be the first point of contact for a patient entering the health care system. They diagnose, treat, and prevent a broad range of injuries and illnesses from allergies and colds to longer-term conditions such as Diabetes Mellitus. Their duties include performing lab tests to identify a condition, prescribing medications, checking for drug interactions, provide wound care, executing spirometry tests and electrocardiograms, and coordinating specialist care for your condition. A Primary Care Provider will also help create self-care plans prescribing a certain diet and recommending exercise routines.

Primary care physician vs primary care provider salary

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

Primary Care PhysicianPrimary Care Provider
Average salary$214,843$35,422
Salary rangeBetween $134,000 And $344,000Between $21,000 And $58,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASanta Rosa, CA
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaConnecticut
Best paying companyAlameda Health SystemAstraZeneca
Best paying industryInsurance-

Differences between primary care physician and primary care provider education

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

Primary Care PhysicianPrimary Care Provider
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorMedicineNursing
Most common collegeDuke University-

Primary care physician vs primary care provider demographics

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

Primary Care PhysicianPrimary Care Provider
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 49.4% Female, 50.6%Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 9.7% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage13%7%

Differences between primary care physician and primary care provider 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

Primary care provider example responsibilities.

  • Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
  • Work alongside ABA therapists to continue to apply appropriate behavioral techniques.
  • Examine patients and carefully analyze test results and information gather during examinations to properly diagnose illnesses and diseases.
  • Used strong oral and written communications skills to develop and maintain effective relationships with patients, co-workers and international medical professionals.
  • Provide caring companionship to developmentally disabled/elderly residents.
  • Assist with toileting, including bedpans, urinals and commode chairs.
    • Show more

Primary care physician vs primary care provider skills

Common primary care physician skills
  • Patients, 25%
  • Internal Medicine, 14%
  • Family Practice, 11%
  • Urgent Care, 8%
  • Pediatrics, 7%
  • Patient Care, 6%
Common primary care provider skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • Internal Medicine, 13%
  • Family Practice, 12%
  • Patient Care, 11%
  • Urgent Care, 10%
  • NP, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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