Post job

Staff physician vs family practitioner

The differences between staff physicians and family 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 staff physician and a family practitioner. Additionally, a staff physician has an average salary of $216,755, which is higher than the $180,399 average annual salary of a family practitioner.

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

Staff physician vs family practitioner overview

Staff PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Yearly salary$216,755$180,399
Hourly rate$104.21$86.73
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs107,73250,599
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 38%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age4848
Years of experience44

What does a staff physician do?

A Staff Physician oversees and directs the work of physicians and mid-level practitioners, and assists in internal quality control audits. They are also responsible for making diagnoses and prescribing specialized treatment plans.

What does a family practitioner do?

Family practitioners are medical professionals who are responsible for providing care for an entire family in small and rural communities. By using their knowledge in the medical profession, these doctors are required to diagnose and treat a variety of medical issues while referring patients to an appropriate specialist if medical problems are outside their range of practice. They must participate in well-care visits with their patients to monitor the development of their health as well as perform routine tests such as cholesterol tests and blood pressure readings. Family practitioners must also help women give birth to a child.

Staff physician vs family practitioner salary

Staff physicians and family practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Average salary$216,755$180,399
Salary rangeBetween $136,000 And $344,000Between $90,000 And $359,000
Highest paying CityMinneapolis, MNPhiladelphia, PA
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaFlorida
Best paying companyScripps HealthPeaceHealth
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between staff physician and family practitioner education

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

Staff PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 38%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorMedicineMedicine
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Staff physician vs family practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between staff physicians' and family practitioners' demographics:

Staff PhysicianFamily Practitioner
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 57.8% Female, 42.2%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, 9.9% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between staff physician and family practitioner duties and responsibilities

Staff physician example responsibilities.

  • Initiate new treatment protocols for managing complex patients with co-morbid psychiatric and medical illnesses.
  • Read x-ray & ekg till refer to specialist.
  • Serve as a junior house physician in the pediatrics and neonatology intensive care unit.
  • Assist and independently place hem dialysis catheter.
  • Initial medical evaluation and medical management of patients receiving medication assist therapy for chemical dependency.
  • Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
  • Show more

Family practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Manage family health problems, examine patients, perform physical examination.
  • Manage conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, asthma, and GERD.
  • Provide examination, testing, diagnosis, treatment, referral and follow- up care for newborn through geriatrics.
  • Provide residential care and emergency medical treatment to incapacitate elderly patients
  • Operate electrocardiogram equipment to administer diagnostic testing (EKG).
  • Ensure patient and family understanding of diagnosis treatment and all accompanying relevant information.
  • Show more

Staff physician vs family practitioner skills

Common staff physician skills
  • Patients, 28%
  • Surgery, 10%
  • Internal Medicine, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 7%
  • Primary Care, 7%
  • Veterans, 5%
Common family practitioner skills
  • Family Medicine, 32%
  • Patients, 25%
  • Family Practice, 12%
  • Internal Medicine, 8%
  • Urgent Care, 7%
  • Pediatrics, 6%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs