Staff physician vs primary care physician

The differences between staff 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 staff physician and a primary care physician. Additionally, a staff physician has an average salary of $216,755, which is higher than the $214,843 average annual salary of a primary care physician.

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

Staff physician vs primary care physician overview

	Staff Physician	Primary Care Physician
Yearly salary	$216,755	$214,843
Hourly rate	$104.21	$103.29
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	107,732	130,606
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

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 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.

Staff physician vs primary care physician salary

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

	Staff Physician	Primary Care Physician
Average salary	$216,755	$214,843
Salary range	Between $136,000 And $344,000	Between $134,000 And $344,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	North Dakota
Best paying company	Scripps Health	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between staff physician and primary care physician education

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

	Staff Physician	Primary Care Physician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Doctoral Degree, 40%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Staff physician vs primary care physician demographics

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

	Staff Physician	Primary Care Physician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%
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, 5.2% 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 staff physician and primary care physician 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

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.

Staff physician vs primary care physician skills

Common staff physician skills

Patients, 28%
Surgery, 10%
Internal Medicine, 7%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Primary Care, 7%
Veterans, 5%

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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Staff Physician
Staff Physician vs Primary Care Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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