Family Practitioner Vs Internist

The differences between family practitioners 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 family practitioner, becoming an internist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an internist has an average salary of $223,415, which is higher than the $180,399 average annual salary of a family practitioner.

The top three skills for a family practitioner include family medicine, patients and family practice. The most important skills for an internist are patients, primary care, and EMR.

Family practitioner vs internist overview

Family PractitionerInternist
Yearly Salary$180,399$223,415
Hourly rate$86.73$107.41
Growth Rate7%7%
Number Of Jobs50,59931,659
Job Satisfaction--
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average Age4848
Years Of Experience46

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.

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.

Family practitioner vs internist salary

Family practitioners and internists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Family PractitionerInternist
Average Salary$180,399$223,415
Salary RangeBetween $90,000 And $359,000Between $120,000 And $415,000
Highest Paying CityPhiladelphia, PASpringfield, OH
Highest Paying StateFloridaAlaska
Best Paying CompanyPeaceHealthCentral Ohio Primary Care
Best Paying IndustryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between family practitioner and internist education

There are a few differences between a family practitioner and an internist in terms of educational background:

Family PractitionerInternist
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most Common MajorMedicineMedicine
Most Common CollegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Virginia

Family practitioner vs internist demographics

Here are the differences between family practitioners' and internists' demographics:

Family PractitionerInternist
Average Age4848
Gender RatioMale, 40.1% Female, 59.9%Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7%
Race RatioBlack 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%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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between family practitioner and internist duties and responsibilities

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.
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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.
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Family practitioner vs internist skills

Common Family Practitioner Skills
  • Family Medicine, 32%
  • Patients, 25%
  • Family Practice, 12%
  • Internal Medicine, 8%
  • Urgent Care, 7%
  • Pediatrics, 6%
Common Internist Skills
  • Patients, 30%
  • Primary Care, 13%
  • EMR, 7%
  • Critical Care, 6%
  • Private Practice, 6%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%

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