For several decades general practitioners have been around, saving the lives of millions of people worldwide. Sadly, the world is seeing a decrease in the trend of general practitioners every day, every year.
In fact, by the year 2032, a shortage of 46,000 to 121,900 physicians is expected in the United States. The global revolution of the internet has surely made life easier for everyone. Anyone with an illness can look up Google while being at home.
While the internet may be very useful for treating mild symptoms like the common flu; however, treating yourself without proper professional medical care can make things even worse!
Who are General Physicians?
General Physicians or General Practitioners (GPs) are highly trained medical professionals who provide expert holistic care to people belonging to all age groups. GPs possess a wide range of skills to assess & then diagnose the patient of their medical problems. By doing so, they help keep the patients’ physical & mental health in check. General Physicians are the first ones to be contacted upon contracting health issues. From thereon, they advise what’s best for you & (if need be) they’d recommend you to the specialists.
Although they may have medical knowledge in certain fields like dentistry, surgery, dermatology, psychiatry, & neurology, it is imperative to know that GPs do not specialize in these medical specialties. Instead, their main job is to simply diagnose the patient & then refer them to the respective medical staff (if needed to be).
General Physicians: Qualification, Education, & Training
Qualified GPs have already spent most of their lives on education & training. Upon completing a four-year undergraduate program and a 4-year postgraduate degree, students then have to take up at least 3 years in residency to specialize in their chosen field. In short, it takes 10-15 years to earn a Qualified General Physician badge. This should make you realize how well-educated & well-trained these professionals are.
However, not all countries have the same requirements set for qualified GPs. For example, in countries like the UK, the practice of medicine starts as soon as you get enrolled in the undergraduate program. Whereas, in the United States, you have to go through all the procedures described above. Such is the same for many other countries that follow the same 10-15-year procedure before being allowed to practice medicine.
Also, most Asian countries, such as Pakistan & India, require an MBBS and a Post Graduate degree in medicine before qualifying as a certified General Physician. Meanwhile, in Kuwait, a doctor who holds a professional medical degree conferred by a medical school recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education is eligible to apply for the KMLE (Kuwait Medical Licensing examination).
Thanks to widely available internet facilities, training certificates for general physicians can easily be attained through various online courses. So, the options are not limited to only on-site training courses. Many have already taken advantage of this opportunity and acquired medical certificates to operate as (qualified) General Physicians while being at home. Even in some developing countries like India, there is a rising demand for e-GP (online courses) as more & more of its population gets access to the internet. The internet has certainly played a vital role in reviving the importance of General Physicians.
Roles of General Physicians – What Do They Do?
Apart from diagnosing the patient of their diseases, general practitioners also perform the following rules:
- Providing emergency care.
- Counter patients’ diseases/ illnesses by comparing their yearly medical histories.
- Clinical examinations include eye-sight tests, blood pressure tests, blood analysis, X-rays, CT scans, and many others (if need be).
- Consult patients who cannot visit the hospital at home.
- Minor accident-related surgeries such as stitches.
- Assessing patients’ health & wellbeing.
- Assisting junior staff with their knowledge & on-field practice.
- Address patients’ needs after carrying out medical examinations on their health & wellbeing,
- Effectively communicate with patients in discomfort.
- Collecting fluids such as urine samples & for further diagnoses. Responding to patients’ questions.
- Recommending necessary lifestyle changes.
General Physicians vs. Surgeons – Differences & Similarities
Both are professionally-trained medical experts. Both receive the same bachelor’s degree & both spend 18 years in medical school. Similarly, both professionals treat patients with their illnesses and diseases, yet they have very different salaries & job descriptions.
As the name suggests, the general Physician provides holistic care to the ‘general’ public irrespective of their age, gender, race, nationality, or culture, and may have some knowledge about surgery. The Physician’s job is to diagnose the patient and assess whether they need surgery. If there is a need for surgery, the Physician would then refer them to the surgeons, who are experts in their fields & have specialized in them.
Meanwhile, the surgeons are only responsible for carrying out the surgery on illnesses & diseases as described by the Physician. Therefore, the surgeon is only trained to carry out successful surgeries instead of deciding whether the patient needs the surgery or not. That is for the Physicians to decide.
It is important to note here that some physicians can also be surgeons if they have specialized in the field of surgery & have taken all the necessary to acquire a surgical license.
General Physicians & Their Importance – Why You Should Visit Them
In medicine, a GP is like the centre of attention. Think of them as accounting consultants. The job of an accounting consultant is to assess the financial performance of a business and then identify any losses or deficits the business may be experiencing. The consultant would then advise what’s best for the business to overcome any shortcomings the business may be experiencing, for example, appointing a new manager. Now, compare the differences between the job nature of an accounting consultant & a General Physician. Right? There are none
Without General Physicians other medical fields serve little or no purpose. If you are not aware of the source of your problem or why your health keeps deteriorating, you’d never know who to turn to. You can’t go to a surgeon with a headache. Similarly, you can’t go disturbing a dermatologist stating your foot hurts. There are General Physicians for that. They will decide what’s best for you and whether you need a Podiatrist or not. So, this is