A family physician is a primary care doctor who provides medical care to patients within a facility.
Working as a family physician means that you have to be hands-on in providing one on one consultancy to patients, ensuring that their illnesses are treated in a proper manner.
Working as a family physician requires much in terms of formal education. A degree from a medical school and some previous experience in a healthcare setting will go a long way in convincing a facility to hire you.
A good manner with patients, along with the ability to make them comfortable with yourself so that you can derive the right type of information related to their conditions is important. Also, your command over medical terminology must be excellent, and you should be able to keep up with medical advancement so that the type of care that you provide is well-defined.
To see what other duties you will be expected to perform in the role of a family physician, have a look at the following list:
Family Physician Duties & Responsibilities
• Welcome patients and their families as they arrive at the office, and engage them in friendly conversation.
• Interview patients to determine their specific conditions and diseases, and go through their medical histories and charts.
• Perform physical examinations on patients to determine type and enormity of disease.
• Check patients’ vitals such as blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, and ensure that all findings are properly recorded.
• Order diagnostic tests such as blood counts and x-rays, and check reports to determine the severity of disease or condition.
• Prescribe medication to patients, based on findings related to their diseases or conditions.
• Educate patients and their families in ways of self-care, especially post procedures.
• Provide patients with information on follow up requirements, and ensure that their follow up appointments are properly recorded.
• Create and maintain records of patients and their illnesses, according to the specifics and protocols determined by the facility.
• Diagnose patients’ conditions, based on obtained results and diagnostic films, and create and implement correlating medical plans.
• Advise patients about proper diets, hygiene, and healthy lifestyles, aimed at preventing disease.
• Perform vaccinations on patients to keep them safe from communicable diseases, and outbreaks.
• Provide prenatal care to expectant patients, in sync with a balanced plan of care.
• Refer patients to specialists in different capacities, depending on initial findings.
• Work as part of a coordinated care team, aimed at providing assigned patients with the best in medical services.