Did you know that “Family medicine is the most versatile of all physician specialties, providing comprehensive care to patients of all genders and all ages, and family physicians are just as diverse as their patients” (“Family Medicine Facts”). Family medicine takes a lot of hard work and dedication. In family medicine you will take exams called USMLE and residency and there are additional/ advanced training available. Family medicine is a lot of hard work because you have to take four years of undergraduate and four years med school. Many colleges and universities provide the education and training to become a family medicine doctor. Family physicians take family medicine to show them how to treat and care for their patients.
Have you ever wondered how long it takes to study family medicine and the process? During med school it is required for you to take two exams the United States Medical Licensing Examination and it is also known as USMLE, and the other exam that you will take is the core clerkship and periods of clinical clerkships. The next step in this long process is residency, which is three years of training. According to AAFP residency is the “certain number of hours that must be completed for board certification” (“AAFP”). If you are interested in going further with your study for family medicine you can take advanced training and you can also do fellowship.
Has it ever crossed your mind what family practice is? According to PubMed “The family physician is the physician generalist who takes professional responsibility for the comprehensive care of unselected patients with undifferentiated problems and who is committed to the person regardless of age, gender, illness, or organ system” (“Family Medicine”). Family physicians are willing to help anybody because they care for the people in their community and in their clinics. They also take responsibility for anybody they see in their clinic and they are willing to help them regardless of what’s wrong and they won’t stop until they know.
Have you ever wanted to know what role family medicine plays? According to Annals of Family Medicine “they use data to monitor and manage their patient population, and use the best science to prioritize services most likely to benefit health” (“Annals of Family Medicine”). Family medicine teachers their students to keep track of how many patients they see on a daily basis. They also use the best science equipment to make sure they are doing everything they can to find out what is wrong with their patients, so they can help them.
Family medicine is a lot of studying and hard work, but you get to help people and also help your community feel better. As you progress in the field you will learn new things and you will also learn new ways to treat people. You will meet new people who might be able to teach and show you things you might not already know. Family medicine helps people and saves lives.
Work Cites
- “Education Requirements for Family Medicine.” Education Requirements for Family Medicine — Medical School & Residency, 19 Nov. 2014, www.aafp.org/medical-school-residency/premed/training.html
- “Family Medicine Facts.” AAFP Home, 7 Oct. 2014, www.aafp.org/about/the-aafp/family-medicine-specialty/facts.html
- Jr, Robert L. Phillips, et al. “The Future Role of the Family Physician in the United States: A Rigorous Exercise in Definition.” The Annals of Family Medicine, www.annfammed.org/content/12/3/250.full
- Phillips, W R, and D G Haynes. “The Domain of Family Practice: Scope, Role, and Function.” Family Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2001, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11322520
