A general practitioner (GP) is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education to patients.
General Practitioners intend to practise a holistic approach that takes into consideration the biological, psychological and social environment in which patients live. Their duties are not confined to specific organs of the body, and they have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues. They are trained to treat patients of any age and sex to levels of complexity that are defined by each country.
In some healthcare systems GPs work in primary care healthcare centers where they play a central role in the healthcare team. Nevertheless, in some models of care GPs work as single-handed practitioners.
Salary
General Physician average salary is $123,197, median salary is $115,000 with a salary range from $60,000 to $250,000.
The skills that increase pay for this job the most are urgent care and Family Practice. Experience has a moderate effect on income for this job.
Education
Medical practitioners must hold an unrestricted license to practice medicine independently in the United States. The requirement is to be enrolled in or have completed a year of residency, traditionally called a rotating internship, and possibly additional postgraduate training depending on the state. There are generally four years of undergraduate college and four years of medical school prior to the internship. Prospective licentiates (denoted as physicians and surgeons in most states) who pass step three of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or level three of the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) and successfully complete the designated amount of postgraduate training for their state[26] may practice the full range of medicine.
The population of this type of medical practitioner is declining, however. Currently the United States Navy has many of these general practitioners, known as General Medical Officers or GMOs, in active practice. The GMO is an inherent concept to all military medical branches. GMOs are the gatekeepers of medicine in that they hold the purse strings and decide upon the merit of specialist consultation. The US now holds a different definition for the term "general practitioner". The two terms "general practitioner" and "family practice" were synonymous prior to 1970. At that time both terms (if used within the US) referred to someone who completed medical school and the one-year required internship, and then worked as a general family doctor. Completion of a post-graduate specialty training program or residency in family medicine was, at that time, not a requirement. A physician who specializes in "family medicine" must now complete a residency in family medicine, and must be eligible for board certification, which is required by many hospitals and health plans for hospital privileges and remuneration, respectively. It was not until the 1970s that family medicine was recognized as a specialty in the US.
General Practitioners intend to practise a holistic approach that takes into consideration the biological, psychological and social environment in which patients live. Their duties are not confined to specific organs of the body, and they have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues. They are trained to treat patients of any age and sex to levels of complexity that are defined by each country.
In some healthcare systems GPs work in primary care healthcare centers where they play a central role in the healthcare team. Nevertheless, in some models of care GPs work as single-handed practitioners.
Salary
General Physician average salary is $123,197, median salary is $115,000 with a salary range from $60,000 to $250,000.
The skills that increase pay for this job the most are urgent care and Family Practice. Experience has a moderate effect on income for this job.
Education
Medical practitioners must hold an unrestricted license to practice medicine independently in the United States. The requirement is to be enrolled in or have completed a year of residency, traditionally called a rotating internship, and possibly additional postgraduate training depending on the state. There are generally four years of undergraduate college and four years of medical school prior to the internship. Prospective licentiates (denoted as physicians and surgeons in most states) who pass step three of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or level three of the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) and successfully complete the designated amount of postgraduate training for their state[26] may practice the full range of medicine.
The population of this type of medical practitioner is declining, however. Currently the United States Navy has many of these general practitioners, known as General Medical Officers or GMOs, in active practice. The GMO is an inherent concept to all military medical branches. GMOs are the gatekeepers of medicine in that they hold the purse strings and decide upon the merit of specialist consultation. The US now holds a different definition for the term "general practitioner". The two terms "general practitioner" and "family practice" were synonymous prior to 1970. At that time both terms (if used within the US) referred to someone who completed medical school and the one-year required internship, and then worked as a general family doctor. Completion of a post-graduate specialty training program or residency in family medicine was, at that time, not a requirement. A physician who specializes in "family medicine" must now complete a residency in family medicine, and must be eligible for board certification, which is required by many hospitals and health plans for hospital privileges and remuneration, respectively. It was not until the 1970s that family medicine was recognized as a specialty in the US.