General Practitioner, General Practitioner

A general practitioner treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities.

Any physician is legally allowed to practice without any training after graduation in the medical school, but recent efforts by the government, the Brazilian Medical Association and the specialized Sociedade Brasileira de Clnica Mdica are trying to demand also a specialist title for its practice, just like for others such as cardiology, endocrinology, etc. The majority of general practitioners in Brazil are located in the public health sector and consists mostly of young, recently graduated physicians. The reason is that general practice is not very profitable and about 40% of Brazilian medical practitioners prefer to do specialized practice, instead. To do this, they are required to do medical residence of variable duration and submit to a board of medical examiners in order to get the title of specialist. Each medical society is in charge of organizing the examinations (which usually are carried out once a year) and granting the titles to those physicians who passed the requirements. The title is recognized by the Federal Council of Medicine (the Federal professional regulatory body), the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.

Currently the United States Navy has many of these general practitioners, formally known as General Medical Officers, in active practice.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 medical practitioner 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. It was not until the 1970s that family medicine (formerly known as family practice) was recognized as a specialty in the US.

Several members of the AMA were in opposition to this and predicted that a another General Practice organization would inevitably result, including Dr. Susan Black, MD. She predicted a second coming of a General Practice Movement. Several physicians nationwide created the American Academy of General Physicians. They prescribed a body of knowledge that defined a General Practitioner. Along with the College of William and Mary they created a system of study and practice oriented residency in order to Board Certify the ten to fifteen percent of doctors in the United States who are not Board Certified, but who are General Practitioners.

The American Board of General Physicians has been in existence for over 10 years. It is charged with certifying the quality of the physicians who have completed a prescribed course of study and practice and has no relation to the American Board of Specialties. Presently doctors Board Certified by the American Board of General Practice are accepted readily in large and small hospitals and medical centers as well as smaller community based hospitals. The American Board of General Practice also has the support of the American Medical Legal Law center, which has written an extensive brief detailing the history of General Practitioners, and the legal validity of their existence.

A physician would finish a rotating internship and move to some town and be taught by the local physicians the skills needed for that particular town. This allowed each community need's to be met by the teaching of the new general practitioner the skills needed in that community.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners also has a reciprocal agreement with the American Board of Family Medicine as the Australasian general practitioner training program is recognised as equalivalant to the US family medicine residency programs in the United States.

In 1997, the Royal College of General Practitioners, UK, unconditionally approved the Programme for the MRCGP Examination and additionally declared it as amongst the top 10 programmes in UK.

However, new trainee GP's from 2008 are now compulsorily required to complete the nMRCGP. They will not be allowed to practice without this postgraduate qualification. After passing the exam or assessment, they are awarded the specialist qualification of MRCGP Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Previously qualified general practitioners (prior to 2008) are not required to hold the MRCGP, but it is considered desirable. In addition, many hold qualifications such as the DCH (Diploma in Child Health of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) and/or the DRCOG (Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists) and/or the DGH (Diploma in Geriatric Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians. Some General Practitioners also hold the MRCP (Member of the Royal College of Physicians) or other specialist qualifications, but generally only if they had a hospital career, or a career in another speciality, before training in General Practice.

Most are of 4 years duration (one is 5 years). Generally the first 2 years are spent rotating through relevant specialities (medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics & gynaecology, psychiatry, accident & emergency, ENT etc.). Two years are then spent as a GP registrar in designated Training Practice. After successfully completing the MICGP exams, the new general practitioner is free to practice.

Source: Wikipedia > General Practitioner