What a Family Physician Does

You may have heard the term “family medicine” mentioned among your friends, family, and peers. If you have a family or are starting one, the term is probably even more familiar. But what is entailed in family medicine and what does a family physician do? Let’s review the scope of a family physician, what procedures they perform or are capable of performing, and how NPI can help family physicians expand their practice.

What is a family physician?

A family physician’s practice provides the majority of healthcare you will seek out in your lifetime. Such a practice does not specialize in particular ages or genders (such as a pediatrician or OB/GYN) but instead provides care to people of any age or background. A family physician is trained in all areas of medicine, and is able to diagnose and treat many illnesses. If your condition requires a medical specialist, your family physician will facilitate the transfer of your care.

Your family physician will typically have a doctorate degree in medicine or osteopathic medicine coupled with three years of medical residency. As a family physician’s training entails all areas of medicine, their residency could include any number of specialized medical training programs like psychiatry, sports medicine, women’s health, and more. As their training runs the gamut of medical fields, you will generally find a family physician in small, private practices in communities far and wide.

A highly tangible benefit of regular visits to your family physician is lower cost of care. With health insurance an ongoing issue for millions of Americans from a financial standpoint, maintaining a regular schedule to visit your family physician will improve your health and aid in cutting down on your healthcare costs.

The more intangible benefit of having a family physician or doctor is their continued relationship with you and your family. It is for this reason that many family physicians play an important role in the communities in which they live, sometimes even building up a medical practice in needy areas from scratch.

What procedures does a family physician perform?

A family physician performs many procedures for preventative health. If you need a checkup, some sort of health screening, an immunization, a physical, dietary advice, or any assessment related to diagnosing your overall health, a family physician is ready and able to perform such procedures. Some family physicians even provide prenatal care and deliver babies in lieu of an OB/GYN.

How does NPI help?

A family physician must maintain their medical certifications in order to continue providing medical care for their community, so ongoing education, examinations, and expanded certifications are a part of the family physician’s job as well. National Procedures Institute is proud to assist in the continued medical education of these vital medical professionals through a wide range of CME courses ranging from pain management and joint injections to colonoscopies and contraception.