Almost all healthcare professionals tend to the medical field with similar goals and disciplines. Still, medical professions of various specialties have a few key similarities and differences. In this blog post, we have examined the main similarities and differences between various medical disciplines and general practitioners.
Who are General Practitioners?
General practitioners are physicians who treat common diseases, certain physiological disorders, and basic injuries. GPs are in direct contact with patients and provide their ongoing care of health. They often work with a team in private practice, including at hospitals and clinics. GPs have various responsibilities such as reviewing patient charts and making updates when needed, taking fluid or tissue samples from the patient if deemed necessary, identifying the appropriate treatment for the related ailment, then writing prescriptions properly, or referring the patients to related specialists when further treatments are required. They also have to answer patients’ health-related questions and must address their concerns. To be able to do all these, there are some skills and traits that general practitioners must have such as sincerity and supportive disposition, ability to multitask, high communication skills, ability to work long hours, empathy, and business management skills. You may also check out our general practitioner jobs to see what GP skills employers require.
What are the differences and similarities between GPs and other professionals?
Specialists are doctors with advanced training and degrees in a particular branch of medicine as opposed to general practitioners. The similarity between a general practitioner and a specialist is in their education, in that all medical students who wish to become a doctors must undergo 5 years of medical training, or MBBS and complete 2 years of housemanship to gain clinical skills and experience. Medical students who successfully complete housemanship, become able to register Malaysia Medical Council as a medical officer, MO.
As MOs, general practitioners must have 2 years of mandatory service in a district medical institution. A physician can start working as a GP, after his compulsory training. Yet, in order to become a specialist doctor, they would take a master’s program related to field training. The length of the program depends on the medical discipline. The more specific and complex the medical specialty, the longer the training period would be. For example, to be a pediatrician, the physician must have 4 year master of pediatrics program.
One of the differences between these two medical professions is that specialists treat more complex diseases than general practitioners. Thanks to their access to equipment and specialized knowledge, they can undergo more detailed examinations of their patients. Therefore, specialists can offer alternative treatments and treatments which require equipment for patients such as physiotherapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, etc. General Practitioners, on the other hand, treat diseases that can be cured by oral route (medicines) or injections due to their limited resources. You can view our other jobs to get a better idea of the key differences between GPs and other specialties.
Family Practitioner vs General Practitioner
The major difference between family practice vs general practice is the type of clinic. Family practice is a health clinic that offers primary medical care for patients from various generations. General practitioners also provide general medical services to patients of all ages but GPs do not specialize in a particular area. Another hallmark of family doctors vs general practitioners is that GPs have a broader knowledge about you and your family’s entire medical history. One other difference between a family doctor vs general practitioner is that GPs start their professions earlier compared to family physicians. They can start working after the 2-year mandatory service while family physicians must take a university master’s program or the academy of family medicine program. During these 2 years of training, family physicians also learn about pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, and geriatrics so they would have a broader medical knowledge than general practitioners.
Both general medicine and family medicine are types of primary care physicians. A family practitioner also can treat common medical conditions and care for basic injuries. They focus on preventative care of patients of all ages. In addition tot his, in cases of need, a GP or a family practitioner both must refer their patients to related specialists.
Internist vs General Practitioners
An internist is a specialized doctor in internal medicine. The main difference between internal medicine and general medicine is that in internal medicine, there is more comprehensive care vs general practice. Internal medicine focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries and diseases. Compared to general medicine, internists deal with severe diseased of various organs and systems of the human body. Another difference between internal medicine and a general physician is that while internists provide detailed treatments to adults, GPs provide general healthcare for patients of all generations. Unlike general practitioners, internists get 3 more years of internal medicine training before starting their careers where internists are prepared for a wide range of ailments and alternative treatments while also learning the work ethic required to be a successful internist.
In addition to both being PCP specialties, or primary care physicians, like general medicine practitioners, internists also refer their patients to related specialists in case of a need.
General Practitioners vs OB GYN
An OB-GYN, or obstetrician-gynecologist, is a medical professional who specializes in female reproductive systems. Physicians trained as an OB-GYN would specialize in both obstetrics and gynecology which makes them competent both in the healthcare of pregnant women and a wide range of conditions in the female reproductive system. A general practitioner can also do the continuous checkups of a pregnant woman, yet an OB-GYN provides comprehensive healthcare both for the mom and the baby. Different from GPs, they can perform a wider range of procedures such as STI tests, fertility treatments, or pap smears.
Primary Care vs General Practice
What is a Primary Care Physician?
A primary care physician (PCP) is a health care professional. PCPs practice general medicine and are typically the first stop in medical care. Most PCPs are doctors, however, nurse practitioners and physician assistants may also be PCPs.
There are several types of doctors that can be identified as primary care physicians such as family doctors, internists, pediatricians, or general practitioners.
General Practitioners vs Physician Assistants
Physician assistants are health care professionals given that PAs assist doctors and may share patient care responsibilities with them. PAs are also able to carry out many of the basic tasks that a doctor does. PAs and GPs both have the necessary training to provide health care, yet, the educational path to becoming a PA is shorter while general practitioners have broader licensure requirements. Since PAs are trained in various specialties it is easier for them to make transitions between them, however in order to do so, they often require additional training.
What is the difference between Primary Care Physician (PCP) and Internal Medicine?
An internist can be considered a primary care physician, however, a point of difference between an internist and a PCP is that an internist is a doctor who only treats adults while a primary care physician looks after people from all generations. In terms of training, internists get comprehensive training for adolescent medical care to treat their ailments about internal organs, on the other hand, PCPs are trained to treat patients from birth to geriatric years, to provide long-term healthcare. While both provide care for preventing and treating common illnesses a key difference between an internist and a PCP is that PCPs can also provide routine care for the organ or system causing a disorder, or for various medical conditions unrelated to the diagnosis.
Both internists and PCPs can care for fundamental health issues and if needed, both an internist and a PCP can refer the patient to a related medical specialist. You can learn more about internists and other PCPs on Doctor Jobs Today.
Pediatricians vs General Practitioners
A pediatrician covers the healthcare of infants and children from birth to their adolescence. They provide care for children’s physical, behavioral, mental, and developmental issues. A GP also can treat kids with common illnesses however, since general practitioners work in a broader field they may not be experts in certain ailments for children. GPs are more likely to treat children who dealing with minor problems such as cold, flu, bronchitis or more because the main task of the general practitioner is to treat the more common, sudden-onset diseases and to provide early diagnosis of these diseases. Unlike Pediatricians, General practitioners also provide preventive care to patients of all ages.
Distinct from GPs, pediatricians spend min 4 additional years after med school studying kids’ health. Completing the training, they must have 3 years of pediatrician residency where they learn details about children’s health issues and relevant treatment methods.
About Doctor Jobs Today
Doctor Jobs Today is the first job-seeking platform in Southeast Asia dedicated to serving the job searching needs of healthcare professionals. We have created a space to connect employers and medical job seekers seamlessly. As part of the healthcare community, we understand that traditional job portals are not catered toward medical doctors. So we decided to create a portal advertising only the most relevant jobs from the top employers within the industry because we are just as picky as you are!
Doctor Jobs Today has the right vacancy whether you are looking for a higher salary, a better-equipped hospital for your specialization, or even a career shift from patient care.
About Docquity
If you feel like your educational and professional experience has not been sufficient to make your CV pop, expanding the network to other healthcare professionals to practise peer-to-peer learning might be the answer. One of the ways to do it is by joining a social platform for healthcare professionals, such as Docquity.
Docquity is the region’s largest and most trusted community of doctors, bringing you real-time knowledge from thousands of doctors worldwide. Today, Docquity has over 300,000 doctors spread across six countries in Asia.
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