What is a GP and What does a GP do?
A general practitioner doctor means a doctor who specialize in treating minor or chronic conditions, General practitioners are community-focused doctors who help patients to gain healthy living habits. Informing patients about their ailments is also within the job description of GPs. Having many patients, GPs must attach more importance to human values. Typically GPs have the following personality traits:
- Patience
- Empathy
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Ability to work long hours and under stress
- Attention to detail
- Organization
- Observation
This is given the fact that they typically provide services such as:
- Early diagnoses and treatments of ailments
- Medical check-ups
- Nutrition/Diet Advice
- Prescription of Medications
- Ordering medical tests
- Management of chronic conditions
- Referrals to specialists/other professionals in case of a need
- Consultations at home if needed
They are also sometimes known as family doctors. As a working style, GPs often set up their own practice. They may also join another physician’s practice as an “individual contributor”. Especially from the beginning of Covid19, they also provide telehealth services.
What is the main difference between GPs and other doctors?
A GP specializes in diagnosing and treating emerging diseases. A specialist is a medical doctor who focuses on a single area (heart, brain, obstetrics, etc). While a specialist would offer more detailed treatments to patients in their own disciplines, GPs typically have a wider area of work.
Steps to become a GP in Malaysia
Getting a general practitioner degree requires years of education.
Suggestions Before Medical Training
It will be useful for a high school student to take courses in psychology, anatomy, and physics. Taking medical courses and internships in hospitals will help students not only gain useful experience, but would also increase the chances of medical school applications.
Complete an MBBS Degree:
Medical students in Malaysia need to get an MBBS degree which typically takes 5 years, however, the program length could vary from university to university. MBBS consists of pre-clinical and clinical training. In preclinical education, medical students learn the theoretical foundations of medical sciences. Post med school, graduates would get a provisional medical license and begin their clinical training.
The estimated total cost of MBBS training in Malaysia can range from min of RM 55000 up to 600000 RM per year.
Next Step, Housemanship:
After graduation from med school, students must have two years of “Housemanship”. General practitioners must complete a 2 years housemanship training to progress to a Medical Officer. During the mandatory job, these doctors would have daily duties in a district or a public hospital. Practitioners can only become GPs if they can complete all these tasks. There are several requirements for an aspiring GP to start foundation training:
- Pass SPM/ SPMV/ O-Level with at least credits B in 5 subjects inclusive :
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Required A Levels (depend on the institution) English and Bahasa Malaysia
The housemanship program aims to equip physicians with basic clinical skills and try to make them competent in managing patients while equipping GPs with a work ethic. It will also make them master the current theories and concepts of medical sciences. Besides, housemanship develops skills such as teamwork and communication in medical students. Physicians also can have a provisional licence with Malaysia Medical Council during their housemanships.
What happens after Housemanship?
All medical students would be able to apply for full registration as a medical officer with MMC and get their full MMC license once they have successfully complete their housemanships. Full registration of MMC is offered to all doctors completing housemanship. As a medical officer, MO, they must complete a 2 years of compulsory service with the government. The compulsory program refers to the country’s policy that governs the mandatory retention of a physician in the rural areas of Malaysia, mainly Sabah or Sarawak, for a certain period of time. Compulsory services also balance the citizens’ access to health care in a country while ensuring physicians to work in more rural areas. Generally, there would be 3 to 5 medical officers in each district hospital.
Medical officers who have completed 2 years of compulsory service can start working as a GP with MMC in Malaysia.
What can GPs do?
Can a General Practitioner perform surgery?
General practitioners can perform basic operations and tests such as immunization, suturing of wounds, and cryotherapy. When the treatment requires a sterile environment or more medical equipment, the GP transfers the patient to a hospital.
Can GPs work in private practice?
GP practices are private businesses. So, they can enter into commercial contracts with different companies. The practitioner can also open their own clinic and provide private services. Doing these, GPs must obey all the articles of the GMS contract. The contract provides the provision of medical and surgical services to persons fully entitled under the Health Act 1970.
What about Salaried GPs?
Yet, general practitioners who do not wish to take on the responsibility of setting up a clinic can also work as qualified salaried GPs. Inordinary incomes are the major factor that pushes general practitioners to work with a health institution. It is also a more productive way for GPs to focus on clinical work without dealing with the administrative work of practice.
Are there different career pathways for a GP?
Can a GP considered as a Family Physician?
There is a clear distinction between GPs and Family Physicians in Malaysia, where family medicine is known as primary care. A family practitioner is the first contact of a patient with a healthcare provision. Family physicians are trained to manage common illnesses and they provide personalized, comprehensive and continuous treatments to community according to their physical and psychological factors, they provide healthcare to all people people regardless of generation or gender.
General practitioners may want to continue with a new job with changing conditions or demands. For a GP that doesn’t want to practice clinical medicine, they can continue their career as assistant health specialists, researchers or in other medical professions after having the required training.
There are two main pathways to become a primary care physician differently of a GP.
- The Univesities’ Master Programme
This is a 4-7 years program of the six universities in the Conjoint Board of Family Medicine namely, the University of Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa. The training is mainly divided into two phases hospital rotations and clinic postings. The rotation followed by clinic postings in which the physician learns the skills relevant to family medicine.
- The Academy of Family Medicine Programme
The Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia runs a 4 years of Family Medicine Programme. The program divided into the following parts:
- The Graduate Certificate in Family Medicine which lasts 2 years
- Advanced Training in Family Medicine which also lasts 2 years
What needs to be done to become a specialist in Malaysia?
A general practitioner who wishes to become a specialist (eg anesthesiologist, gynecologist, pediatrician) must also complete a postgraduate education of approximately 4-5 years given by the universities and some health institutions. To start working as a specialist in Malaysia, the physician who has successfully completed the postgraduate training would go through a supervised training of 2 to 4 years.
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