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General Practice vs. Family Practice
2020-03-19Family Practice
A family practice provides medical care to the entire family. Putting more emphasis on the family unit, a family practice physician (FP) provides more integrated care to all patients within a family.
General Practice
A general practitioner (GP) provides primary care to his patients. GPs practice worldwide and generally work in larger organizations, caring for a wider variety of patients.
Expertise
A general practitioner's training allows her to diagnose a patient's condition, but she will often refer the patient to a specialist for further tests and diagnosis. A family practice doctor, on the other hand, diagnoses and provides treatment to a patient regardless of the patient's medical problem. Some GPs and FPs can conduct minor surgeries within their practices.
Doctor-Patient Relationships
Because family practices are more family-oriented, offering ongoing care to patients from a young age, family doctors are very familiar with their patients' family medical history. This may mean that they are more intuitive when it comes to providing treatment. A general practitioner with often only be familiar with his patients' medical history due to the type of care provided.
Qualifications
In order to practice as a FP, a doctor must complete a three-year medical residency. This will lead to board certification, which doctors must possess to work in United States hospitals. A GP doctor must undergo a one-year internship to obtain her license.
