The Specialty of Family Medicine

Family medicine is the medical specialty which provides continuing, comprehensive health care for the individual and family. It is a specialty in breadth that integrates the biological, clinical and behavioral sciences. The scope of family medicine encompasses all ages, both sexes, each organ system and every disease entity.

Nearly one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 215 million office visits each year -- nearly 48 million more than the next medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide the majority of care for America's underserved and rural populations.

In the increasingly fragmented world of health care where many medical specialties limit their practice to a particular organ, disease, age or sex, family physicians are dedicated to treating the whole person across the full spectrum of ages. Family medicine's cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• family
• medicine
• health
• care
• primary
• doctors

[Ouweschoolrap]

@CambridgeHeights Because its saves TONS of money. A family pyhsican can either treat you or refer you straight to right specialist. It saves a lot of expensive unnecessary visits. A Nurse practitioner can hardly do a tenth of what a family physcians does. Thats why in Europe Family physicians are held in extremly high regard and we dont have these third world solution NP's because if there is a shortage we educate more physicians and don't let the stewardess take over the cockpit.

[CambridgeHeights]

Why does this specialty exist? Kids can go see a pediatrician, pregnant women can go see an OB/GYN, and everyone else can go see an internist or a nurse practitioner depending on how serious their problem is.

[Pugzilla69]

@KnightFitzpatrick

Most US graduates that go into family medicine were too stupid for any decent residency. Why do you think FM has so many foreigners in it?

[KnightFitzpatrick]

@Pugzilla69 I think they are delivering specific care according to a different philosophy rather than specific patient population or a specific organ system, they provide comprehensive and personalised care, and it's one of those specialties that really demands a keen eye, experience, updated knowledge and passion.

[Pugzilla69]

@tlsasser

It's a speciality in name only. It's the opposite of what specialists do which is treat a specific patient population or group of diseases. FM are generalists, not specialists.

[tlsasser]

Family Medicine is a Medical Specialty like the rest. The American Board of Medical Specialties are the ones that determine what is and is not a specialty in the medical world, Family Medicine is on that list.

[bawer234]

@becoo1 not really. Its a 3 year residency with options for fellowship, but FM isn't a specialty. Not much more to it than that

[becoo1]

@bawer234 most common misconception

[bawer234]

family medicine isn't a "specialty"

[DEACONAP4LOVE]

It is my passion to be a family physician. Wonderful video.