General Practioners
A general practitioner, hereafter GP, provides primary care and dedicates himself to family medicine. Primary care also includes preventive care. He is, a medical practitioner, a family doctor, and treats patients suffering from different health matters. He takes up both acute and chronic patients. When a person feels that his condition requires medical intervention, the GP is the first to take up the matter. He treats several health conditions. He writes prescriptions, he undertakes annual physical and diagnostic tests. A GP may work in public as well as in private health care.
A GP should hold a degree of Bachelor of Medicine or Surgery and in accordance with the new process effective from 2005 they have to undergo 5 years of PG training. At the end of the training, it is mandatory to pass an examination in order to become an independent GP. Such training enables him to go into the details of patients’ symptom and pinpoint the cause of the malady. If the treatment is beyond the scope of the GP, he refers the patient to a specialist.
A GP has to be aware of the fast changing tracks of medical therapy. He must be famliar with the latest advancement. Medicines are removed from the shelf overnight due to some side effects or other causes and new medicines become visible. A GP has to keep track and remain well informed. It enables him to ensure that his patients are getting the latest medical attention.
Compassion is the key of a good GP but it should be in the right proportion. He should not become emotionally involved nor hesitate to give bad news in time but he must also be patient with the patients. A GP with an assuring smile inculcates confidence in his patients.
He cannot afford to irritate in the instances the patient becomes hard to please. But too much compassion and attachment with patients may tell upon his family obligations and perhaps family life. He must understand that a patient has three options. He may remain ill for quite some time; he may recover in good time; or he may die. He must be prepared to remain unperturbed in bad situations.
A GP should remain highly motivated in his job. He must be a good learner. He should enjoy making elaborate and conclusive investigations. He should be able to take quick and correct decisions. He should be inquisitive, always finding scope to assimilate new and latest development. He is a 21st century GP. He may get all the enlightenment and information at his desktop online. A successful GP must have strong qualities.