Who is a family physician?
Family physicians provide medical care to people of all ages and health issues. Most family physicians practice as generalists and address a broad range of health concerns and needs. Some of their responsibilities include treating chronic conditions, evaluating symptoms, providing preventative care, and providing referrals to specialists. Family physicians receive training to care for an individual from infancy to adulthood. They often advocate for your health, guide you to develop healthy lifestyle habits, and help manage or relieve your pain.
If you suffer from minor or major health issues like bronchitis or high blood pressure, your first point of contact will typically be a family physician. Every person has unique medical needs. Family physicians and their teams adapt and focus on the different types of needs of their patients and their communities. They use advanced data to monitor their patient population and apply their clinical skills to provide high-quality services.
Family medicine is one of the most versatile specialties, not limited to sex, age, gender, organ system, or health conditions. Family physicians are flexible with their work settings. For instance, they work in private offices, hospitals, inpatient facilities, medical schools, armed forces, and healthcare centers. For many people, having a doctor who is intimately informed of their medical and family history can be reassuring. Therefore, if you require medical care for yourself and your family, you can develop a partnership with your doctor.
What do family doctors do?
Family doctors can treat most ailments and health conditions, unlike other medical specialties that limit their services to a specific organ system. Here is what their average day at work looks like:
- They develop and maintain an enduring relationship with their patients to get a detailed outlook on their medical practices and current lifestyle.
- They understand multiple determinants of health, such as community, social, and psychological aspects.
- They serve as a patient's reliable first point of contact. They address all health concerns and provide additional services like screening and counseling.
- They help their patients in navigating the healthcare system. This includes a briefing about specialties, hospital care coordination, and follow-up sessions.
- They use data and science to improve their services and offer enhanced care based on individual and community needs.
- They are mindful of how physical health negatively impacts a person's psychological and social aspects.
Research shows that access to primary healthcare is associated with lower infant mortality, high birth weights, lower healthcare expenses, and healthier lives.
Education and expertise of a family physician
Family physicians must complete four years of training in a medical school and three years in a residency program. The high standard of education equips them with the clinical skills and knowledge to treat diverse populations.
Aspirants at the school level join an undergraduate program in a science or related field. They proceed to complete a postgraduate degree at accredited schools of medicine or osteopathic medical schools.
They receive extensive training beyond medical school during the three-year residency program. Additionally, family physicians join fellowships to earn qualifications in their area of focus. These may include the following: adolescent medicine, emergency medicine, faculty, development, pediatrics, geriatric medicine, and more.
Moreover, residents in family medicine participate in integrated inpatient and outpatient learning, where they receive training in six major fields. These include pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, psychiatry and neurology, surgery, and community medicine.
Continuing medical education for family physicians
Continuing medical education (CME) is the process through which family physicians and other healthcare providers engage in activities curated to support their continuing professional development. Derived from multiple instructional domains, these activities are learner-centered and enhance the ability of these professionals to deliver high-quality, all-inclusive, continuous patient care.
CME for family physicians is divided into two divisions: Division I and Division II. Division I includes:
- Scientific sessions: Provided by accredited medical schools or organizations such as AOA, AAFP, or ABMS medical specialty boards.
- CME conferences, workshops, or face-to-face training: Includes any conference, workshop, or face-to-face training that carries AMA Category I CME, AAFP Elective, AAFP prescribed, AOA Category 1-A, AOA Category 1-B, or AOA Category 2-A CME credit.
- Home study: Correspondence courses that qualify for AMA Category I CME, AAFP Elective, AAFP Prescribed, AOA Category 1-A, AOA Category 1-B, AOA Category 2-A, or AOA Category 2-B CME credit upon completion.
- Hospital meetings, medical society meetings, or grand rounds: Scientific portions of county medical society meetings, hospital meetings, or grand rounds may be approved with documentation from the sponsoring organization.
- Full-time accredited family medicine residency or fellowship: Full-time trainee status in an AOA- or ACGME-accredited family medicine residency or fellowship program.
- Full-time accredited residency or fellowship in a non-family medicine program: Full-time trainee status in an AOA- or ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship program in a specialty other than family medicine.
- CME activities carrying AMA category I, AAFP prescribed CME, or AOA credit: Includes documented point-of-care learning, completion of a Life Support Course, participation in quality improvement projects, or formal educational courses (virtual or face to face).
- Educational programs at universities or colleges with a defined curriculum: Designed to improve participants’ instructional, administrative, research, or clinical knowledge and skills for professional development as an administrator, educator, or clinician in family medicine.
- Faculty development fellowships: Full- or part-time faculty development fellowships offered by AOA- or ACGME-accredited residency programs that lead to a postgraduate degree or certificate.
- Knowledge development team participation: Members of a self-assessment activity Knowledge Development Team for Family Medicine Certification who receive AMA Category I CME, AAFP prescribed CME, or AOA Category 1-B.
Division II includes:
- Teaching, presentations, and judging clinical case presentations or posters
- Individual medically related educational activities that are not formally accredited
- Review of manuscripts
- Publications and research
How are family physicians different from primary care physicians (PCPs) and internists?
Various types of doctors, including family physicians, PCPs, and internists, can treat your entire family. Despite that, there are certain differences between them.
The term "primary care practitioner" refers to different types of healthcare providers, such as family physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, internists, geriatricians, and pediatricians. PCPs treat a range of health concerns and coordinate with various specialists to ensure you receive the best possible treatment.
On the other hand, family medicine and internal medicine are medical specialties. While both family physicians and internal medicine specialists train in inpatient and outpatient settings, their emphases differ. Family doctors focus more on outpatient care, while internists focus on inpatient care.
What are the different subspecialties within family medicine?
Family medicine emphasizes integrated care, and physicians are trained to provide comprehensive health care. Some subspecialties for family doctors include:
- Adolescent medicine: A family physician specializing in adolescent medicine is trained to be an expert in adolescents' unique physical, psychological, and social characteristics and healthcare problems.
- Geriatric medicine: A family physician who provides care in various settings, including homes, offices, nursing homes, and hospitals for the elderly, is a specialist in geriatric medicine. They have specialized skills to diagnose, treat, prevent, and rehabilitate elderly illnesses.
- Hospice and palliative medicine: Family physicians specializing in hospice and palliative medicine provide care to alleviate the suffering of patients with life-limiting illnesses. They work with interdisciplinary hospice or palliative care teams to improve their patient's quality of life. They are also trained to address their patients and their loved ones' physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.
- Pain medicine: Pain medicine specialists diagnose and treat acute or chronic pain in hospital and outpatient settings, including cancer-related pain. They collaborate with other specialists to coordinate patient care.
- Sleep medicine: Doctors specializing in sleep medicine diagnose and treat sleep disorders, including those affecting the wake-sleep cycle. They also interpret polysomnography and manage sleep labs.
- Sports medicine: Family physicians focusing on preventing, diagnosing, and treating injuries and disorders related to sports and exercise are experts in sports medicine.
What to expect during your visit to a family physician?
A family physician will talk to you initially and try to understand your medical history and that of your family. They will ask about your lifestyle, the kind of work you do, and whether you follow any exercise routine. They will ask if you are taking any medications and inquire about your illness.
The family physician will check your reports and then do a physical examination. The family physician will analyze your body temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate, and heartbeat. Further, they will provide any required immunizations, do a skin exam, and examine your neck, throat, and head. They will also perform an abdominal exam and may request cholesterol and blood sugar tests in specific cases. They can do mammogram referrals, pap smears, sexual health screenings, and osteoporosis screenings for female patients. On the other hand, they can do screenings such as colorectal exam referrals, prostate exams, and aortic aneurysm screenings for male patients.
Further, family physicians also perform infant wellness checkups (also known as well-child visits).
During these checkups, you can expect the following:
- Perform a physical exam for your child
- Give your child any necessary immunizations or vaccinations
- Monitor your child's growth, development, and behavior
- Discuss your child's nutrition, physical fitness, and health and safety issues
- Inform you about illness prevention and how to handle sudden illnesses and emergencies
Once they diagnose the illness, family physicians will prescribe the required medication or ask you for additional tests. If they feel you need to visit a specialist for your condition, they will refer you to the appropriate health provider.
What makes the role of family physicians unique?
Family physicians' priority is maintaining a lasting relationship with their patients. Their standard of training and the adaptability of their services allows them to contribute significantly to the healthcare system. Family physicians work with a sense of social and community responsibility and make it their mission to improve healthcare quality for underserved Americans living in rural and urban areas.
Since its origination, family medicine has been grounded in primary values such as comprehensive care, medical interventions, disease management, end-of-life care, and coordination care. A family doctor is someone who cares for the entire family and focus on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. They get to know you, listen to your needs, and document your medical history. This makes them unique because they can better understand how to help you and make good decisions about your health.
Be it pregnancy, menopause, chronic conditions, or even issues that occur due to aging—your family doctor can help you coordinate all aspects of your care. For example, if you care for an older adult with dementia, they may also require other medical help. Your family doctor will provide referrals and brief you about the condition to assist you in providing the best care possible to your family member. All these multiple facets make the role of a family physician unique and helpful in improving the overall quality of your and your family's lives.
Find the best family physician near you in Chicago, IL
Are you looking for an experienced and qualified family physician? Does your child need medical care? Are you concerned about their developmental milestones? Are you worried about your irregular menstruation? No matter your medical concerns, a family physician can help you solve them!
Visit Zocdoc to begin looking for the best family doctor near you. The search box on the platform has multiple filters that you can use to get an accurate search result. Type your symptoms, condition, procedure, specialty, location, and date to see a list of all the providers who meet the criteria. For example, type "stress" or "diabetes" and enter your location, such as "Chicago" and "Illinois."
Using Zocdoc's insurance detector, you can also find out which family physician near you accepts your health insurance. However, it is not necessary to add your insurance details. When booking an appointment on Zocdoc, the website will prompt you to select your insurance plan to acknowledge paying out of pocket. Some healthcare providers require you to provide your medical insurance details to schedule appointments with them. In case you do not have insurance or do not want to avail it for your appointment, you can find a different doctor on Zocdoc. You can visit Zocdoc's patient help center if you have other insurance-related queries.
Once you browse the list of doctors, you can compare them by reviewing their profiles. In a doctor's unique profile, you can read about their academic qualifications, medical background, research interests, services, appointment options, languages they speak, gender, and much more.
Remember to check out the ratings left by previous Zocdoc users before making your final decision. Through Zocdoc, finding the best family physician near you becomes simple, safe, and cost-free.
Family medicine statistics in Illinois
According to the State of Primary Care Physician Workforce statistics published in 2018, Illinois had 8,962 primary care physicians in direct patient care. Of these, 3,405 were family physicians. This means that 38% of Illinois's primary care workforce comprised family physicians compared to the East North Central Census Division (44%) and nationwide (38%).
On a per capita basis, there were about 70 primary care physicians per 100,000 people in Illinois, compared to the East North Central (76 per 100,000) and the United States (76 per 100,000).
The 2023 statistics published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that around 112,010 family medicine physicians worked in the United States. Of them, 75,020 professionals worked in physicians' offices and 7,310 worked in outpatient care centers. Around 2,440 family medicine physicians were employed in Illinois.
Sources
Medical University of the Americas
American Academy of Family Physicians[1]
American Academy of Family Physicians[2]
American Academy of Family Physicians[3]
American Academy of Family Physicians[4]
American Academy of Family Physicians[5]
American Academy of Family Physicians[6]
WebMD[1]
WebMD[2]
Healthline[1]
Healthline[2]
Healthline[3]
The Trustees of Indiana University
The Robert Graham Center
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
SC Internal Medicine Associates & Rehabilitation, LLC
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
American Board of Family Medicine
