Constantino Santos wrote:
>
>
> >As for the "decent family doctor service", I haven't the foggiest; we
> >don't have any, so far as I know. (Unless you mean family docs in the US
> >are finally learning some medicine? :-).)
> <...>
> What is the training of US family docs? Many of my medical journals are US based and it appeared to me they should be the must of primary care - what on heavens are your fam docs?
Excellent question; the answer, hpwever, is a bit confusing since our
system differs from the European.
All docs have 4 years undergraduate college then 4 years of medical
school, which earns either an M.D. or D.O. (Doctor of Oseopathy) degree.
30 years ago, this was followed by one year in hospital training
(internship) which sufficed to produce a GP. 3-6 years more for a
consultant.
More recently the specialty of Family Practice was established which
requires 3 years of postgraduate hospital and clinic training prior to
sitting for the certifying exams. This is now pretty much the minimum
training.
Informally, "family doctor" equates with "Primary Care Physician" (PCP),
which is pretty much the same as a GP across the pond - although most
PCPs here also do hospital work, some do surgery and/or obstetrics, some
not.
However, by gov't. definition, PCP includes family practitioners (FPs),
the older GPs, general pediatritians and general internists and in some
cases, general OB/GYNs - the unifying characteristic being that they
provide predominantly 'primary care'.
With the perceived shortage of PCPs here and the surplus of certain
consultants (eg. radiologists and anesthesiologists)there have even been
programs offered to try to 'convert' these fellows back to *real*
doctors <g> or PCPs so they could deal with *real* people. :-))
You have to be careful of the acronym "PCP" though; in the literature it
is also used to represent "primary care provider", which also includes
our "mid-level" providers, such as physician's assistants (PAs) and
certified nurse practitioners (CNPs).
Now, aren't you glad you asked? :-))
Phil
Philip G. Dunlap, D.O., M.P.H., Ph.D.
4 Bailey Hill Road
Natick, MA, 01760, USA
[log in to unmask]
(508) 650-9097 - voice
(508) 650-9152 - fax
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