A general physician or GP is a medical doctor specialising in treating several medical conditions. They treat and manage conditions affecting respiratory, neurological, haematological, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems. However, a general physician’s job does not involve surgeries.
A GP can treat health conditions like hypertension, asthma, pneumonia, lung fibrosis, angina, and heart attack. He or she also manages medical conditions, such as strokes, dementia, anaemia, thyroid, diabetes, and pituitary. Take note that most GPs gain a sufficient amount of medical knowledge, which helps them concentrate on more than one area; however, they focus more on any one specialised area to develop expertise.
A general medicine physician can test several medical conditions, including blood sugar level, blood pressure, ECG, and urinalysis. While taking an appointment to visit GPs, you can expect a broad discussion on your health condition and treatment plans accordingly. They will also you about your previous tests and treatments and understand more about your current symptoms and relieving factors. You must share your medical history with a general physician so that he or she can guide you to a specialist for further course of action.
Basic Education and Training
While looking for GP jobs in the Blue Mountains or other parts of Australia, you must know about the basic training imparted to general physicians. Their basic medical training is conducted at an affiliated university for about 5 to 6 years. It starts with pre-clinical years, where the focus is more on gaining medical knowledge with minimum exposure to the patient. During these years, GPs learn about the human body and its functioning in detail. They also learn about different conditions that affect the body.
Junior medical students and GPs see patients with different health issues and learn more about dealing with patients and their family members. They are expected to develop communication skills, examination skills and various treatment options to become an expert in their respective field. They undergo extensive teaching sessions that involve group discussions, lectures, hospital-based work, and community GP tasks. The aim is to promote self-direct learning.
GPs are expected to write examinations (clinical and written) to check if they have a thorough understanding of the teaching imparted and if they are ready to handle their job challenges with minimum supervision.
Upon completing education at a medical school, newly-appointed GPs have to practice under a supervisor for a year. This supervised training helps them understand several medical areas, like emergency medicine and general medicine.
For individuals looking for locum GP jobs in the Blue Mountains, thorough research on the subject is advised. Once the intern year passes, GPs move to residency. During this time, they spend their time working in hospitals and medical facilities, which provide them with opportunities to specialise in their field of interest. Here, residents work in a team and are supervised by a registrar or training specialist. The advantage of becoming a resident is that you are allotted more tasks and responsibilities than interns, which helps you build your knowledge base.
Once the general practitioners have developed skills and knowledge to ladder up, it’s time to specialise in a particular medical field. These trainees work under a specialist’s supervision, and the training period may end up with a fellowship examination or ongoing assessments. Please note that research is mandatory to excel during the speciality training period. Once the training is completed, the individual has passed the exam, he or she can practice independently as a general medicine physician.
If you’re looking to build a career as a general physician, you can use this information and connect with a medical recruitment agency like Medfuture. Their recruitment specialists help you get a GP or locum job in Australia. They can connect you with the right employers. So, if you’re looking for permanent GP jobs in the Blue Mountains, you can consult them for a productive conversation.
