Choosing a primary Care Physician

[Aisling]

I want to get rid of my current doctor, and have looked at the list offered by my insurance company. My question is, what's the difference between Family Practice, General Practice, and Internal Medicine? Which one of these would I need for when I have the flu, or headaches, or just yearly physical check-ups? Can anyone help? TIA

 

["Got Disney"]

Family Practice and General Practice are pretty much the same thing. Internal medicine is a GP that has specialised in Internal medicine.

You should always go with an Internist. They have more years of training.
I have been a nurse for 22 years and will never use a GP.

Also if you are a woman you will also do better with a female Internest. They will understand your body better. Hope this helps

 

[minkydog]

All three docs are capable of treating basically healthy people. But if you have chronic illness or complicated medical history, you're better off with an Internist.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would choose the internist. My kids go to a Ped.

 

[Laz]

[QUOTE="Got Disney";17750882]Family Practice and General Practice are pretty much the same thing. Internal medicine is a GP that has specialised in Internal medicine.

You should always go with an Internist. They have more years of training.
I have been a nurse for 22 years and will never use a GP.

Also if you are a woman you will also do better with a female Internest. They will understand your body better. Hope this helps [/QUOTE]

Family practice and General Practice are NOT the same thing! Any one with a medical degree and one year of residency can be a general practicioner. A Family Practice Physician has gone through 3 years of a Family Practice residency and has passed the tests given by the AAFP. A Family Practicioner deals with the entire family: Pediactrics through Geriatrics. An internest deals ONLY with internal medicine. They are considered specialists. Family Physicians can much more than internists. Check this out:

http://familydoctor.org/

 

[clarabelle]

A Family Practitioner and a GP are NOT the same. My DH is a Family Practitioner. An Internist does a 3 year residency specializing in adults and medical problems. A Family Practitioner does a 3 year residency with the adult stuff and rotations through pediatrics and Labor and delivery.

A General Practitioner is kind of a dated term here in the US. It would be used to describe someone who has not done any residency. Which does not happen so often anymore. Most Dr.s opt to do some kind of residency.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I agree.I would never go to a GP if there were any other choices. An Internist is great if you are just wanting a doc for you, a FP is wonderful if you are trying to consolidate a single MD for the whole family. We love our FP doc. Of course if you are healthy you could also consider an NP

 

["Got Disney"]

Family practice and General Practice are NOT the same thing! Any one with a medical degree and one year of residency can be a general practicioner. A Family Practice Physician has gone through 3 years of a Family Practice residency and has passed the tests given by the AAFP. A Family Practicioner deals with the entire family: Pediactrics through Geriatrics. An internest deals ONLY with internal medicine. They are considered specialists. Family Physicians can much more than internists. Check this out:

http://familydoctor.org/

Sorry but I disagree. Yes a FP can do more than a GP but they are not as specialized as an Internest. A FP has some training in each but not like an OB-GYN does or a PED or Geriatrics. There training is limited. First of all I would not go to a FP MD to deliver my baby or treat my child, I would go to an OB-GYN and a Pediatrician. However on that note I also would not go to an Internist to deliver my Baby or treat my Child. And if I were old than I would get an Internest that specializes in Geriatrics.

If I had a cold or flu or something like that than maybe I would go to a FP. But for problems that are Internal or external than I would go to an Internest and have then refer me out to a specialist if need be. I would never go to a GP...sorry but I would not waste my time...but that is my opinion.

Even Dr.s (unless an GP or FP) will tell you that that is the way to go, and that was told to me many times over. I dont know any Dr's that go to a GP or FP....they go to Dr.s that specialize in the fields that they are requiring. I learned this from 22 years of nursing so I am not just talking to talk.

What ever Dr. you choose however interviewing them is important. Never be affraid to ask questions and be sure you get straight answers.

 

[barkley]

i have a family practioner and i adore him. because he has training in a variety of ages/areas he seems much more adept than a specialist in a specific area to address my medical issues. one of my greatest frustrations with 'adult' specialty doctors (never seems to have been an issue with our pediatricians) is that they seem so focused on their area of expertese it can be very frustrating if you have a medical situation wherein there are multiple contributing issues outside their specialty. my neurologist deals only with his part of the body and when i bring up something i think may be contributing to a pain there he has to send me to a specialist for that, my ob-gyn only deals with their part of the body and when some other area may be contributing they send me off to someone else for that...until i found a skilled and competant fp who could take a look at the whole picture, refer me out if he felt speciality eval/care was needed-but still oversee and handle my total treatment i was felt like i had all the peices of a puzzle but noone able or willing to take the time to put it together.

 

[clarabelle]

[QUOTE="Got Disney";17790244]Sorry but I disagree. Yes a FP can do more than a GP but they are not as specialized as an Internest. A FP has some training in each but not like an OB-GYN does or a PED or Geriatrics. There training is limited. First of all I would not go to a FP MD to deliver my baby or treat my child, I would go to an OB-GYN and a Pediatrician. However on that note I also would not go to an Internist to deliver my Baby or treat my Child. And if I were old than I would get an Internest that specializes in Geriatrics.

If I had a cold or flu or something like that than maybe I would go to a FP. But for problems that are Internal or external than I would go to an Internest and have then refer me out to a specialist if need be. I would never go to a GP...sorry but I would not waste my time...but that is my opinion.

Even Dr.s (unless an GP or FP) will tell you that that is the way to go, and that was told to me many times over. I dont know any Dr's that go to a GP or FP....they go to Dr.s that specialize in the fields that they are requiring. I learned this from 22 years of nursing so I am not just talking to talk.

What ever Dr. you choose however interviewing them is important. Never be affraid to ask questions and be sure you get straight answers.[/QUOTE]

I strongly disagree with you. An internist does a 3 year residency with emphasis on internal medicine.
A Family doctor does a 3 year residency as well. Often the same rotations as the internist -just with a little peds and OB thrown in. Im not sure why you think FP is so inferior. I can certainly understand not going to one to deliver a baby. (Many don't do OB after residency) but for a medical problem?

 

[Judy from Boise]

I love my FP, I would certainly let him deliver my baby. But, every community and MD is different. Here in Boise we have a very strong Family Practice residency program focusing in rural practice. It is out of U of Washington, and produces excellent practioners, prepared to possibly be the only MD in the community. Many of the graduates never leave the boise area.
In this town the internits are really used as gerentologists. BTW, I've been an RN for 22 years also . I am also very pro Nurse practioner, for healthy people.