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Family Medicine
Why did you choose your area of specialty?
Family always keeps you on your toes - you never know what may walk in the door. The
residency is short and sweet and there is no where in Canada that I can't go set up my
practice - or where I am being recruited to set up my practice. We do a lot of
preventative medicine and health education. You are really connected to your community
and respected by them.
What is the best part of the job?
There is probably no area of medicine as wide-ranging as family. The traditional primary
care family practice offers continuity of care, a never-ending range of medical problems
and patients of all walks of life, ages, etc. Plus, it's a great lifestyle - you can set
your hours and degree of committment. Morever, many family docs are choosing to train
further with a variety of fellowships offered in: emergency medicine, palliative care,
sports medicine, obstetrics, geriatrics, anesthesia, surgical assist, women's health,
hospitalist, travel medicine, etc. Most of the international work being done is by family
doctors (i.e. Doctors Without Borders/Medicine Sans Frontiers, Physicians for Global
Survival). Many are combining these other areas with a primary care focus while lots of
others are simply making this their entire career choice.
What is the worst part of the job?
I think the degree of responsibility you assume for your patients is huge and just as
all-encompassing as the medicine you need to know. There is a ton of paperwork and I
think there is still room to improve the renumeration for family physicians.
What patient population do you work with?
Everyone! It's really up to you! As with every area of medicine though, the populations
that utilize the health system the most are babies, the elderly and women. Also, the
demographic of your patients will depend on where you set up your practice and what
special services you offer.
What type of technical things do you do during the day?
It depends on your degree of training and how you've set up your practice. Your
run-of-the-mill FP will do excisional biopsies, pap smears, injections/immunizations,
warts.
What type of patient interactions do you have during the day?
It always ranges from long counselling sessions (e.g, a patient you've known for years
tells you she's being abused) to quick consults (e.g., blood pressure check).
How is your day divided? Eg. time in clinic, rounding, in OR, house calls, consults
If you're a "nine-to-five" FP, most of your day will be in your private clinic seeing
patients, writing notes, dictating or typing the odd referral. House calls are rare.
However, most FPs will have other aspects to what they do and this can include rounding
on in-patients, attending meetings, working emerg shifts, doing research, etc. Most
family doctors take at least one afternoon a week off.
What type of person is well suited for your area of specialty?
You need to be an excellent communicator with the ability to empathize, skilled
clinically and a true life-long learner. You've also got to have thick skin!
What advice would you give to someone interested in your job?
Despite the benefits of family medicine, there is no question that it is as tough and
demanding as any area of medicine - maybe more. Make sure this is what you want before
you dedicate your life to it.