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General Practitioners


Overview

Introduction

General practitioners (GPs) are primary care physicians and may sometimes be referred to as family practice physicians or family practitioners. They are usually the first health care professional patients consult for a problem. They treat people of all ages and tend to see the same patients on a continuing basis, often for years. General practitioners diagnose and treat any illness or injury that does not require the service of a specialist. They frequently serve as the family doctor, treating all the members of a ...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$201,100

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Employment Prospects

Good

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Minimum Education Level

Medical Degree


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Experience

Residency


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Skills

Interpersonal
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Personality Traits

Helpful
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Earnings

Physicians, as a group, have among the highest annual earnings of all occupations. The average salary for medical residents in family medicine was $55,900 in 2018, according to Medscape, a health care informatics firm. The median annual income for general practitioners was $201,100 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The lowest paid 10 percent earned $79,600 or less annually...

Work Environment

The offices and examining rooms of general practitioners are well equipped, attractive, well lighted, and well ventilated. There are usually several nurses, a laboratory technician, one or more secretaries, a bookkeeper, and a receptionist available to assist the GP.

General practitioners usually see patients by appointments that are scheduled according to individual requirements. They m...

Outlook

Employment of general practitioners is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. One reason for growth is that the population is steadily increasing and people are living longer, requiring more health care services. Another factor is the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which has i...