What is physicians

Treatment: General physicians are trained in the critical analysis of research reports and drug industry claims about new treatments. They are knowledgeable about complex interactions of medications given simultaneously to treat multiple illnesses in a patient.

The general physician has special expertise in making treatment decisions to help patients with complex and serious illnesses. Pre- and Post-operative assessment: General physicians are frequently asked to review patients before surgery. They advise surgeons of a patient's risk status and can recommend appropriate management to minimise the risk of the operation. They can also assist in postoperative care and ongoing medical problems or complications.

The unique combination of knowledge, training and skills distinguishes general physicians from other medical specialists and general practitioners. Through a rigorous and comprehensive training program, general physicians are:. Member Centre Username: Password: Help? Interestingly because of the rush to form lots of specialties it has become necessary to invent a new grade of health worker: Physician Assistants in the USA or Physician Associates in the UK. There is another group of doctors who can lay claim to being true physicians, the definition adopted above is virtually an exact fit for their job description: these are our primary care physicians.

Also bearing in mind that physicians are key educators, primary care physicians deal with a wide range of undifferentiated cases and are in a particularly good position to apply and teach the diagnostic method. In almost all UK medical schools students are now rightly spending more and more time in primary care to benefit from such experience.

We are medical detectives and problem solvers. During my Presidential year I have arranged a series of talks that will explore aspects of these skills and deepen our understanding. It is these core skills that we need to highlight and pass on to our students when we practice and teach Medicine. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.

Journal List Ulster Med J v. Ulster Med J. Presidential Address to the Ulster Medical Society. Watson Peter , Dr. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer.

Correspondence to Prof. Peter Watson. E-mail: ten. Physicians and paediatricians work in hospitals, private practices and community medical centres and may also focus on research or medical administration. Overseas trained physicians need to be assessed before they can practise as accredited physicians in Australia or New Zealand. International medical graduates are those who have completed their medical degree overseas but have not completed specialist physician training. Physicians and paediatricians are involved in a huge variety of RACP work at different stages of their career, influencing major change in medicine.

With experience, they can become a Supervisor of physician training and play an important role in supporting trainees during training, guiding learning, and providing feedback on progress. They can join an RACP committee to ensure the voice of their specialty is heard within our membership and externally. Our committees can help to amplify the voice of a single individual to have the collective weight of the College behind it.

Physicians can become a lead Fellow on major RACP projects, adding their expertise to initiatives that directly affect our members.