Family Medicine

Greyson Fox Tran

Mr. Alburger

English III Honors

21 February 2018
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Greyson Fox Tran

Mr. Alburger

English III Honors

21 February 2018

Family Medicine

In the United States, heart disease and cancer lead the causes of death. Many chronic

diseases like these arise due to obesity. Those possessing chronic diseases usually contact a

family physician before any other medical assistance. Family physicians use their broad training

to treat medical conditions ranging from the common cold to organ failure. They see a wide

variety of patients including newborns, centenarians, life-long smokers, diabetics, the obese,

athletes, and psychiatric patients. Family physicians see many different health conditions

everyday and possess the appropriate training needed to treat all of them. Family physicians

possess the ability to diagnose specific diseases at early stages and point the patient to a

subspecialist when required. Often called leaders in healthcare, family physicians persistently

drive The United States of America towards a healthier future. While treating patients of all ages

with almost any medical condition, family physicians apply an extensive education, emerging

technology, and continuously perfected skills.

Many children get asked every day what they want to do when they grow up. Many of

them say a doctor. They might stick with this career or they could end up doing something

completely different. The children that stay with it do it for many different reasons. Some may

excel in math and science, others simply may want to help people. Family medicine formed in

order for physicians to impact their communities. Family physicians worked diligently to provide
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a primary link between their community and healthcare. This became the original goal of family

medicine residencies. These residencies formed through subspecialization in the medical field.

The Association of Family Practice Residency Directors formed in 1990 (Clements). Throughout

the past fifty years the number of advances continue to grow in family medicine but the ideology

and goal of a family physician has not changed much. Today, family physicians positively

influence every level of the community. They fulfill the original goal of helping the community

every day by treating all kinds of patients and improving the overall health of the community.

Family physicians possess a broad role. As a result of their broad role, these physicians

bear the responsibility of beneficially providing the appropriate care to all of their patients and

entire community. Family physicians accept the definition of doctors that see people of all ages

and health conditions. They lead the healthcare industry and help patients gain a better

understanding of their health by maintaining lasting connections. Family physicians also provide

an adaptable source that can meet the individual needs of each patient (Phillips Jr.). Family

physicians in the United States must address many issues. These not only include medical issues

but also social issues. Family physicians should address bias and make every patient feel unique

(Romano). Family medicine practices must include all people and must provide a safe place for

all people. Additionally, family physicians need to understand social determinants of health

problems, such as poverty. Some patients may lack the money to purchase the medications

prescribed to them. This can make a family physician feel powerless but, they will do everything

within their capacity to help their patients. Family physicians must promote health no matter how

diversified the patients or staff. The number one goal of a family physician became known as

ensuring a healthier future for the country.

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A family physician needs to attain an extensive education. First, a person must obtain a

four year undergraduate pre-medical degree. Then, they need to attend medical school for four

years and earn a medical degree. Finally, they complete three years of residency to become

certified. Some programs allow a student to finish an undergraduate degree in three years and a

medical degree in three years. However, most people spend four years in undergraduate studies

and four years in medical study. People wanting to become a doctor must do pre-medical studies

in their undergraduate years. Some general undergraduate classes that pre-medical students take

include Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy. Taking these classes in high school can better prepare

a person for these classes in college. Also, general business and accounting courses can assist a

family physician in understanding how medicine works as a business (Senft). Evidently, these

classes provide a more applicable education for family physicians that plan to open a private

practice. However, any future family physician attempting these courses will find them helpful.

Throughout their education, a family physician must learn how to deal with many diverse

problems. To solve these problems a family physician needs to understand many different

aspects of medicine. A family physician sees patients of all ages in different states of health. Due

to this variability a family physician must possess the ability to perform a wide range of

procedures. “Family Medicine is a unique field in which the physician is required to be

knowledgeable about many different aspects of medicine across all ages, genders, and

specialties” (Langner). Family physicians perform better when they receive a stronger education.

When a family medicine resident performs more procedures they become more skilled and

develop into better prepared family physicians. By exposing family medicine residents to varied

medical issues they become better equipped to handle the influx of new health concerns as a
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physician. In medical school a student will learn the foundations to caring for patients. While in

residency a medical student will perform clinical rotations. In these rotations medical students

can apply and develop their medical knowledge. During residency a medical student may

experience all specialities and can decide what path of medicine they will pursue.

Many people value family medicine highly as a career. Family physicians provide a

necessary service in the United States. In the United States the number of students enrolling in

family medicine programs has continued to increase. 2016 saw the highest number of medical

students choosing family medicine as their residency (Mitchell). However, this growth does not

meet the increasing demand for primary care physicians. In 2016 researchers estimated that

122,970 family physicians worked in the United States (Family). The demand for more family

physicians in the United States continues to rise each day. Pursuing a job as a family doctor has

become the highest sought after route in the nation's health care system (Mitchell). The shortage

of family physicians in the United States grows daily. “Researchers... have estimated the

shortage of primary care physicians will reach 33,000 by 2035” (Mitchell). People need family

physicians because they usually connect to patients before any other person from the healthcare

system. They reduce healthcare costs by identifying medical conditions early. They also increase

the quality of the health of their patients by correctly pointing them to subspecialists. If the

shortage goes unsatisfied then local communities and the national healthcare system will feel

repercussions. Healthcare costs could rise and national health could decline. In order to solve this

problem people must understand that family physicians provide a necessary service to the nation.

People choose family medicine as a career for many reasons. They may want to help

people or gain personal satisfaction. The variety of tasks a family physician carries out leads
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many medical students to choose family medicine as opposed to other residencies. Choosing

family medicine as a career allows a person to see patients of all ages and treat a variety of

medical conditions. A family physician could administer a physical for a teenager then perform a

procedure on an elderly patient in the same day. This variety leads to a different experience

every day for a family physician. Also, people choose family medicine because of the

relationships they can​ ​build with the community. No other speciality allows the physician to see

patients of all ages grow up. Family physicians have the possibility of treating the same patient

for more than twenty years. They watch babies grow into teenagers, teenagers into adults, and

adults into the elderly. Other specialities do not get to build a strong relationship with patients

and their families. The financial security that comes with a family physician’s salary leads many

people choose family medicine as a career. Family physician salaries currently grow more than

other physicians. However, even with this growth family physicians still earn $195,000 on

average compared to other specialities that earn $284,000 (Laff). Although they receive lesser

pay, family physicians ranked the highest among all specialities that would to choose a career in

medicine again. Helping people causes many people to choose family medicine as their career.

Family physicians positively influence the community. Although many careers allow people to

help others, family physicians have the ability to help others almost everyday. Family physicians

see patients of all ages and thus can engage with every age group in a community.

Family physicians contribute to their communities and the healthcare system. They aid

the community by building relationships and helping it become healthier. When a family

physician helps someone stop smoking or improves their mental health it benefits the entire

community. By stopping one smoker a family physician can stop the spread of second hand
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smoking and eliminate the possibility of others in the community acquiring lung cancer. By

influencing all ages they can stop lifelong smokers and prevent underage smoking. Family

physicians can motivate their patients to terminate many health detriments from their lives such

as unhealthy eating patterns, poor exercising habits, and consumption of lethal drugs. Family

physicians benefit the healthcare system by treating medical issues before anyone else. When

family physicians conduct more services for their patients it leads to lower costs and less

hospitalizations (Bazemore). When the first person does more work it reduces the struggle of

later treatment. Less work needed later means less money needed later. A family physician

possesses training to treat any age and almost any health condition. A person can go to a family

physician with multiple health problems and receive treatment for all of them at one time. Family

physicians can treat multiple health issues that would normally require visits to many

subspecialists.

Many children hope to become a doctor when they grow up but, most people quit after

learning about the challenges of becoming a physician. Becoming a family physician requires a

long and costly education. After completing high school it can take up to an additional eleven

years before becoming a licensed family physician. Most people graduate medical school with

debt. Researchers estimate that over half of medical students graduate with more than $100,000

in student debt (Gil). Family physicians must acquire a great deal of patience because they may

start their adult life with over $100,000 or even $200,000 in student debt. However, once they

pay it off the compensation makes the wait well worth it. After a few years of working, family

physicians must face other challenges. Family physicians have the ability to see the same

patients throughout their careers. They usually build relationships with these patients. After
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having a patient for many years, seeing them struggle through hard times can become difficult.

Telling someone the bad news about their health presents a challenge. Witnessing a patient they

have known for many years go through tough times can cause a great deal of sadness. Another

disheartening part of a family physician’s job occurs when a patient says they cannot afford the

medicine that the physician has prescribed. Hearing this can make a family physician feel

helpless. But, family physicians will persistently work with these patients to help them persevere

through tough times.

Family physicians have the ability to work in many different environments. A family

physician could work at a physician's office, hospital, outpatient care center, university,

government facility, psychiatric facility, or their own private practice. With all of these choices a

family physician must consider many things when choosing where to practice. Deciding between

inpatient, outpatient, or both presents an immense undertaking. Outpatient refers to those treated

outside a hospital setting, whereas inpatient refers to those treated inside a hospital setting. If a

family physician chooses to only treat outpatients then they will never have to treat their patients

that get admitted into the hospital. The hospital will require them to communicate and share the

medical records of their patients but, they will never have to travel to the hospital. If a family

physician decides to only care for inpatients then they will constantly treat new patients and will

lack the ability to form close relationships with their patients. The law requires physicians to

treat all patients admitted into the hospital equally even if the patient cannot afford treatment

(MacLeod). The possibility of not receiving payment from every patient could decrease the

physician’s salary. If a family physician decides to do both inpatient and outpatient then he/she

will have to travel to the hospital when one of their patients gets admitted. He/she will have to
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stop everything even in the middle of treating an outpatient because the patient in the hospital

requires more urgent attention (MacLeod). Doing both inpatient and outpatient can drain one’s

energy. Running back and forth between the hospital and physician’s office causes considerable

amounts of stress. To avoid this undesirable stress most family physicians will either do inpatient

or outpatient, not both. The majority of family physicians only treat outpatient and more

specifically work at a physician’s office. In 2016, out of the 122,970 employed family

physicians, 78,410 of them worked at a physician’s office (Family). The cause of more

outpatient family physicians could come from many factors but, the closer relationships with

patients and higher salary most likely caused this. On average family physicians that worked at a

physician’s office in 2016 earned an average salary of $200,810 (Family). The salary of a family

physician does​ ​not remain the only variable aspect of different workplaces. Different workplaces

obligate a family physician to perform particular tasks. For example, a family physician working

at a university has a distinct role compared to a family physician working at a physician’s office.

A family physician working at a university must perform regular tasks and must teach medical

students. When deciding where to work a family physician must consider many things but,

perhaps the most important one, the workplace culture. If a family physician does not enjoy what

they do or where they work then their performance will decline along with their morale. A

family physician must find a workplace where they will enjoy going to work every day.

Technology advances almost every aspect of society. Before the onset of technology in

the medical field everything had to get written on paper. This required more time and kept a

family physician from seeing more patients. Today many applications of technology improve

every section of the medical field. Some of these applications include the electronic health
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record, improved healthcare facilities, and faster lab analysis. Technology allows family

physicians to improve and speed up patient care. New technology allows family physicians and

specialists to communicate and share information easier. This has improved care coordination

between physicians. A family physician can send one of their patients to a subspecialist and

share all of the patient’s health records immediately with technology. Physicians use apps to

diagnose diseases, monitor symptoms, and reference medical textbooks (Lippman). Physicians

can also use apps to detect chronic diseases. Technology has the capability to solve medical

problems and improve patient health. Technology possesses many uses in family medicine. The

electronic health record makes documenting and accessing patient information easy. With a

centralized data system a physician can efficiently look at a patient’s medical history which

saves time and allows the physician to make a more accurate diagnosis (Hobbs). Technology and

data reports allows family physicians to easily access records and track patient health. Improving

communication between the patient and physician ranks highly among the focuses of integrating

technology into medicine. Better communication can advance patient care and establish better

relationships between the physician and patient.

Even though technology provides many benefits, it also carries some concerns. The

violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act primarily concerns many

people. HIPAA restricts the integration of some technology within medicine. HIPAA ensures

privacy and security for medical information. Some apps determine important personal data, the

FDA oversees these apps and assures the data stays encrypted. Those that use the apps must

remain cautious of HIPAA and misdiagnosis. Due to this fear, incorporating technology into the

medical field has become harder than other careers (Gordon). Technology helps until it fails and
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almost all technology fails at some point. If a physician’s office stores all records on a computer

system and the system crashes then the office cannot treat patients. If a physician’s office relies

completely on technology then it could become incapacitated if the wifi fails.

Family physicians treat patients of all ages with diverse health conditions. Most

physicians treat chronic medical conditions. Many patients that family physicians treat possess

chronic diseases. When patients contact family physicians first it leads to cheaper and quicker

treatment. Family physicians obtain an extensive education through many years of schooling.

They use this education in order to apply new technology while assisting patients. Family

physicians continuously perfect their skills by treating different medical conditions every day.

Family physicians help their community at all ages. By treating all ages a family physician

witnesses the evolution of their community. They build strong relationships with their patients

and their families. Family medicine constantly advances with new technology. The shortage of

family physicians constantly increases. This deficit will have a negative impact on The United

States of America if not resolved. Family physicians provide an essential service to the

healthcare system. Although long and costly, the path to becoming a family physician leads to

high reward. The several extra years of schooling gets rewarded with personal satisfaction and

financial security. The world could not function without family physicians.
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Works Cited

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