How to Become a General Physician

Are you thinking about what is the work of a general physician or what is a general physician? here is the answer to all your doubts. Individuals who opt for a career as general physicians are required to examine the patients, ascertain the cause of disease or injury, prescribe medical tests if required, and interpret the results of those tests. The general physician job description includes understanding the margin of error has to be zero, or minimal. There are no second chances or trial and error in the medical industry. A single wrong decision can either worsen the situation or can even result in death.

Management

In a career as a general physician, one is responsible for managing various things such as ensuring that diagnosis and treatment-related services are provided within the hospital at all times. An Individual who opts for a career as general physician is also responsible for the smooth, efficient, and cost-effective running of medical equipment. The role of general physician is to maximize flexibility, teamwork, and innovative working practices. A general physician's job duty is that he or she must ensure that the efficient use of medical resources is applied. 

Now you know what general physician means, let us now look at some of the general physician career options or types of a general physician.

Radiology technicians: Radiology technicians are professionals who work as an assistant to radiologists and help them in diagnosing and treating patients using diagnostic imaging examinations like X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans. They also prepare patients and equipment for radiology procedures, perform tests, and maintain the equipment is also one of their job duties.

Registered Nurse: Registered nurses are professionals who work in hospitals, physician’s offices, and home healthcare services. Their job duties include providing patient care, coordinating, and educating patients and the public about various healthcare conditions. 

Respiratory Therapist: Respiratory therapist is a medical professional who provides healthcare for the lungs. He or she has advanced knowledge of high-tech equipment, such as mechanical ventilation. 

Medical Doctor: The medical doctor is required to collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, and examination results. A medical doctor is also responsible for referring patients to medical specialists or other practitioners when necessary. A medical practitioner order performs and interprets tests and analyses records, reports, and examination information to diagnose patients' conditions. A medical doctor monitors patient's condition and progresses and reevaluates treatments as necessary.

General Physician: The job of a general physician is to perform minimal treatment and analysis treatments that last a few minutes. Individuals who opt for a career as general physician operates on a human living body and hence their life is at high risk. In order to avoid accidents during diagnosis and treatment, a general physician must be alert, prepared for all types of emergency situations, and able to perform life-saving initiatives at any time during the diagnosis and treatment.

General Physician With Specialization: After gaining a considerable amount of experience as a general physician, the professionals specialize in a particular section and perform the surgeries related to that particular section of medical healthcare. Individuals who opt for a career as general physician operates different types of surgeries categorized on the type of procedures, the body system involved, and the degree of invasiveness. Some of the most prominent surgeries performed are elective diagnosis and treatment, semi-elective diagnosis and treatment, emergency diagnosis and treatment, exploratory diagnosis and treatment, therapeutic diagnosis and treatment, and cosmetic diagnosis and treatment. 

Head General Physician: The job of a head general physician is to supervise the diagnosis and treatment team and maintain the treatment schedules for each day. Along with supervising the team, ahead of general physician also practices diagnosis and analysis in his or her specialization. It is the responsibility of a head general physician to oversee the technical equipment that is up to date and matches the standards of the medical industry. A head general physician supervises the team and assigns job duties to each and every member of the medical team.

Also read: Career as Doctor

In a career as a general physician, one spends his or her time in the treatment room, where he or she is required to prepare different sets of machines and other treatment equipment necessary for the particular treatment along with verifying its functionality. Once the patient is connected to the machine, along with performing the diagnosis and treatment, the general physician is responsible for continuously monitoring the patient’s status to control the rate of blood circulation, hemodynamics, temperature, blood composition, and other technical, critical, and treatment devices.

Does General Physician require travelling?

Not Likely

In a career as general physician, one requires little to no travelling. Since a general physician is required to work in one healthcare area and generally spends 90 per cent of his or her time in the OR suite for cardiac cases, in other cases, he or she finds their responsibilities extending to areas such as the medical intensive care unit and medical laboratory.

Employment Shifts

Full Time

In a career as a general physician, one works full-time and might be required to be present on call on some nights, weekends, and holidays. Depending on the treatment, call responsibilities can get rigorous. In certain facilities that perform a large number of surgeries, a general physician may work in shifts to ensure that a trained general physician is available 24 hours a day.

Employment Nature

Permanent

In a career as a general physician, one is hired by employers on a permanent basis. Hence, the nature of his or her work is permanent. Medical centers or third-party medical companies employ general physicians for permanent posts.

Work Place

hospitals

In a career as a general physician, one is mainly required to work in treatment rooms in hospitals and medical centres during general diagnosis and treatment, along with this, he or she also works in ICUs. The working hours for general physicians vary greatly as he or she must answer the call of medical and medical emergencies when needed. Many general physicians are also required to assist in philanthropic cardiac diagnosis and treatment missions. They might work overtime if the diagnosis and treatment stretch to be too long.

Presence in Geographical Area

Rural, Semi-urban, Urban

Tier-1 cities such as New Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Pune are big hubs for world-class healthcare treatments making them a big hub for opportunities for healthcare workers working in several sectors. A General physician in Chennai, Tamil Nadu earns an average of 10.6 per cent more than the national average. Individuals who opt for a career as general physician also find higher than average salaries in Bangalore, Karnataka (4.4 per cent more). The lowest General physician salary can be found in Mumbai and Maharashtra (11.5 per cent less).

Time Pressure

Likely

Since a general physician is required to work in one healthcare area and generally spends 90 per cent of his or her time in the OR suite for cardiac cases, in other cases, he or she finds their responsibilities extending to areas such as the medical intensive care unit and medical laboratory.

Overtime Details

Typically, in a career as a general physician, one is required to work overtime 60 hours per week and also might be required to be present on call on some nights, weekends, and holidays. In certain facilities that perform a large number of surgeries, a general physician may work in shifts to ensure that a trained general physician is available 24 hours a day.

Weekly Hours of Work

Min 60 Hours

Typically, in a career as general physician, one is required to work overtime 60 hours per week. Usually, a general physician is scheduled to work eight hours per day starting from 9 AM to 8 PM. However, depending on the requirements and the diagnosis and treatment schedules, the general physician might be required to work under certain shifts. 

In order to be successful in the field, one must possess some general physician skills. Some of them are mentioned below:

Patience: Individuals who opt for a career as general physicians face critical situations where he or she is required to stay calm and make decisions that might be an important factor in a patient’s future. The general physicians are one of the most essential members of the diagnosis and treatment team. The work he or she does helps in keeping critically ill and medically unstable people alive. Situations like these required them to stay calm and level-headed. 

Physical strength: In order to have superior stamina and mental focus, a general physician is required to stay fit and keep themselves healthy. Individuals who opt for a career as a general physician are required to stay alert during the treatments that could last as long as 6-8 hours or more which isn’t possible without mental stamina and irresistible focus. 

Communication skills: The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most necessary skills required by a general physician in order to perform their job duties. The team working for treatment must be closely knitted which can be achieved through strong communication, communicating effectively becomes important in a high-stake team environment. 

Science skills: Nothing can be achieved without a deep understanding and interest in the subject. In order to become a general physician along with excelling in the career, it is important for the candidate to have a deep interest in science and technology. A good academic background is a non-negotiable requirement in the profession that can be achieved only through knowledge and a deep interest in science and technology. 

Attention to detail: A general physician is required to make important decisions during the treatments. Hence, he or she is required to pay meticulous attention to detail to produce highly accurate work even when under pressure. Paying attention to small details is essential during treatment and analysis. 

Critical thinking: Management of medical treatments requires sharp critical thinking skills which involve using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. Hence, a general physician is required to exhibit strong critical thinking and analytical skills which can be used in tough situations. 

Learning skills: Learning skills are one of the important skills required to become a general physician which involves learning tasks like conducting tests and inspections of equipment, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance, adjusting actions in relation to others' actions,  determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job, controlling treatments of equipment or systems, and selecting and using training or instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

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Those interested in becoming a general physician can also pursue the following certifications to add enhance their skills.

Junior General Physician: A Junior General Physician is a professional who helps people with their illnesses by providing medical treatment and caring for them. A Junior General Physician examines the cause of diseases or injuries and prescribes the medical treatment and tests.

Senior General Physician: A Senior General Physician is an experienced professional who leads a team of Junior General Physicians. A career as Senior General Physician requires examining patients and helping them to treat their ailments. A Senior General Physician prescribes medications and suggests lifestyle alterations.

A career as a general physician is a profession that demands a commitment to a lengthy and rigorous educational track, multiple levels of examinations and licensing, an arduous residency, and career-long learning and dedication. Due to these factors, the professionals in the industry are in shortage and the demand for general physicians is always at stake. This also becomes one of the most important reasons for the high pay packages of a general physician. The government of India is committed to making improvements in health coverage with the announcement of Ayushman Bharat.

This will surely entail the creation of different sectors of the healthcare industry like preventive, promotive, and curative sectors. In the near future, it is estimated that the healthcare industry will become one of the top three employment generators in India, providing stable and quality healthcare employment across all levels of economic cycles. One of the major reasons for the growth of employment in the diagnosis and treatment department will be the growing and ageing population. Additionally, with the advancement in technologies and procedures, it is possible to diagnose a disease that wasn’t possible before. 

However, the competition is tough for specialists in urban and semi-urban areas due to obvious reasons such as high earning potential. General physicians are health professionals who operate on patients to repair injuries, correct deformities, prevent diseases and generally improve the health of patients.

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