Black Intelligentsia Libraries
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Family & General Practitioner
It is very important to know your family's medical history (often vital for saving lives). Equally important is the establishment of routine check-ups with a family doctor, who examines expecting mothers and babies to the elderly—the "Jack of all Trades" of Practitioners. If you are considering becoming a "regular" doctor, wish to have workdays that are anything but regular, boring, or routine, and excel in Science, Math, and Health, then you should consider becoming a Family Practitioner.
Family and General Practitioners examine patients to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in the general population, from sinus and respiratory infections to broken bones and scrapes. Often treating entire families regardless of age or gender, they are the first point of contact in times of health crises and are basically responsible for the family's comprehensive health care (frequently caring for families spanning several generations). They prescribe and administer medications, perform routine vaccinations, provide advice in personal health and hygiene, and refer patients with more serious conditions to specialists for further diagnosis and treatment.
The duties of a Family and General Practitioner include but are not limited to: performing general checkups of all family members, regardless of age or gender; eliciting and recording information about patients' medical history to build family medical history records; ordering, analyzing, and interpreting various reports, tests, analyses, diagnostic images, and results to provide information on patients' condition; providing vaccinations; monitoring patients' conditions and progress; explaining procedures, test results, and prescribed treatments to patients; providing prenatal care, delivering babies, and providing postnatal care to mothers and infants; performing surgical procedures to remove, repair, or improve functioning of diseased or injured body parts and systems; prescribing treatments, therapy, and medications; referring patients to specialists as needed; educating patients, families, and community members concerning diet, fitness, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention to improve general health; planning, implementing, and administering health programs or standards in hospitals for information, prevention, and treatment of injuries and illnesses; and conducting research and teaching at universities.
High school students interested in becoming a Family Practitioner benefit from taking Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Biology/Anatomy, Nutrition, Nursing, Health, Physics, Chemistry, and Physical Science. Students entering Pre-Medical Bachelor's of Science programs with no previous medical training should expect a period of 4 years to complete said program. Upon completion of undergraduate studies, graduates must complete a 4-year Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) program from an accredited medical school and a 3-to-4-year residency. All states require Family Practitioners to be licensed (having successfully completed all sections of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) in order to legally practice. Many states require them to take continuing education and renew their license periodically.
Family Practitioners often work as central directors and coordinators of patient care, directing and coordinating activities of Nurses, Social Workers, Rehabilitation Therapists, Pharmacists, Psychologists, medical students, assistants, specialists, and other medical staff. Working in hospitals, clinics, or private practices, they interface between the patient and all the different specialists to ensure that care is not duplicated and that treatment plans are working.
Because they deal with health issues that largely affect the aging baby boomers as well as entire families as a whole, employment of Family Practitioners is expected to grow 24 percent over the next decade. In addition, job prospects should be particularly good for those willing to practice in rural, low-income, and other under-served areas.
Job Description
Median Salary & Range
Median Salary: $176,180
Salary Range: ~$138,370 - $227,530+
College Majors & Attainment Routes
The normal routes to becoming a Family and General Practitioner have been to attain a Bachelor's of Science degree in Pre-Medical, Physiology, Physiology Sciences, Biology or Biological Sciences (Pre-Medical concentration), Microbiology, Biochemistry, Chemistry (Pre-Medical or Pre-Professional concentration), Physics (Pre-Medical concentration), Biomedical Sciences, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Forensic Biology, Engineering Physics, Health Sciences, or Pre-Professional Education.
Pre-Medical students must complete 4 years of undergraduate studies, successfully complete the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and submit scores with their medical school application. Candidates should participate in extracurricular activities, take on leadership roles, and gain clinical experience by volunteering at a hospital or clinic (shadowing a Family Physician) in order to be more competitive for medical school and to build mentor/mentee relationships with established Family Practitioners.
Medical school programs take 4 years to complete: 2 years of classroom instruction in the sciences followed by 2 years of clinicals (learning acute, chronic, preventive, and rehabilitative care). After medical school, graduates must complete 3 to 4 years of residency. A few medical schools offer combined undergraduate and medical school programs that last 6 rather than the customary 8 years.
Colleges That Provide Above Majors
Colleges and universities that have Medical Schools and related majors are: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (Los Angeles, California); Howard University (Washington, DC); Meharry Medical College (Nashville, Tennessee); Morgan State University (Baltimore, Maryland); Delaware State University (Dover, Delaware); Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia); Norfolk State University (Norfolk, Virginia); Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, North Carolina); North Carolina Central University (Durham, North Carolina); North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, North Carolina); Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia); Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, North Carolina); Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, North Carolina); Winston Salem State University (Winston Salem, North Carolina); Albany State University (Albany, Georgia); South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); Spelman College (Atlanta, Georgia); Claflin University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); Allen University (Columbia, South Carolina); Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley, Georgia); Savannah State University (Savannah, Georgia); Paine College (Augusta, Georgia); Benedict College (Columbia, South Carolina); Voorhees College (Denmark, South Carolina); Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi); Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, Texas); Oakwood University (Huntsville, Alabama); Virginia State University (Petersburg, Virginia); and Livingstone College (Salisbury, North Carolina).
Available Scholarships
