DOCTOR, (general practice) JOB

General practitioners (GPs) provide primary and continuing medical care for patients. They take account of physical, psychological and social factors when diagnosing illness and recommending the required treatment. Patients may be referred to hospital clinics for further assessment and/or treatment. GPs may run specialist clinics within the practice for patients with specific conditions. They work alongside other health care professionals to discuss care options for patients and their families.

GPs who are partners are responsible for the running of the practice. This involves a range of administrative activities, such as employing staff, keeping abreast of paperwork, and managing budgets. Some of their work activities include: running surgeries, listening to and questioning patients sensitively, referring patients to specialist services in hospitals, maintaining patient confidentiality and impartiality, planning and providing appropriate treatment.

And even commissioning health care by liaising with medical professionals in the community and hospitals, promoting health education in conjunction with other health professionals, organizing preventative medical programs for individual patients, meeting targets set by the government for specific treatments, e.g. child immunizations, managing resources to service the targets as effectively as possible, providing advice on medical care, including immunizations for those travelling abroad.

Providing specialist clinics for specific conditions or for certain groups, e.g. diabetes or new babies, but all will be expected to have basic abilities for work such as maintaining patients' records, keeping up to date with medical developments, new drugs, treatments and medications, observing and assessing the work of trainee general practitioners (GPs), teaching at medical schools or hospitals. Partners in a practice may decide to expand their career portfolio and specialise in a certain area of medicine, such as obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, orthopaedics, etc.