Why Choose Family Medicine?
Purpose
Family physicians are trained to offer the best possible patient care. They train to meet the needs of their future community by becoming experts in broad-scope care who can flex and adapt to any setting.
Family medicine residencies are located everywhere, from big cities to rural areas, in traditional academic settings, communities, and the military. Most are three-year programs, with a few options for four-year programs. There are also several combined-specialty options in family medicine, where residents train in family medicine and an additional specialty, like psychiatry or preventive medicine.
Variety
Family physicians offer diverse services. Imagining what they’ll be doing in their career 30 or 40 years down the road draws many students to the field. In family medicine, each day offers something different, which is a major advantage for those seeking flexibility and the opportunity for lifelong learning.
In family medicine, you can:
- Routinely perform procedures
- Treat patients in a hospital setting
- Deliver emergency care
- Care for infants and children
- Provide maternity and obstetrical care
- Pursue focused training and fellowships
Skill
Family physicians perform many procedures, making the specialty unique in how it combines hands-on interventions and relationship-based care to meet nearly all of a patient’s health care needs. Family physicians learn many clinical procedures in residency training, often tailored to the future physicians’ desired practice setting and community needs.
Family physicians can also build on their residency training to add procedures to their repertoire throughout their careers.
Some procedures family physicians might use in practice are:
- Colposcopy/LEEP
- Musculoskeletal injections
- Spirometry
- Skin procedures
- Suturing lacerations
- Ultrasound imaging
- IUD insertion
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment
- Cosmetic procedures
- Radiography
- and more!
Versatility
Family physicians have many practice options and are in demand everywhere they go — including globally. Family medicine makes it possible to have a fulfilling career while maintaining a healthy work/life balance that allows time to raise a family, travel, and pursue hobbies.
Some popular settings to choose from in family medicine are:
- Solo or group practices
- Telehealth-based practices
- Direct primary care offices
- Multi-specialty group practices
- Research or academic health centers
- Hospitals, rural, urban, and suburban practices
- Emergency departments and urgent care centers
- Community health centers
- Administrative roles and government
Expertise
Family physicians are trained to offer the best possible patient care. They train to meet the needs of their future community by becoming experts in broad-scope care who can flex and adapt to any setting.
Family medicine residencies are everywhere, from big cities to rural areas, in traditional academic settings, communities, and the military. Most are three-year programs, with a few options for four-year programs. There are also several combined-specialty options in family medicine, where residents train in family medicine and an additional specialty, like psychiatry or preventive medicine.
As residents, all family physicians are trained in:
- Hospital medicine, including intensive care, inpatient, and outpatient medicine
- Prenatal care, labor, and delivery
- Emergency medicine
- Surgery and procedures
- Pediatrics
- Geriatrics
Family medicine also has many fellowship and certification options, including in:
- Adolescent medicine
- Emergency medicine
- Faculty development
- Geriatric medicine
- Hospice and palliative medicine
- Hospital medicine
- Integrative medicine
- Global health
- Obstetrics
- Sleep medicine
- Sports medicine