The health industry is getting modernized at an alarming rate in recent times. The need for privacy and personalized service has necessitated the reinvention of the medical world. Everyone wants a physician fully aware of their medical history to diagnose conditions and prescribe treatment accurately. For a certain level of trust to grow, you and your doctor need to spend time together. This can be achieved through a family practice doctor. Alex Bernstein MD is a renowned family doctor with vast expertise, knowledge, and experience in family medicine. Read on to learn about the practice and its possible advantages.
Who is a Family Practice Doctor?
A family practice doctor is a physician trained as a general doctor to care for people of all ages and deal with common body ailments. They also evaluate symptoms, treat chronic conditions, and offer preventative care while advising when to see a specialist.
They typically work in private office environments or together with other family doctors. They may also be located in hospital settings or community medicine clinics.
Underserved populations, rural areas, or areas with limited community resources and high poverty levels, and illiteracy are prime hotspots for many family doctors.
Roles of a Family Practice Doctor
Family doctors who work in community health facilities offer a wide variety of care services. Some of them include:
· Immunizations
· Healthy lifestyle counseling
· Health risk assessments
· Routine checkups also for infants and children
· Screening tests
· Treatment of typical chronic conditions
Family practice doctors can become specialists in urgent care, emergency, sports medicine, and public health.
Training to become a family medicine doctor has to be done at an accredited school of medicine. Several requirements before becoming a family practice doctor include:
· At least four years in medical school
· Taking board exams like the United States Medical Licensing Examination
· A minimum of three years residency, including rotations in pediatrics, obstetrics, emergency medicine, general surgery, and inpatient hospital care
· Certification through bodies like the American Board of Family Medicine
There are a variety of reasons for you to visit a family doctor. The most typical ones include:
Chronic Disease Management
Family practice doctors can treat and manage several chronic conditions and diseases like:
· High blood pressure
· Diabetes
· Heart disease
· Kidney disease
· Arthritis
· High cholesterol
· Breathing issues, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma
· Skin problems
They can also give prescription refills for chronic condition medication while coordinating with other specialists.
Care for injury or illness
When injured or sick, a family practice doctor may diagnose and treat the condition without requiring a specialist’s opinion. There are conditions such as flu, sprains, pneumonia, fractures, bronchitis, seasonal allergies, stomach viruses, and ear infections.
Routine Exams
Family practice doctors can perform routine exams like newborn and well-child checkups, annual physicals, men’s health screenings like prostate exams, female pelvic exams, and sports physicals.
Family practice doctors have become so widespread that they are forming institutions for family practice medicine made up mainly of themselves. These institutions concentrate on patient satisfaction, urgent care, and personalized services for all patients. Check our website online to book an appointment or call our offices in Washington Heights, NY.
