O
ften involved in non-emergency situations, your primary care physician should work with you for a long time, which is why you need to select a provider you can work with comfortably for a long time.
What are the main duties of a primary care physician?
The medical professional offers preventive care and teach you how to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Other duties of a PCP include the following:
• Identifying and treating common medical ailments
• Assessing the emergency of your health needs and directing you to the best facility for that case.
• Making appropriate referrals to certified medical specialists as required
In most cases, primary health care is administered in an outpatient setting. However, in a case where you become an inpatient in a medical facility, you primary care physician can also get involved in your treatment among other professional caregivers.
Several Types of Primary Health physicians
There are several types of primary health physicians, which you can select according to your conditions. The professional is usually a doctor, a physician assistant, or a registered nurse.
• Family practitioners: these board-certified medical professionals have completed successfully a residency in family practice. They specialize in dealing with common medical problems in children and adults of all ages. Sometimes they cover obstetrics and minor surgeries.
• Pediatricians: these board-certified professionals specialize in caring of newborns, infants, including children and adolescents. They have completed a residency practice in family pediatrics, which enables them to handle that specialty.
• Internists: upon successful completion of residency practice in internal medicine, these professionals are board certified to handle issues affecting adults of all ages for various medical conditions.
• Obstetrics and gynecologists: these board-certified medical professionals completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, which enables them to deal with issues affecting women of childbearing age.
Knowing different types of primary care professionals is important to help you choose the right one according to your medical condition. In some cases, it is possible to have more than one type of practitioner. It is also important to have a rough knowledge of professional background of the primary care physician you choose to work with.
