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3 Health occupations > General Practitioners and Family Physicians (NOC 3112)

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General Practitioners and Family Physicians (NOC 3112)


Description

General practitioners and family physicians diagnose and treat the diseases, physiological disorders and injuries of patients. They provide primary contact and continuous care toward the management of patient health. They usually work in private practice, including group or team practices, hospitals and clinics. Residents in training to be general practitioners and family physicians are included in this unit group.

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Example Titles

  • family physician
  • general practitioner (GP)
  • medical doctor
  • resident, general practice

      >> View all titles

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Classified Elsewhere

  • Chiropractors (3122)
  • Naturopathic physicians and osteopathic physicians (in 3123 Other Professional Occupations in Health Diagnosing and Treating)
  • Specialist Physicians (3111)

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Duties

General practitioners and family physicians perform some or all of the following duties:

  • Examine patients and take their histories, order laboratory tests, X-rays and other diagnostic procedures and consult with other medical practitioners to evaluate physical and mental health
  • Prescribe and administer medications and treatments
  • Perform and assist in routine surgery
  • Provide emergency care
  • Provide acute care management
  • Inoculate and vaccinate patients
  • Deliver babies and provide pre-natal and post-natal care
  • Advise patients and their families on health care, including health promotion, disease, illness and accident prevention
  • Provide counselling and support to patients and their families on a wide range of health and lifestyle issues
  • Perform patient advocacy
  • Co-ordinate or manage primary patient care
  • Provide continuous care to patients
  • Supervise home care services
  • Report births, deaths, and contagious and other diseases to governmental authorities.

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Skills

General practitioners and family physicians need the following skills and abilities:

Essential skills:

  • ability to relate well to a wide range of people and gain their confidence
  • ability to work independently and as a member of a team
  • good problem-solving and decision-making skills
  • emotional stability, maturity, integrity, reliability, realistic self appraisal
  • ability to cope with stressful situations
  • physical stamina and manual dexterity
  • good listening and observational skills
  • good verbal and written communication skills
  • knowledge of computers

Technical skills:

  • operation of technical medical equipment
  • supervisory skills in directing and instructing staff
  • administrative skills such as basic accounting, human resources and materials management
  • may be required for physicians operating their own offices

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Employment Requirements

  • In Manitoba, graduation from an approved medical school and two to three years of family medicine residency training are required.
  • It is mandatory to be licensed and registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba to practice as a "physician" in the province of Manitoba.
  • The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba is the licensing and regulatory body in Manitoba. To obtain a full license, all applicants must hold a license from the Medical Council of Canada.
  • For those interested in becoming specialist physicians, they must hold a separate certificate from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in their area of specialization, and family physicians must hold a separate certificate from the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

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Terms & Conditions

General practitioners and family physicians most often work indoors, usually in doctor's offices, clinics, and hospitals. They may work long and irregular hours, and are often under stress. Medical residents studying to be general practitioners often work 24-hour shifts and 60 hours per week or more. The majority of general practitioners and family physicians work full-time (94%). Self employment in this occupation is common (50%).

Most general practitioners and family physicians are paid on a contract or fee-for-service basis; however, some derive a portion or all of their income from salaried employment. Incomes vary greatly depending on factors such as specialization, contractual arrangements, number of hours worked, location, number of years in practice, and the cost of operating a clinic or office. The average annual starting wage for residents and interns is approximately $45,000 to $50,000.

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Earnings

$115,000 per annum - starting

$183,000 per annum - average

$250,900 per annum - high

Earnings are reviewed annually or more frequently if new information becomes available.

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Education / Training

The University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine, offers a Doctor of Medicine M.D. program [3 or 4 year undergraduate degree, 4 year Doctor of Medicine Program, 2-8 years residency program] , http://www.umanitoba.ca/medicine/ :

  • The Doctor of Medicine program is a quota program, therefore not all applicants that fulfill entrance requirements are accepted.
  • To apply to the medical school program students must have any 3-year or honours undergraduate degree. There are several courses that students are required to have in order to be considered for the program including, English, Biochemistry, and for students apply with a 3-year degree, social sciences and humanities courses.
  • To apply to any medical program students must take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). This is an exam required by most schools across North America. A personal interview is also required by many medical schools prior to admission.
  • Following the undergraduate degree, the Doctor of Medicine M.D is a 4 year program.
  • A residency program, through the College of Family Physicians of Canada or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, between 2-8 years is also required.
  • The University of Manitoba offers the Special Pre-Medical Studies Program (SPSP). This is a two to four year program preparing Aboriginal students for entrance into medical, dental, pharmacy, or physiotherapy/occupational therapy programs.
  • Manitoba residents of Aboriginal ancestry are invited to apply to Medicine at the University of Manitoba through the special consideration category.

Most universities in Manitoba offer pre-professional programs:

  • Brandon University, Canadian Mennonite University, University of Manitoba,
  • Continuing Education Division, and the University of Winnipeg offer Pre-professional programs in Medicine.

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Career Paths

General practitioners and family physicians work in community health centres, hospitals, clinics or may operate their own private practice. Executive positions in health centres, hospitals and clinics are options for family physicians and general practitioners.

Physicians may also be employed in the private sector by insurance companies or large employers.

General practitioners and family physicians have the option to become specialist physicians with additional education and training.

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Outlook

Employment prospects for general practitioners and family physicians are expected to be good in the period 2010 - 2014. Employment in Manitoba in 2010 is estimated at 1,385.

There are shortages of general practitioners and family physicians throughout the Province, especially in rural and remote areas. The medical needs of an aging population will ensure a continued and growing requirement for general practitioners and family physicians.

A doctor retention program has been in existence in Manitoba since 2001 to help retain physicians once their medical training was completed. The Educational Assistance program is designed to encourage new medical graduates to practice in Manitoba by providing a financial incentive during medical training. Conditional grants are available to medical students in their third and fourth years as well as medical specialty residents. Upon completion of their residency program, they are required to work for one full years in Manitoba. The province also offers an enhanced Practice Assistance program for graduates of a Manitoba medical residency program or Manitoba medical graduates who have completed an approved postgraduate medical training program in another Canadian province and have set up practice in Manitoba. The northern physician placement initiative was developed to provide financial incentives to medical students and residents who must subsequently return service by establishing a family medicine practice in a designated area.

A proportionally larger number of jobs for general practitioners and family physicians are located in Winnipeg, but they are located in all regions of the Province. All work in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector, with the majority working in community based doctors offices/health centres (63%), followed by hospitals (35%) and residential care homes (2%).

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Employment by Age Group

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Employment by Industry

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Employment by Region

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Employment by Gender

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Employment by Aboriginal Self-Identification

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Employment by Visible Minority

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Please Note - The source for above charts is the 2006 Census.



Professional Associations, Unions, and Regulatory Bodies...

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Other Related Information...

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Service Canada Province of Manitoba