Family doctor (Huisarts)
Information on this skill...
A family doctor is a medical specialist within the field of general practice. Family medicine can also be seen as generalism. Generalism relates to the basic knowledge of many different medical topics. In other words, a general practitioner is a doctor who has little knowledge of many different medical topics. A general practitioner can therefore only be regarded as a medical specialist within the field of general practice. The main difference between a generalist and a specialist is that a generalist knows little about much and a specialist knows a lot about little. The fact that we can also call a general practitioner a generalist does not mean that a general practitioner has little medical knowledge, because this is not the case. A general practitioner should be seen as an all-round specialist, who has a lot of basic knowledge. It is precisely the role of a general practitioner to refer patients to the right specialists if necessary. As a general practitioner, you therefore practice healthcare from a generalist perspective. A general practitioner can therefore also be seen as a primary care provider. Other generalists within health care are, for example, dentists and physiotherapists. The profession of general practitioner can be regarded as an important profession, because everyone is strongly dependent on the general practitioner. In most cases, the general practitioner is the first doctor that people visit if there are certain complaints. Only if further research or treatments are needed will a general practitioner refer to more specialized medical specialists. This often concerns hospital specialists, such as internists, cardiologists and gynecologists. This depends on the type of complaints that someone has to deal with. A general practitioner is therefore a specialized doctor who generally does not work within hospitals. A general practitioner usually works within his own general practice and will make home visits.
As a general practitioner you will have to deal with many different patients during consultation hours, from young to old, and you will diagnose and treat patients with various types of physical and / or mental disorders or complaints. Another important task of GPs is to listen to possible problems of patients in order to prevent further problems. Think, for example, of problems at work, problems at home or problems at school. Because a general practitioner is a primary care provider, a general practitioner can refer patients to other specialists who can help the patient in question. As a primary care provider, it is very important to correctly assess possible complaints of patients, so that patients are only referred if necessary. It is not the case that a general practitioner will work with all patients, because there can also be specialized care. Consider, for example, working with mentally disabled people that can also fall under the responsibility of a AVG doctor. A AVG doctor can also be regarded as a general practitioner, but then aimed at the mentally handicapped.
WORKING AS A GENERAL PRACTITIONER
A general practitioner has a lot of knowledge of possible health problems and will therefore inform patients about possible follow-up measures, depending on the complaints and the observation of the general practitioner. For example, a general practitioner may refer patients to an internist, a surgeon, a psychiatrist or a gynecologist if necessary. In addition, a general practitioner can refer patients to a social worker or, for example, a dietitian. In most cases, a medical specialist will also provide feedback to the general practitioner about his or her findings, so that a clear treatment plan is created. In most cases, this will be a letter from the relevant specialist in which it is stated exactly which treatments have been carried out or must be carried out. These treatments can then be discussed between the general practitioner and the patient in question if necessary.
WHAT DO A FAMILY DOCTOR DO
A general practitioner is therefore a doctor who does not work in a hospital but works within a general practice. Because in most cases people have to deal with a general practitioner in the first place with health problems, it is very important as a general practitioner that you have the right characteristics. These traits don't just relate to medical knowledge, because good social skills are just as important. Being able to listen to patients is very important as a general practitioner, in order to be able to provide patients with good advice. Giving good advice can also mean that the gp decides not to refer patients, because the complaints are less serious than the patient may think. In these types of cases, it is very important as a general practitioner to explain to patients in a clear way why this is exactly the case.
VARIOUS ACTIVITIES OF A GENERAL PRACTITIONER:
- Requesting laboratory or other diagnostic tests
- Making home visits
- Treating patients
- Maintaining medical records
- Diagnosing patients
- Giving protective injections (flu shot)
- Providing information
- Holding office hours
- Listening to patients
- Maintaining contacts with other specialists
- Writing out recipes and referrals
- Performing prevention research (taking smears)
WHAT DOES A GENERAL PRACTITIONER DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A GENERAL PRACTITIONER
Anyone who aspires to a career as a general practitioner will first of all have to follow and complete the university study of medicine. University medical studies will generally take six years. After studying medicine, one speaks of a basic doctor and the basic doctor will have to go through an additional study of about three years. The total training period to become a general practitioner will therefore take about nine years. A general practitioner in training will have to choose the specialty of general practice that can be followed at various universities. A basic doctor who follows a study to become a specialist is also called AIOS (doctor in training to become a specialist) or HAIO (general practitioner in training). During the study of general practice, you will do an internship within a general practice, within psychiatry and do an internship within elderly care and acute medicine. For more information about possible training courses, see the website general practitioner training and the websites Landelijke Huisartsen Vereniging (LHV) and Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap (NHG). Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A GENERAL PRACTITIONER CAN BE EMPLOYED
A general practitioner is generally not employed by companies, because most general practitioners in the Netherlands work as entrepreneurs. This does not alter the fact that a general practitioner can work together with other GPs within a general practice or GP post. If a general practitioner is employed, one also speaks of a "hidha". Hidha stands for general practitioner in the service of another general practitioner.
COMPETENCES GENERAL PRACTITIONER
As a general practitioner, you must have many competencies, which are not only related to medical knowledge or skills. Communication can also be regarded as an important competence, because as a general practitioner you have to listen so much and consult with patients and other specialists. In most cases, a general practitioner will also work together with other employees in the practice, such as a doctor's assistant or practice nurse. A general practitioner can therefore be seen as a manager within his or her own practice. Another important word as a general practitioner is trust, because a general practitioner is a confidant of patients. Legislation and regulations are also an important competence that should not be underestimated. Generally important words are knowledge, motivation, further training, insight, planning, independence, analytical, accuracy, stress resistance, perseverance and conflict management.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A GENERAL PRACTITIONER
The labour market perspective as a general practitioner is generally very good, partly in view of the long study, but most GPs work as entrepreneurs and not in paid employment. The career opportunities as a general practitioner can be seen in starting your own general practice, since most GPs work as independent entrepreneurs. In addition, a general practitioner is a scientist and can, for example, also carry out research and perhaps obtain a PhD.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY GENERAL PRACTITIONER
If a general practitioner is employed, he will generally fall under the Hidha collective labour agreement in which the employment conditions are regulated. As described earlier, most GPs do not work as an employee but as an independent entrepreneur. A self-employed gp will generally earn a salary of 96,000 gross per year, which equates to a salary of 8,000 gross per month. The salary is highly dependent on the number of patients and the expenses, such as practice costs and personnel costs. The salary of a Hidha will be about 70,000 gross per year which amounts to a monthly salary of 5,833 gross. As described earlier, most general practitioners are not employed but work as entrepreneurs within their own practice. A general practitioner in training AIOS or HAIO will generally earn a salary of about 2,800 gross per month.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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Lees deze informatie over Huisarts in het Nederlands.
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