TITLE: PRIMARY CARE.

nh ngha: primary care is Health care provided in the community for people making
an initial approach to a medical practitioner or clinic for advice or treatment.
A GP, or General Practitioner, is a medical doctor who diagnoses, treats and refers patients suffering from
a range of illnesses.
A GP is the vital first point of contact for anyone suffering from an illness, except in immediately serious
cases where a patient will go directly to hospital. GPs diagnose and treat diseases, sometimes referring the
patient on to other specialists. As such, GPs must have a very broad medical knowledge.
GPs use a range of specialist equipment including a number of diagnostic devices to investigate the ear
cavities, the nose and the eyes, and a stethoscope to hear the heartbeat.

Job profile:
To be a GP, you will need completed a five-year degree course in medicine and two-year foundation
programme of general training.
You will also need specialist training in general practice which will take three years.
The word

making a diagnosis
giving general advice
prescribing medicine
recommending treatment
carrying out minor surgery
referring the patient to a specialist consultant for tests and further diagnosis.
You would also be involved in running the practice (alone or in partnership with other
GPs), and would carry out other tasks such as:

arranging support from other health professionals, such as physiotherapists and nurses
administration, like writing letters and reports, and keeping patient records
organising clinics and health education for patient groups, like pregnant women,
smokers and people with diabetes
taking further training to develop skills in specialist areas such as minor surgery or
mental health.
You would often work in a team that includes practice nurses, health visitors, midwives,
counsellors and administrative support staff.

Responsibilities
A GP sees patients in a number of different ways, including on an appointment basis, in drop-in clinics
and by making home visits to those considered too infirm to travel. A GP has a great deal of responsibility
as it is down to them to diagnose and treat a large number of ailments. Their main responsibilities are as
follows:

Meet patients and make a diagnosis based on symptoms, case history and patient feedback.
Prescribe medicines to treat specific conditions.
Administer general health and lifestyle advice to prevent illness and/or speed recovery.
Recommend and refer patients for further tests or treatment with other specialists for conditions that are
not treatable by a GP.
Administrative duties such as writing sick notes, updating patient records and writing referrals.

Qualifications
Becoming a GP in the UK takes a minimum of 10 years, which is comprised of five years studying
medicine at medical school and five years on-the-job training.
In order to qualify for medical school, high results in at least five GCSEs are required, as well as a
minimum of three A-levels at grades AAB including maths and other science subjects. Competition for
places at medical school is generally high, and prospective students must demonstrate a high level of
academic ability.
Graduates of medical school are then required to work in an NHS general hospital for two years, where
they are exposed to a number of different medical specialities.
Once this period is complete, recent graduates must then choose a speciality. In the case of deciding to
become a GP the graduate must undertake to study 'Specialist Training in General Practice' which takes
around three years to complete.
Here the trainee will rotate through a number of specialist areas such as paediatrics, psychiatry, GUM
(Genito Urinary Medicine) and general medicine, as well as working as an NHS registrar for 12 months.
During this period frequent assessments are undertaken, which will eventually lead to the CCT
(Completion of Training) being awarded. It is then possible to join the General Medical Councils GP
register and practice as an independent doctor.
All GPs are required to further their skills throughout their careers by completing specialist courses and
keeping up-to-date on developments in medicine.

Skills
Working as a GP is a challenging and rewarding role, and is suited only to high academic achievers who
also have good social skills. Other essential skills include:

An excellent long-term factual memory.

An ability to analyse complex problems.
A natural empathy and a desire to help people.
Patience.
The ability to work under extreme pressure in less than ideal circumstances.
Confidence when making tough decisions.
High levels of numeracy and mathematical ability.

Working Conditions
As it is geared towards making the general public feel at ease, a GP's surgery is a clean, calm and
comfortable place to work. Hours are usually from 9am to 5pm, although they may be later in order to
accommodate people visiting the practice after work.
GPs use some practical equipment such as blood pressure sphygmamometers, auroscopes (for ear
exams) and ophthalmoscopes (for eye examinations). With a high volume of patients to see, each with a
completely new set of problems and circumstances, a GP's job can be both mentally and emotionally
stressful. Generally speaking, a GP's surgery is busy and the workload is high.

Work experience
It is important to get as much information as possible about what is involved in working
in medicine, as there is a lot of competition for places on medical degrees. Most
university admissions departments will expect you to have done some relevant paid or
voluntary experience such as:

a hospital auxiliary or a healthcare assistant job in residential care (find details of these
roles through NHS Jobs)
a formal work shadowing placement in a hospital or general practice surgery (go to the
NHS Choices website for local hospital or surgery contact details)
volunteering work in a hospital or with St John Ambulance (find details on the
Volunteering England website).

Opportunities
GPs work in primary care, and most GPs are independent contractors to the NHS. They
are usually given a contract to deliver their services by primary care organisations such
as clinical commissioning groups. As part of these primary care organisations, GPs now
have a major role in how healthcare is organised.
Changes to the healthcare system in England mean that the NHS will need more GPs in
the future. This means that the number of training places is increasing. It is likely that
up to 50% of all speciality training places in the future will be in general practice, which
may increase your chances of being accepted onto GP training.
Working as a GP you will have a very varied job, as you will treat a wide range of
patients and conditions. This is one of the main reasons that people choose this
specialty of medicine.
As a GP you can reach a relatively high income early in your career. It is also one of the
medical specialities that have the most options for part-time and flexible working.
There are lots of opportunities to become involved in medical work outside of your GP
practice. You could do this for hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, the Benefits
Agency, police and prison services.
You could also work in education, for example teaching students training to be GPs.
You might also get involved in local issues, for example as a member of a Local Medical
Committee or clinical commissioning group.

Career Progression
In order to reach the upper echelon of salaries, a GP needs to own or part-own their own practice which
is generally the aim for most. However, experienced GPs may also move into advisory roles for
pharmaceutical companies or hospitals.

Salary

Remuneration for qualified GPs is comparatively high. The biggest salaries are earned by those who go
into business as owners of their own practice.

A qualified doctor working through their GP foundation year can expect to earn up to 40,000 + per
annum.
A qualified GP employed by a practice is likely to earn between 40,000 and 80,000 per annum.
A GP who owns or part-owns their own practice can earn up to 120,000 per annum.

Hours
You would work up to 50 hours a week for a full-time post. This will include some
evening and weekend work. Many GP surgeries are open from 8:30am to 6:30pm. You
may also be on a rota for out-of-hours emergency work.
Part-time hours are often available for GPs.
You may spend some time making home visits, and if you work in a rural practice you
may have to travel long distances.