family physician
family physician — noun
1. A doctor who is trained to diagnose and treat common illnesses and injuries, and
A doctor who is trained to diagnose and treat common illnesses and injuries, and who looks after the general health of people living in a particular local area.
When Eve's children caught a fever, she took them to the family physician in town.
collocation: take [someone] to a family physician
Brooke has seen the same family physician since she moved to the neighbourhood.
duration: seen the same family physician since [time]
The family physician near Adaeze's house saved her father by spotting a heart attack early.
Antonia called her family physician when her son's sore throat did not get better.
- family doctor
more informal and more common in everyday speech; identical in meaning
- general practitioner
similar role; 'general practitioner' (GP) sometimes refers to a doctor without formal residency training in family medicine, though the terms overlap heavily
- specialist
a doctor who treats only one organ system or disease type, unlike a family physician who treats the whole person
用法筆記
Often used with a possessive ('my / your / her family physician') or with 'the' when referring to the specific doctor a person regularly visits.
2. A doctor who has completed specialized training in family medicine and provides
A doctor who has completed specialized training in family medicine and provides ongoing medical care for patients of every age, from newborn babies to elderly adults, often including preventive care and management of chronic conditions.
Noor studied family medicine to become a family physician who treats entire families.
collocation: become a family physician
Yael's family physician delivered her first baby and later treated her mother's diabetes.
range of care: delivering babies and managing chronic conditions
In the US, board-certified family physicians pass a special exam after residency training.
Inês chose a family physician so her family could see one doctor for check-ups.
- family practice doctor
less common but used in official contexts; 'family practice' is the older name for the specialty
- family medicine doctor
current preferred term in medical education; emphasizes the broader scope of the specialty