Whereas pediatricians specialize in children’s medicine and internal medicine doctors specialize in adult medical care, a family medicine doctor is trained in the treatment of patients of all ages. Therefore, when it comes to selecting the most suitable primary care provider for your whole family, it’s best to choose a physician who specializes in family medicine.
Here’s an overview of family medicine and why it’s the best choice for you and your children.
Family Medicine
Family medicine physicians are trained in all of the different organ systems, diseases, and how the human body is affected by different things at the various ages. Unlike specialties that focus on a particular system or area of the body, there is full medical integration in the field of family medicine.
The family physician is able to provide comprehensive and continued care to everyone, from infants to the elderly. These physicians will follow your health progress and keep all documentation of treatments, illnesses, and immunizations along the way for each patient. This doctor is also well aware of your family’s medical history and any tendencies or vulnerabilities you may have.
Further Training and Specialization
Physicians are required to undergo a comprehensive residency program after graduating from medical school. This is where they get practical, broad-based training in health and medical issues affecting pediatric and adult patients, including disease management and prevention.
From their experiences in residency, family physicians develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide comprehensive care to all members of the family. The doctor may go on to a fellowship for further in-depth medical training.
There is a minimum number of hours required in residency before a physician can take tests to become board-certified, and this makes them qualified to become primary care providers.
Family Disease Prevention and Management
A huge aspect of primary care medicine involves disease management and prevention. Family medicine doctors build a long-term relationship with their patients in order to provide the best care, which includes avoiding over-prescribing medication or missing a combination of symptoms. A family doctor will learn your medical history and can create an individualized health plan just for you if needed, such as to lose weight. They are highly attuned to possible early signs of disease or illness.
It is your family medicine doctor who will provide life-saving screenings, administer vaccinations and immunizations, and recommend you to other healthcare specialists if necessary. You can trust that these family healthcare providers will keep a broad-picture view of your health and communicate with your specialists.
Family Primary Care Providers in Atoka, Oklahoma
If you are looking for an experienced family doctor, we welcome you to the Carrus Care Clinic of Atoka. Our friendly and compassionate family medicine physicians stay true to what made them want to practice medicine in the first place, which is to help patients like yourself and your family stay healthy for a lifetime.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, contact our team today by calling us at (580) 364-8205 or fill out our appointment request form online now. We look forward to being the healthcare partner of you and your whole family.
