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Choosing the right career path might be one of the most significant choices you will make for your life. A career should be something that you enjoy doing, and this career can also generate the income you desire. However, it is not as easy it seems. There are pros and cons to every career choice, you just have to be sure that the choice you take is one you will not regret.
If you are here, it is probably because you have decided to become a doctor, but are still unsure of what to specialise in. Well, family medicine is one of those options. Family medicine is unlike any other. Unlike other practises, that tend to focus on a certain demographic or ailment, family medicine covers everything. Family doctors treat people of all ages, and are the doctor people usually go to when they have an issue.
Family doctors spend their careers around communities, as they establish long-lasting relationships with their patients. It is one of the reasons why they are called family doctors. These physicians can sometimes treat patients of different generations of the same family. This is also why they are the most trusted doctors among healthcare staff.
Here are a couple of other reasons why family medicine is the right choice for you.
You can care for anyone
As mentioned before, family medicine covers all types of care, this includes general medicine, paediatric care, emergency care and preventative care. All these acquired skills can help you assist and care for almost anyone. Of course, you would have them set on their way to a specialist if they need special care, but you will be able to cover the basics.
You can also ensure that everyone has access to healthcare. You can establish clinics in rural areas, where healthcare is scarce. You could also offer your services as medical aid for people that are victims of war, natural disasters and famine.
You can go into investigative research
One part of your job as a family doctor would be to cultivate a preventative plan for your patients. In order to do this, you first need to figure out the ailment they suffer from. Some patients may be easy, since you have access to their family records and their health history. But, once in a while, you will come across a patient where you have to start from scratch.
Here comes the investigative research. If you are a fan of detective work, finding the cause of an ailment could be for you. At first you are presented with symptoms, and you start ruling out the possible reasons. Then you carry out tests and run scans that could help your search. This could be really fun and interesting as you delve into the possible causes and effects.
If these two reasons have convinced you to pursue family medicine, you can enrol yourself in a family medicine residency program in Malaysia that is handled by RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus (RUMC).