Some people use GP (especially, in my experience, older people and people from the east). Other terms in common use include:
Family practitioner - someone who practices family medicine. Treats the whole family; no need for a separate pediatrician.
Internist - someone who practices internal medicine. Most often, they just treat adults (and sometimes teenagers).
Primary Care Provider - this is the term insurance companies use for a person's "gateway" health care provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, whatever).
I guess the question is, are you looking for how a patient would describe his doctor, how the doctor would describe himself, or something else altogether?
Ooh, thank you - very useful. I was really looking for whether an American would understand the term since I'm having Beckett say it to Sheppard in a thing I'm working on. But it sounds like I can get away with it, goody.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-04 11:07 pm (UTC)Family practitioner - someone who practices family medicine. Treats the whole family; no need for a separate pediatrician.
Internist - someone who practices internal medicine. Most often, they just treat adults (and sometimes teenagers).
Primary Care Provider - this is the term insurance companies use for a person's "gateway" health care provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, whatever).
I guess the question is, are you looking for how a patient would describe his doctor, how the doctor would describe himself, or something else altogether?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-05 06:36 pm (UTC)