Let's hope that you do not have to see a doctor for any health problems for a long time, if ever. But you do need health maintenance visits. Just like your car, your body needs to be checked and maintained on a regular basis for it to run in top shape.
For a
regular maintenance check, you need a primary care doctor.
In addition to seeing you for conditions within his or her
field, your primary care doctor can refer you to appropriate specialists when
the issues you have are beyond his or her expertise. Your primary care doctor
can also coordinate with specialists and make sure that the recommendations fit
your personal needs. Your primary care doctor is the head coach for your total
health care. He or she sees the big picture.
Your
Primary Care Doctor Specializes in YOU
Often a patient comes to me for the first time with a list
of specialists for his or her different physical ailments. Many times the
recommendations by the specialists are perfect for a hypothetical textbook
patient, but not appropriate for the particular person, given different
circumstances, other treatments, and coexisting health conditions.
The specialists do not always know what the other
specialists are doing. And often a Primary care provider in Keansburg NJ can
easily and competently treat the conditions for which this patient spends a lot
of time and money seeing the separate specialists. Imagine shooting a fly with
a cannonball, or several cannonballs at the same time. All one needs is a
lightweight flyswatter.
After all, each specialist sees you only within his or her specialty: your guts, your heart, your skin, your eyes, or your brain. But all these body parts belong to a whole, which is you.
With the increasing popularity of complementary and
alternative practices, your primary care doctor may also help you separate the
grain from the chaff in the dizzying array of alternative options.
Choosing
Your Primary Care Doctor
There are different choices for Primary
Care Doctor in Keansburg NJ in the US. For adults, there
are internists (internal medicine doctors), family physicians (family doctors),
and general practitioners (GPs). All these doctors must have at least eight
years of college and medical school combined.
Internists and family physicians have to be trained for at
least another three years after medical school. Internists see only adults.
Family physicians generally can see all members of a family - "from cradle
to grave."
General practitioners usually have one year of practical
training after medical school. What GPs lack in formal training, they make up
for with their years of real-life medical experiences, as most of them were
trained before the 1970s.
Your primary care doctor may also work with a nurse
practitioner or a physician's assistant. If your checkup is with the nurse
practitioner or physician's assistant, make sure that person works closely with
the physician.
I work with a nurse practitioner at my practice. I review
with her all the patients she sees. Together, we provide care to her patients,
with two heads for the price of one, combining her extensive nursing knowledge
and my medical training!
So how do you go about finding someone to head the task of
helping you maintain your health and, if necessary, taking care of your medical
needs when you become ill? Here are some places for you to start:
Find a good Family medicine in Holmdel NJ through word of mouth from your family and
friends.
Ask nurses and other doctors you know to recommend a primary
care doctor for you.
Check your state board of medicine website to check the
doctor's credentials, their years in practice, and any possible professional
disciplinary actions.
Check with the potential doctor's office to see if they take
new patients and accept your health insurance; see how long it takes to get an
appointment; and find out who takes over if he or she is away.
Consider how your doctor speaks and explains complex medical
issues with you, and see if you feel comfortable asking questions.
Bring a summary of your medical history with you when you
visit your doctor for the first time.
Whether you choose a GP, internist or family doctor, it is
in your best interest to have a primary care physician who knows your medical
history and understands your individual needs. Having a qualified doctor to
oversee and coordinate your health care could one day save your life.
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- https://gkhealthpc.blogspot.com/2022/09/doctor-of-primary-care-or-specialist.html
