What is a family medicine physician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted Expert

Janet Williams Ph.D.

A family medicine physician provides primary care for patients of all ages, genders, and health conditions. They are trained to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries, as well as help patients manage conditions and maintain overall health and wellness. Family medicine physicians typically work in outpatient settings, such as private practices or community health centers, and may provide services such as routine check-ups, immunizations, screenings, and referrals to specialists when needed.

What general advice would you give to a Family Medicine Physician?

Janet Williams Ph.D.

Professor of Biology, College of Our Lady of the Elms

Students who wish to continue their education in healthcare (MD, DO, DMD, DVM, PA, PT, OT, and many other areas), should ensure that they have plenty of experience in healthcare by becoming certified as an EMT or CNA, and spend at least 1-2 years working or volunteering in that capacity. Students should graduate with strong GPAs, over 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and should have taken all of their prerequisite courses. Students should be prepared to take standardized admissions exams, and plan to do well in them.

ScoreFamily Medicine PhysicianUS Average

Salary

10.0

Avg. Salary $217,942

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 19.02%

Black or African American 5.28%

Hispanic or Latino 9.84%

Unknown 4.49%

White 61.20%

Gender

female 48.65%

male 51.35%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Family Medicine Physician?

Pros

Opportunity to develop long-term relationships with patients
Wide variety of medical cases and conditions
High demand for family medicine physicians in many areas
Potential for financial stability and job security
Satisfaction with helping people stay healthy and improve their quality of life

Cons

Dealing with complex and difficult medical cases
Exposure to infectious diseases and other health hazards
Difficulty maintaining work-life balance due to on-call responsibilities
Limited time for continuing education and professional development
Difficulty navigating healthcare policies and regulations.

Key steps to become a family medicine physician

Explore family medicine physician education requirements

Most common family medicine physician degrees

Doctorate

43.5 %

Bachelor's

26.8 %

Certificate

16.8 %

Start to develop specific family medicine physician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	34.14%
Primary Care	20.48%
Urgent Care	13.88%
Internal Medicine	5.79%
Health System	5.22%

Complete relevant family medicine physician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New family medicine physicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a family medicine physician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real family medicine physician resumes.

Research family medicine physician duties and responsibilities

Obtain information about clients' medical history, drug history, complaints and allergies.
Implement integrated practice management and EHR system.
Perform EKG's, glucose, A1C, and urine testing.
Send referrals, enter referrals in epic system.

Prepare your family medicine physician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your family medicine physician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a family medicine physician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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