What is a Primary Care Physician?

At Physician Retraining & Reentry, we focus on preparing physicians to provide primary care services. What, exactly, is a primary care physician? 

A primary care physician provides preventive care, like routine check-ups, and is often a patient’s first stop to address a specific medical concern. Primary care physicians can treat people of all ages and are often able to address many health care needs. If the issue is beyond their scope, a primary care physician will refer the patient to a specialist, but will still often stay involved in a case as the primary point of contact or coordinator of other specialists. 

Generally, a primary care physician is an umbrella category of physicians that includes several other physician types. These include family medicine physician, internist and general practitioner. These titles are sometimes used interchangeably, but there are differences between them: 

  • Family Medicine Physician: As the name implies, family medicine physicians see patients of all ages. They provide medical care for acute to chronic issues, from simple to complex, with a focus on preventive care. 
  • Internist: An internal medicine physician will care only for adults, and provide treatment for a wide variety of conditions often seen in adults, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.  
  • General Practitioner: General practitioners differ from family medicine practitioners and internists mostly in that they are not required to be trained in residency or be board certified.  

PRR participants have included physicians from each of these areas who want to return to practice or continue as primary care physicians, but need a refresher course. The 15 online training modules cover a wide range of critical topics so that doctors of all types can practice as primary care physicians with knowledge and confidence. Learn more about PRR by speaking to a representative at 858-240-4878, emailing us at admin@prrprogram.com or fill out the form below:


  • To learn more about PRR, call us at 858-240-4878 or fill out the form below:

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