According to Wikipedia, the term family medicine is used to connote a medical specialty program which is devoted to comprehensive health care to people of all ages or age group. Thus, it is a form of primary care to provide comprehensive and continuing health care solution to individuals and family indiscriminately i.e. without any discrimination based on age, sex, disease, etc. Family medicine training focuses on the patient in the context of the family and the community and disease prevention as well as health promotion in common.
Thus, according to the World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca), the fundamental aim of family medicine is to provide comprehensive and continuing personal care for the individual in the context of the family or the community. Accordingly, the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) was founded 1969 to achieve the following:
It will work to improve the quality of medical care available to the public and establish as well as maintain standards of excellence in the specialty of Family Medicine. Thus, the organization will strive to improve the standards of medical education for training in Family Medicine. Along with alleviating the standard of family medicine education and training, it will also do evaluation of the fitness of specialists in Family Medicine.
Scope of Practice for Family Medicine Specialists: Doctors specializing in family medicine in the United States may hold either an M.D. or a D.O. Degree. Thus, doctors specializing in family medicine or offering family medicine services in addition to the medical degree must successfully complete an accredited three-year family medicine residency program. After doing the three year residency program such doctors become eligible to write the exam for Family Medicine Specialist.
A successful completion of Family Medicine Course helps doctors get attractive jobs in hospitals and health plans. Candidates appearing for Family medicine training are taught topics such as continuing medical education, medical knowledge review, patient care oversight through chart audits, practice-based learning, etc. In addition to regular medical qualification, the American Board of Family Medicine requires its candidates to earn certification through an ongoing process in family medicine. The certification expires after a certain time and candidates are requested to reappear for the same.
The Family Medicine Core Curriculum includes subjects such as Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Obstetrics / Gynecology, Dermatology, Geriatrics, Orthopedics, Emergency Medicine, Hematology / Oncology, Pediatrics, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Pulmonary Medicine, Eye and Neurology, etc. amongst others. ATI Medical Education is a leading provider of simulation software aimed to offer comprehensive and user-friendly study material to prepare for family medicine examination. The Family Medicine Examination program By ATI Medical Education is compatible with Windows PC’s and can be installed on Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista/7. The 3 Hours program is available in 2 CDROMS and 315 color slides. http://www.atiboards.com/