Archive - General Practitioners and Family Physicians (NOC 3112)

Published: 2 October 2014
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If you are interested in working as a General Practitioner or Family Physician in Canada, you will be pleased to know that the job outlook for your occupation in Canada is extremely positive.

You can use this overview of the Canadian employment prospects in your field to start planning your immigration and settlement in Canada.

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Important statistics for this occupation:

  • Canada is in need of medical workers across the country, as demand for health services is growing faster than the labour market can meet.
  • Some General Practitioners transition to university teaching, healthcare management, or become specialist physicians.
  • Approximately 18% of workers in this occupation are immigrants.
  • Approximately 51% of General Practitioners work in private offices, 40% in hospitals, and 7% in community service centers.
  • 51% of General Practitioners are self-employed, and 40% of these employees are women.

Duties for General Practitioners and Family Physicians

This unit group includes specialist physicians in clinical medicine, in laboratory medicine and in surgery. Specialists in clinical medicine diagnose and treat diseases and physiological or psychiatric disorders and act as consultants to other physicians. Specialists in laboratory medicine study the nature, cause and development of diseases in humans. Specialists in surgery perform and supervise surgical procedures. Specialists in clinical medicine usually work in private practice or in a hospital while those in laboratory medicine and in surgery usually work in hospitals. Residents in training to become specialist physicians are included in this unit group.

General practitioners and family physicians diagnose and treat the diseases, physiological disorders and injuries of patients. They provide primary contact and continuous care toward the management of patients' health. They usually work in private practice, including group or team practices, hospitals and clinics. Residents in training to be general practitioners and family physicians are included in this unit group.

Description of Main Duties

Individuals in this group perform some or all of the following duties:

  • Examine patients and take their histories, order laboratory tests, X-rays and other diagnostic procedures and consult with other medical practitioners to evaluate patients' physical and mental health
  • Prescribe and administer medications and treatments
  • Perform and assist in routine surgery
  • Provide emergency care
  • Provide acute care management
  • Vaccinate patients to prevent and treat diseases
  • Deliver babies and provide pre-natal and post-natal care
  • Advise patients and their families on health care including health promotion, disease, illness and accident prevention
  • Provide counselling and support to patients and their families on a wide range of health and lifestyle issues
  • Perform patient advocacy role
  • Co-ordinate or manage primary patient care
  • Provide continuous care to patients
  • Supervise home care services
  • Report births, deaths, and contagious and other diseases to governmental

Example job titles for General Practitioners and Family Physicians:

  • Family physician
  • General practitioner (GP)
  • Medical doctor
  • Resident, general practice

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