What does a general practitioner do?

The heart of a community medical clinic, a general practitioner provides medical care to people of all ages and backgrounds. They utilise their years of medical training, as well as their emotional and communication skills, to relieve a wide range of conditions and ailments. General practitioners assess when a patient’s presentation is beyond the scope of their expertise and issue referrals to specialists or testing clinics to better treat a malady. Ultimately, how successfully and compassionately a general practitioner works with their patients will determine whether or not those same patients will return to the same clinic the next time they require assistance.

General practitioner skills and qualifications

In order to become a general practitioner, candidates will first need to have acquired a number of qualifications. Alongside these minimum requirements, successful general practitioners will also demonstrate a variety of skills. Besides the necessary medical knowledge and diagnostic competence, general practitioners must be highly effective communicators and be able to utilise empathy and compassion to make their patients feel comfortable expressing themselves. General practitioners should have some competency with IT systems, to be able to manage patient records, and issue prescriptions and referrals. Key GP qualifications and skills include the following:

• Bachelor of Medical Science / Doctor of Medicine Qualification
• General and specialist registration with the Medical Board of Australia
• Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP)
• Communication skills – empathy and compassion
• Competence with medical record-keeping and IT systems

General practitioner experience requirements

Generally speaking, once a candidate has completed the necessary education, they are ready to start work as a general practitioner. Besides the compulsory hospital internship, previous work experience is not necessary for most positions. This may vary in the case of senior positions within a clinic, for which you might ask for some years’ prior experience working as a GP.

General practitioner education and training requirements

General practitioners are required to complete extensive training and attain several different qualifications in order to work. They must first complete a university degree in medicine, either as an undergraduate program or as a postgraduate course. Following this, candidates complete a year-long internship at a recognised hospital, rotating through different departments. The final step to obtaining a Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) is to complete the Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program, which is an additional three years of training and includes exams.

General practitioner salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a general practitioner is $229,708. Actual salaries can vary depending on location, candidate experience , position seniority and the specific clinic.

Job description samples for similar positions

If this job description for general practitioners isn’t exactly what you need, you can take a look through some other descriptions we have listed for similar positions.

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General practitioner job description FAQs

What’s the difference between a general practitioner and a family doctor?

There is no particular difference between the two. The different terms are used in different countries around the world. In Australia, the term ‘general practitioner’ is preferred.

What makes a good general practitioner?

Besides being astute diagnosticians, the best general practitioners are great listeners and effective communicators, able to make their patients feel comfortable as soon as they walk through the door of the clinic.

What are the challenges of the general practitioner position?

General practitioners typically have to handle quite a demanding load and high patient numbers. This means that everything they do must be done faster and often under pressure. GPs should be able to handle this pressure and not compromise the quality of their work.

How long is GP training?

Depending on your specific undergraduate pathway, it can take a total of 9–11 years of study, internships and training to become a general practitioner.