The Approaches of Cultivating and Developing General Practitioners

With the continuous development of health care, community health services are increasingly significant. However, imperfect general practice education and lack of high-qualified general practitioners inevitably restrict the development of community health services. Thus, standardized training and vigorous devotion to general practice education are very imperative.

When it comes to basic qualities of general practitioners, well-rounded knowledge comes first. Some severe diseases tend to be characterized with mild symptoms, which are not different from some common disorders. Therefore, general practitioners are required to identify possible cases. Moreover, as social workers, general practitioners are bound to constantly contact people in the community, hence, enthusiasm in work as well as good communication and cooperation skills are crucial.

Unfortunately many problems arise currently. Unsatisfactory income, lower social status and tough working conditions lead to less devotion to the work. Besides, it has not been long since the major of general family medicine was established, general practitioners have not been equipped with adequate practical skills.

In order to enhance the sustainable development of community health care, firstly, related policies, projects and incentive mechanism are indispensable. Secondly, general practice education should put emphasis on on-the-job training. On one hand, junior general practitioners are required to take rotation and training for three years at least, so as to master basic theories and skills. On the other hand, senior general practitioners improve their skills through distance education or training programs. Some potential talents may be chosen as the very group to be trained, in the hope that they can further cultivate more qualified general practitioners.