General practitioners are medical doctors who diagnose and treat most types of health conditions or diseases and do not specialize in any particular area of medicine. They provide basic medical service for people of all age groups and both sexes.

General practitioners usually complete a 1- to 2-year residency following medical school. There is no board certification for general practitioners.

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerKathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical ReviewerE. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Last RevisedAugust 20, 2010

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