About Us About Family Medicine

About Family Medicine

Family Medicine is a medical specialty that provides continuing and comprehensive primary health care for individuals and families. Family Medicine integrates the biological, clinical and behavioral sciences, and its scope encompasses all ages, both sexes, each organ system and every disease entity. Family Medicine includes health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, counseling, patient education, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of health care settings. 

Family physicians serve as the entry point for most of a patient's health care needs and more patients are seen by family doctors than any other specialty. Family physicians are advocates for the patient in coordinating the use of the entire health care system and take continuing responsibility for providing the patient's long-term care.


Useful Links (AAFP):
Facts About Family Medicine -- Charts and statistics about Family Medicine.

Definitions -- Family practice and primary care defined.

Careers in Family Medicine -- Resources for medical students and family practice residents.

Future of Family Medicine Project -- A joint project to develop strategies to transform and renew the specialty of Family Medicine.

Your Future is Family Medicine Presentation -- A tool to be used by family physicians when presenting key concepts about the specialty of Family Medicine to medical students.

Study of Factors Influencing Medical Students in Their Choice of Family Practice as a Specialty (Arizona Study) -- Results of a study conducted on the factors that influence a medical student's choice of Family Medicine as a specialty.

Residency Program Solutions -- Promotes the development of quality graduate medical education through the provision of consultative services.

International Family Medicine -- Resources for international and U.S. physicians interested in the global development of Family Medicine.

National Resident Matching Program -- Charts, tables and summary of Match results.

Rural FP Community -- A link to AAFP's community for family physicians, health care providers and others who serve the nation's rural families.

Smiles for Life -- An oral health curriculum of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Group on Oral Health and endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians.