What You Need to Know About the Family Practice Exam 2025

Family medicine is a primary care specialty offering ongoing and all-encompassing healthcare to people and their families across all ages, genders, diseases, and body regions. The term “family physician” refers to the specialist, typically a primary care physician.

Internal medicine only treats adults, whereas family medicine often treats adults, children, and other family members.

A family practice provides care for adults and children by combining internist and pediatrician services. A primary care practice generally treats adults and has an internal medicine focus.

The care provided to adults appears to be similar to that provided by internists because family physicians do not involve obstetrics, neonatology, or major surgery as part of their practices.

A medical speciality or practice known as “family practice” offers ongoing general medical treatment to both individuals and families.

Some general practitioners don’t perform routine gynecological procedures like pelvic and breast exams. Everything relies on the physician. If they believe it is necessary, primary care physicians who do offer gynecological treatment may nevertheless refer patients to gynecologists for more specialized care.

A physician with a specialty in family practice has received training in treating patients of all family members.

As of January 26, 2025, the average Physician – Family Practice pay in the United States is $220,359, with the normal range being between $194,093 and $252,886.

It will take 11 to 14 years to become a doctor in the United States.

Legally speaking, you can. In the eyes of the law, a doctor is a doctor; formal education and certification are relevant for malpractice insurance, reimbursement, and hospital credentialing. In general, the law only really recognizes medical licensing.

Some internists and family medicine experts can practice general gynecology. They perform STD testing and pap smears. They also perform breast exams.

While family practitioners often offer more ‘well-patient’ services in the office environment and serve fewer hospitalized patients than internists, internists typically diagnose and treat medical disorders of greater complexity than family practitioners in both the office and hospital settings.

Patients are seen in private practice settings by appointment, and some offer Saturday and evening hours.

Adults can select a family physician or an internal medicine specialist as their primary care provider.

Family doctors, internists, and pediatricians are just a few medical professionals who provide excellent care for individuals with dermatological conditions.

For patients with depression, a family nurse practitioner may recommend psychotherapy and medical care. An FNP may recommend a psychiatric specialist if a patient needs more psychiatric care.

Any other ADHD drugs, including Adderall, may be prescribed by primary care physicians.

Primary care physicians have access to various antidepressants that they can safely give to their patients; follow-up appointments with a general care physician typically last far less time than a session of therapy with a psychiatrist.

Typically, your PCP, an OBGYN, or mail-order birth control providers like Nurx or Favor can write you a prescription for birth control (formerly The Pill Club).

No, family medicine doctors don’t conduct operations. Physicians must complete residency training before performing surgery.

Family practice doctors can diagnose mental health disorders and prescribe medicine.

Family physicians are primary care physicians who also deal with pediatrics.

The majority of family practice physicians may do screenings, including STD tests.

Three years of training are necessary for family medicine residency programs to be certified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The average Private Practice wage is $249,042 per year.

The average pay for FNPs, according to Salary.com, was $114,71 in February 2025, while the range is normally between $106,450 and $124,620.

• Enroll in an undergraduate program and finish all requirements for medical school.
• Get ready for the Medical College Admission Test, take it, and submit your results (MCAT).
• Submit an application, enroll, and attend an osteopathic or allopathic medical school.
• Complete a year as an intern and a residency in family medicine.
• Take the Specialty Board Certification exam. Completing this step will allow doctors to become fully independent and cease needing supervision.
• Finish a fellowship in a specialty (optional). Physicians can further sub-specialize in a field of interest after completing their residency. At least a year is spent on this training. Some fellowships, but not all, call for passing an additional board exam.

While family medicine physicians specialize in treating patients of all ages, pediatricians only handle children.

In contrast to family doctors, who frequently choose extra specializations in pediatrics, obstetrics, and geriatrics so they may handle more of your care personally, general practitioners are more likely to refer you to other doctors for specialized care.

Generally speaking, internists see and treat more complex medical issues in both the office and hospital settings, whereas family practitioners focus more on preventative care and wellness visits in the clinic.

Personalized counseling on maintaining a healthy lifestyle is offered in addition to routine examinations, health risk assessments, immunizations, and treatment of illnesses. They also diagnose and treat illnesses.

The main and specialized treatment of patients of all ages is the focus of a family nurse practitioner (FNP). FNPs generally concentrate on preventative care, long-term health monitoring, and supporting physicians with any potential problems.

Family medicine is a very broad field, so the Specialty Certified Medical Assistant in this field would have a variety of tasks to perform, such as administrative tasks like prescription renewals and referrals, insurance and chart preparation, taking vital signs and initial patient information, figuring out the purpose of the visit, and communicating patient needs and concerns to the doctor.

According to the MGMA survey, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics all had national median RVUs of 4,928; 4,698; and 4,902, respectively.

Doctors who practice family medicine can additionally specialize in fields including public health, emergency and urgent care, and sports medicine.

They see infants, toddlers, parents, and grandparents.

The necessary score to pass is 380.