Overview
General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers diagnose and treat physical and mental illnesses, disorders and injuries, recommend preventative action and refer patients to specialist Medical Practitioners, other health care workers, and social, welfare and support workers.
Day-to-day
- conducting examinations and questioning patients to determine the nature of disorders and illnesses, and recording patients' medical information
- ordering laboratory tests, X-rays and other diagnostic procedures, and interpreting findings to assist in diagnosis
- providing overall care for patients, and prescribing and administering treatments, medications and other remedial measures
- monitoring patients' progress and response to treatment
- advising on diet, exercise and other habits which aid prevention and treatment of disease and disorders
- referring patients to, and exchanging medical information with, specialist Medical Practitioners
- reporting births, deaths and notifiable diseases to government authorities
- arranging the admission of patients to hospitals.
Considerations
- Stressful
To become a General Practitioner and Resident Medical Officer
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A bachelor degree in medicine followed by a one year internship is needed before you can work as a Resident Medical Officer. It is common to work as a Resident Medical Officer for 1-3 years before applying for a fellowship to become a General Practitioner through the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners or the Australian College of Rural Remote Medicine.
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Registration with the Medical Board of Australia is required.
Skills employers are looking for
