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The word 'physician' applies to a person who practices some type of human biological medicine. Physicians are traditionally considered to be members of a learned profession, because of the extensive training requirements and also because of the occupation's special ethical and legal duties.

Contents

Etymology of the word ''physician''

Different meanings of the word ''physician''

Education and training

Regulation

See also

Notes

External links

Etymology of the word ''physician''

This term is used to describe Medical Doctors (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.); both of which are complete physicans within the United States. However, outside the US, Osteopaths are not recognised as real doctors. The Classical Greek noun ''physis'' and derived adjective ''physikos'' meant "nature" and "natural". From this, amongst other derivatives came the Late Latin ''physicus'', which meant a doctor of medicine. After the Norman Conquest, the word entered Middle English via Old French ''fisicien'', as early as 1200. Originally, ''physician'' meant a practitioner of ''physic'' (pronounced with a hard C). This archaic noun had entered Middle English by 1300 (via Old French ''fisique''). The noun ''physic'' meant the art or science of treatment with drugs or medications (as opposed to surgery), and was later used both as a verb and also to describe the medications themselves.
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Different meanings of the word ''physician''

'Physician' in the 'broad sense', usually in North America, now applies to any legally qualified practitioner of medicine. In the United States, the term ''physician'' is now commonly used to describe any medical doctor holding the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. The American Medical Association, established 1847, uses ''physician'' in this broad sense to describe all its members. See the article on Medicine for more information on what physicians (in this broad sense) do in practice.
'Physician' is still widely used in the older, 'narrow sense', especially outside North America. In this usage, a ''physician'' is a specialist in internal medicine or one of its many sub-specialties (especially as opposed to a specialist in surgery). This traditional meaning of ''physician'' still conveys a sense of expertise in treatment by drugs or medications, rather than by the procedures of surgeons.^[4] This older usage is at least six hundred years old in English; physicians and surgeons were once members of separate professions, and traditionally were rivals. The Shorter OED, third edition, gives a Middle English quotation making this contrast, from as early as 1400: ''"O Lord, whi is it so greet difference betwixe a cirugian and a phisician." ''^[5] Henry VIII granted a charter to the Royal College of Physicians (London) in 1518, and granted the Company of Barber/Surgeons (ancestor of the Royal College of Surgeons) its separate charter in 1540. In the same year, the same English monarch established the Regius Professorship of Physic at Cambridge University ^[6]. Hence, in the 16th century, ''physic'' meant roughly what internal medicine does now.
These days, a specialist physician in this older, narrow sense would probably be described in the United States as a internist (a specialist in internal medicine). This narrow usage of ''physician'' is common in Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Republic of China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. In such places, the terms 'doctor' or 'medical practitioner' are prevalent, to describe any practitioner of medicine (whom an American would likely call a physician, in the broad sense). For information on the work of specialist physicians in the older, narrow sense, see internal medicine, or else visit the web page What are Physicians? at The Royal Australian College of Physicians — the description given here applies fairly well throughout the Commonwealth of Nations.
On both sides of the Atlantic, the combined term 'Physician and Surgeon' is a venerable way to describe either a General Practitioner, or else any ''medical practitioner'' irrespective of specialty. This usage still shows the narrow meaning and the old difference between ''physician'', as practitioner of ''physic'', and surgeon. Although some Americans may also consider those who hold the Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine (D.C.), Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.) degrees, or Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) to be physicians, they are not considered physicians in the truest sense. Unlike M.D.s or D.O.s, neither are licensed to practice the full scope of medicine and neither are given the title ''Physician and Surgeon'' by United States medical boards.

Education and training

Main articles: Medical education

Medical training and career pathways vary considerably across the world.
In all developed countries, entry-level medical education programs are tertiary-level courses undertaken at a medical school pertaining to a university. Depending on jurisdiction and university, these may be either undergraduate-entry or graduate-entry programs.
Following completion of entry-level training, newly graduated medical doctors are often required to undertake a period of supervised practice before full registration is granted; this may be referred to as "internship" or "conditional registration".
Further training in a particular field of medicine may be undertaken. In some jurisdictions this is commenced immediately following completion of entry-level training, while still other jurisdictions require junior medical doctors to undertake generalist (unstreamed) training for a number of years before commencing specialization.
Various teaching methodologies have been utilized in medical education, which is an active area of educational research.
Medical doctors hold a medical degree specific to the country and sometimes university in which they graduated. This qualifies that doctor to become licensed physicians or surgeons in that country, and sometimes several countries.

Regulation

International maritime flag "W", meaning that the ship crew requires medical assistance

In most jurisdictions, physicians need government permission to practice. This is known as ''licensing'' in the United States, as ''colegiación'' in Spain, as ''ishi menkyo'' in Japan, as ''autorisasjon'' in Norway, as ''Approbation'' in Germany, as "άδεια εργασίας" in Greece and as ''registration'' in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In France, Italy and Portugal, civilian physicians must be a member of the Order of physicians to practice medicine. In some countries, including the United Kingdom and Ireland, the profession regulates itself, with the government affirming the regulating body's authority (in the UK the General Medical Council).
Regulating authorities will revoke permission to practice in cases of malpractice or serious misconduct.
After graduating from medical school, physicians who wish to practice in the U.S. usually take standardized exams, such as the USMLE or COMLEX, which enable them to obtain a certificate to practice from the appropriate state agency. All American states have an agency which is usually called the "Medical Board," although there are alternate names such as "Board of Medicine," "Board of Medical Examiners," "Board of Medical Licensure," "Board of Healing Arts," etc. Australian states usually have a "Medical Board," while Canadian provinces usually have a "College of Physicians and Surgeons."

See also

★ Allopathic physician

★ General practitioner

★ Internal medicine

★ List of physicians

★ Medical specialist

★ Naturopathic medicine

★ Osteopathic physician

★ Foreign medical graduate

Notes

1. ''Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on historical principles.'' Fifth edition, OUP, 2002
2. Partidge E., ''Origins: a short etymological dictionary of modern English.'' Fourth edition, Book Club Associates, 1966
3. Barnhart R.K. (ed.), ''Chambers Dictionary of Etymology.'' (previously published as ''Barnhart's Dictionary of Etymology''), New York: Chambers, 1988
4. Fowler H.W. ''A dictionary of modern English usage.'' 1926. Second edition (E. Gowers, ed.) OUP, 1965
5. Onions C.T. (ed.) ''Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on historical principles.'' Third edition, OUP, 1944. reprinted with corrections 1967
6. http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/about/history.html

External links

★ Royal College of Physicians (London)

★ American Medical Association

★ Royal Australasian College of Physicians

★ Medical Writers of Literature and Literary Writers with Medical Issues Found in Medical Sources and Beyond

★ Famous Canadian Physicians at Library and Archives Canada