Editing Physician (section)

==Modern meanings==
[[File:Francesco Redi.jpg|right|thumb|[[Francesco Redi]], considered to be the founder of [[experimental biology]], was the first to recognize and correctly describe details of many important [[parasites]].<ref name=ami>{{cite journal|author= Roncalli Amici R|title= The history of Italian parasitology|url= http://his.library.nenu.edu.cn/upload/soft/haoli/114/367.pdf|journal= Veterinary Parasitology|volume= 98|issue= 1–3|pages= 3–10|year= 2001|pmid= 11516576|doi= 10.1016/S0304-4017(01)00420-4|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060404/http://his.library.nenu.edu.cn/upload/soft/haoli/114/367.pdf|archive-date= 23 October 2013}}</ref>]]

===Specialist in internal medicine===
{{Main|Internal medicine}}
Around the world, the term physician refers to a [[Medical specialist|specialist]] in [[internal medicine]] or one of its many sub-specialties (especially as opposed to a specialist in [[surgery]]). This meaning of physician conveys a sense of expertise in treatment by drugs or medications, rather than by the procedures of [[surgeon]]s.<ref name="Fowler">{{cite book |author=H.W. Fowler |title=A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (Wordsworth Collection) |publisher=NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company |year=1994 |isbn=1-85326-318-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmo00fowl }}</ref>

This term is at least nine hundred years old in English: physicians and surgeons were once members of separate professions, and traditionally were rivals. The ''[[Shorter Oxford English Dictionary]]'', 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 physician."<ref name="newSOED"/>

[[Henry VIII of England|Henry&nbsp;VIII]] granted a charter to the London [[Royal College of Physicians]] in 1518. It was not until 1540 that he granted the [[Barber surgeon|Company of Barber-Surgeons]] (ancestor of the [[Royal College of Surgeons]]) its separate charter. In the same year, the English monarch established the [[Regius Professor of Physic (Cambridge)|Regius Professorship of Physic]] at the [[University of Cambridge]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/about/history.html | title = University of Cambridge: History of the School of Clinical Medicine | publisher = [[University of Cambridge]] | access-date =  5 February 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121209023135/http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/about/history.html | archive-date = 9 December 2012}}</ref> Newer universities would probably describe such an academic as a professor of [[internal medicine]]. Hence, in the 16th century, ''physic'' meant roughly what internal medicine does now.

Currently, a specialist [[physician in the United States]] may be described as an ''internist''. Another term, ''[[hospitalist]]'', was introduced in 1996,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Wachter R|author2=Goldman L |title=The emerging role of "hospitalists" in the American health care system |journal=N Engl J Med |volume=335 |issue=7 |pages=514–7 |year=1996 |pmid=8672160 |doi=10.1056/NEJM199608153350713}}</ref> to describe US specialists in [[internal medicine]] who work largely or exclusively in hospitals. Such 'hospitalists' now make up about 19% of all US ''general internists'',<ref>{{cite journal |title=Growth in the care of older patients by hospitalists in the United States|journal=N Engl J Med |volume=360 |issue=11 |pages=1102–1112 |year=2009|quote=See also editorial by Hamel M. B. ''et al''. on pp1141–1143 of same issue |doi=10.1056/NEJMsa0802381 |pmc=2977939 |pmid=19279342 |last1=Kuo |first1=YF |last2=Sharma |first2=G |last3=Freeman |first3=JL |last4=Goodwin |first4=JS}}</ref> who are often called ''general physicians'' in [[Commonwealth of nations|Commonwealth]] countries.

This original use, as distinct from surgeon, is common in most of the world including the [[United Kingdom]] and other Commonwealth countries (such as [[Australia]], [[Bangladesh]], [[India]], [[New Zealand]], [[Pakistan]], [[South Africa]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Zimbabwe]]), as well as in places as diverse as [[Brazil]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Indonesia]], [[Japan]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], and [[Taiwan]]. In such places, the more general English terms ''doctor'' or ''medical practitioner'' are prevalent, describing any practitioner of medicine (whom an American would likely call a physician, in the broad sense).<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.racp.edu.au/index.cfm?objectid=49EF1EB5-2A57-5487-D74DBAFBAE9143A3
|title=The Royal Australasian College of Physicians: What are Physicians?
|access-date=5 February 2008
|publisher=[[Royal Australasian College of Physicians]]
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306053048/http://www.racp.edu.au/index.cfm?objectid=49EF1EB5-2A57-5487-D74DBAFBAE9143A3
|archive-date=6 March 2008
|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Commonwealth countries, specialist [[pediatrics|pediatricians]] and [[geriatrics|geriatricians]] are also described as specialist physicians who have sub-specialized by age of patient rather than by [[Organ (anatomy)|organ]] system.

===Physician and surgeon===
{{Further|Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery|Doctor of Medicine}}
Around the world, the combined term "physician and surgeon" is used to describe either a general practitioner or any medical practitioner irrespective of specialty.<ref name="Fowler"/><ref name="newSOED">{{cite book |author=Brown, Lesley |title=The New shorter Oxford English dictionary on historical principles |publisher=Clarendon |location=Oxford [Eng.] |year=2002 |isbn=0-19-861271-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/newshorteroxford00lesl }}</ref> This usage still shows the original meaning of physician and preserves the old difference between a physician, as a practitioner of ''physic'', and a surgeon. The term may be used by state medical boards in the United States, and by equivalent bodies in Canadian provinces, to describe any medical practitioner.

===North America===
{{Further|Physicians in the United States|Physicians in Canada}}
[[File: Elizabeth Blackwell.jpg|thumb|[[Elizabeth Blackwell]], the first female physician in the United States, graduated from [[State University of New York Upstate Medical University|SUNY Upstate]]. ]]
In modern English, the term ''physician'' is used in two main ways, with relatively broad and narrow meanings respectively. This is the result of history and is often confusing. These meanings and variations are explained below.

In the United States and Canada, the term ''physician'' describes all medical practitioners holding a professional medical degree. The [[American Medical Association]], established in 1847, as well as the [[American Osteopathic Association]], founded in 1897, both currently use the term ''physician'' to describe members. However, the [[American College of Physicians]], established in 1915, does not: its title uses ''physician'' in its original sense.

====American physicians====
The vast majority of [[physician in the United States|physicians trained in the United States]] have a [[Doctor of Medicine]] degree, and use the initials M.D. A smaller number attend [[Osteopathic medicine in the United States|osteopathic]] [[Medical school in the United States|medical schools]] and have a [[Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine]] degree and use the initials [[D.O.]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002020.htm |title=Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine |author=Medline Plus |year=2012 |publisher=U.S. National Library of Medicine of National Institutes of Health |access-date=22 December 2012 |archive-date=5 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705121451/https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002020.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[World Directory of Medical Schools]] lists both MD and DO granting schools as ''medical schools'' located in the United States. After completion of [[Medical school in the United States|medical school]], physicians complete a [[Residency (medicine)|residency]] in the specialty in which they will practice. Subspecialties require the completion of a [[Fellowship (medicine)|fellowship]] after residency. Both MD and DO physicians participate in the [[National Resident Matching Program]] (NRMP) and attend [[Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education|ACGME]]-accredited residencies and fellowships across all medical [[American Board of Medical Specialties|specialties]] to obtain licensure.

All boards of certification now require that physicians demonstrate, by examination, continuing mastery of the core knowledge and skills for a chosen specialty. Recertification varies by particular specialty between every seven and every ten years.

==== Primary care ====
[[Primary care physician]]s guide patients in preventing disease and detecting health problems early while they are still treatable.<ref>{{cite web |title=Choosing Between a Family Medicine Doctor and an Internal Medicine Doctor |url=https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/blogs/choosing-between-a-family-medicine-doctor-and-an-internal-medicine-doctor |website=beaumont.org |publisher=[[Beaumont Health]] |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=6 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006120022/https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/blogs/choosing-between-a-family-medicine-doctor-and-an-internal-medicine-doctor |url-status=live }}</ref> They are divided into two types: [[family medicine]] doctors and [[internal medicine]] doctors.<ref>{{cite web |title=The difference between family medicine and internal medicine |url=https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/the-difference-between-family-medicine-and-internal-medicine |website=piedmont.org |publisher=[[Piedmont Hospital]] |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=6 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006194348/https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/the-difference-between-family-medicine-and-internal-medicine |url-status=live }}</ref> Family doctors, or family physicians, are trained to care for patients of any age, while internists are trained to care for adults.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bernat |first1=Karl |last2=Caplea |first2=Andrea |title=Family Medicine or Internal Medicine Doctor? |url=https://www.dukehealth.org/blog/family-medicine-or-internal-medicine-doctor |newspaper=Duke Health |publisher=[[Duke University Health System]] |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=14 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014222210/https://www.dukehealth.org/blog/family-medicine-or-internal-medicine-doctor |url-status=live }}</ref> Family doctors receive training in a variety of care and are therefore also referred to as [[general practitioner]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Decker |first1=Fred |title=Difference Between Internist & General Practitioner |url=https://work.chron.com/difference-between-internist-general-practitioner-6745.html |access-date=14 January 2020 |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |publisher=Hearst Newspapers, LLC |date=9 August 2018 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414223511/https://work.chron.com/difference-between-internist-general-practitioner-6745.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Family medicine grew out of the general practitioner movement of the 1960s in response to the growing specialization in medicine that was seen as threatening to the doctor-patient relationship and continuity of care.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internal Medicine vs. Family Medicine |url=https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/about-internal-medicine/career-paths/medical-student-career-path/internal-medicine-vs-family-medicine |website=acponline.org |publisher=[[American College of Physicians]] |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=6 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006130207/https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/about-internal-medicine/career-paths/medical-student-career-path/internal-medicine-vs-family-medicine |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Podiatry====
In the United States, the [[American Podiatric Medical Association]] (APMA) defines [[podiatrists]] as physicians and surgeons who treat the foot, ankle, and associated structures of the leg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apma.org/MainMenu/AboutPodiatry.aspx |title=About Podiatry |publisher=Apma.org |access-date=19 September 2011 |archive-date=1 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501135528/http://apma.org/MainMenu/AboutPodiatry.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Podiatrists undergo training with the [[Doctor of Podiatric Medicine]] (DPM) degree.<ref>{{cite web|title=Podiatrist|url=http://science.education.nih.gov/lifeworks.nsf/alphabetical+list/Podiatrist?OpenDocument&ShowTab=All&|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429231921/http://science.education.nih.gov/lifeworks.nsf/alphabetical+list/Podiatrist?OpenDocument&ShowTab=All&|archive-date=29 April 2013|access-date=22 December 2012|publisher=Office of Science Education}}</ref> The [[American Medical Association]] (AMA), however, advocates for the definition of a ''physician'' as "an individual possessing degree of either a [[Doctor of Medicine]] or [[Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine]]."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Policy Finder {{!}} AMA|url=https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail/D-405.989?uri=/AMADoc/directives.xml-0-1397.xml|access-date=2021-12-27|website=policysearch.ama-assn.org|archive-date=13 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013221044/https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail/D-405.989?uri=%2FAMADoc%2Fdirectives.xml-0-1397.xml|url-status=live}}</ref> In the US, podiatrists are required to complete three to four years of podiatry residency upon graduating with a DPM degree. After residency, one to two years of fellowship programs are available in plastic surgery, foot and ankle reconstructive surgery, sports medicine, and wound care.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.acfas.org/Fellowship-Center/Recognized-Fellowship-Intiative/List-of-Available-Fellowships/ |title=List of Available Fellowships |publisher=American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons |access-date=9 July 2021 |archive-date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829205212/https://www.acfas.org/Fellowship-Center/Recognized-Fellowship-Intiative/List-of-Available-Fellowships/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Podiatry]] residencies and / or fellowships are not accredited by the [[Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education|ACGME]]. The overall scope of podiatric practice varies from state to state and is not similar to that of physicians holding an MD or DO degree.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scope of Practice Support|url=https://www.acfas.org/Health-Policy-and-Advocacy/Scope-of-Practice/Scope-of-Practice-Support/|access-date=2021-08-29|website=ACFAS|archive-date=29 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829201209/https://www.acfas.org/Health-Policy-and-Advocacy/Scope-of-Practice/Scope-of-Practice-Support/|url-status=live}}</ref> DPM is also available at one Canadian university, namely the {{Lang|fr|[[Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières]]|italic=no}}; students are typically required to complete an internship in New York prior to obtaining their professional degree. The [[World Directory of Medical Schools]] does not list US or Canadian schools of podiatric medicine as ''medical schools'' and only lists US-granted MD, DO, and Canadian MD programs as medical schools for the respective regions.