24/07/2017
A physician, medical practitioner, medical doctor, or simply doctor is a professional who practises medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining,
or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury, and other physical and mental
impairments. Physicians may
focus their practice on certain
disease categories, types of
patients and methods of
treatment—known as specialities—or they may assume responsibility for the
provision of continuing and
comprehensive medical care to
individuals, families, and
communities—known as general practice.[2] Medical practice properly requires both
a detailed knowledge of the academic disciplines (such as anatomy and physiology) underlying diseases and their
treatment—the science of medicine—and also a decent competence in its applied practice—the art or craft of medicine. Physician The Doctor by Luke Fildes (detail)[1] Occupation Names Physician, medical practitioner,
medical doctor or simply
doctor Occupation type Professional Activity sectors Medicine, health care Description Competencies The ethics, art and science of medicine, analytical skills, critical thinking Education required MBBS, MD, DO Fields of
employment Clinics, hospitals Related jobs General practitioner or family physician, surgeon, dentist, chiropractor, other medical specialists Both the role of the physician
and the meaning of the word
itself vary around the world.
Degrees and other qualifications
vary widely, but there are some
common elements, such as medical ethics requiring that physicians show consideration,
compassion, and benevolence
for their patients. Modern meanings