The general practitioner is the usually the first port of call for any patient seeking help with a medical problem. General practitioners try to diagnose illnesses before offering treatment or referral to other clinics or hospitals. Later in their careers, some GPs begin their own practices and this brings many other responsibilities in the areas of administration and staff management
Besides meeting with patients, GPs will regularly meet with medical sales representatives to discuss the latest treatments. In addition, they may have to supervise trainee GPs, as well as other medical students. Some GPs like to specialise in a certain field, enabling them to run specialist clinics, or provide some form of health education
All individuals with this role must have a degree in medicine. Increasing numbers of graduates are seeing medical school as a viable postgraduate option. Science degrees are highly-sought after by some medical schools, while others will accept any degree. Qualified GPs should earn a salary of at least £53,000 after completing their training, while self-employed doctors can earn up to £120,000 by competing for NHS contracts.