General Practitioner Rata Hauora

Physical Requirements

General practitioners need to have good eyesight (with or without corrective lenses) and good hearing.

Useful Experience

Useful experience for general practitioners includes:

• work in hospitals or other health-related work, such as in a clinic
• work in a pharmacy
• work with community groups that involves a wide variety of people.

Personal Qualities

General practitioners need to be:

• patient and concerned for others
• able to work well under pressure and remain calm in emergencies
• able to make good decisions, and solve problems
• good at time management 
• able to keep information confidential
• able to show empathy and compassion, and relate to people from various cultures and backgrounds
• understanding of other cultures' attitudes to medical treatment.

Skills

General practitioners need to have:

• excellent communication and people skills 
• knowledge of anatomy and how the human body works
• knowledge of different diseases, illnesses and injuries
• knowledge of medicines and treatments, and the effect these have on patients
• diagnostic skills
• up-to-date knowledge of new research, treatments and practices
• knowledge of medical ethics and law
• cultural competency to work with people of different ethnicities.

Conditions

General practitioners:

• usually work regular business hours and may be on call for some patients
• work in clinics and health centres
• often come into contact with diseases and bodily fluids
• may travel to other towns or countries for conferences. Rural general practitioners and those who make house calls travel locally.