General Practitioners

As with any career, talking with a high school counselor and interviewing those working in the field are useful ways to explore your interest. You might also want to read professional journals—such as American Family Physician and Family Practice Management—to learn more about business and practice issues affecting general practitioners. Sample articles from these publications can be accessed at the American Academy of Family Physicians Web site, https://www.aafp.org/pubs.html.

Volunteering at local hospitals or at other health care facilities will help you gain exposure to a medical environment and experience helping people, even if your job involves delivering flowers or filling water pitchers in patients' rooms.

Finally, visit https://www.aafp.org/students-residents/medical-students.html to explore resources that will help you to discover if a career in family medicine is right for you?