| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Clinical and Medical |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Medical Superintendent |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 2 to 5 years of OPD practice in a hospital, polyclinic or corporate health centre |
General Physician job description template
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Job title: General Physician
Department: Clinical and Medical
Reports to: Medical Superintendent
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A General Physician is the first doctor most patients see in a hospital's general OPD, a polyclinic or a corporate health centre. They treat common illnesses, follow up long-term conditions such as blood pressure, diabetes and thyroid disease, run health check-ups and adult vaccinations, and send patients to the right specialist when needed. A good general physician listens well, resolves most problems without referral, avoids needless antibiotics and tests, and keeps families coming back.
Key responsibilities
- Consult walk-in and appointment patients in the general OPD for fever, cough, stomach upsets, body pain, allergies and other common illnesses.
- Follow up patients with hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disorders and asthma, adjusting medicines and ordering periodic tests.
- Go through health check-up results with each client, explain what is normal and what is not, and plan lifestyle changes or referrals.
- Give adult vaccinations such as influenza, hepatitis B, tetanus and pneumococcal vaccines, and keep vaccination records.
- Perform minor procedures such as dressings, suturing, ear syringing and nebulisation in the OPD treatment room.
- Issue fitness certificates, sick leave certificates and pre-employment medical reports only after a proper examination.
- Refer patients to the right specialist with a written summary, and help the front office book the appointment.
- Spot red-flag symptoms such as chest pain, stroke signs or sepsis, and send the patient to emergency without delay.
- Counsel patients and families on medicines, diet, exercise, tobacco and alcohol in plain language.
- Keep OPD notes complete in the EMR with diagnosis, prescription and follow-up date for every visit.
Requirements
- MBBS with valid registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council
- MD or DNB in General Medicine or Family Medicine is an advantage
- A diploma in diabetes or family medicine is an advantage
- 2 to 5 years of OPD practice in a hospital, polyclinic or corporate health centre
KRAs and KPIs for a General Physician
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| OPD service | Average waiting time within 20 minutes, with consultation notes complete for every patient |
| Referral quality | Specialist referrals below 15 percent of consultations, each carrying a written summary |
| Chronic disease control | At least 60 percent of registered hypertension patients at target blood pressure on their last visit |
| Check-up review | Health check-up reports explained to every client within 48 hours of the reports being ready |
| Rational prescribing | Antibiotics prescribed in fewer than 10 percent of simple cough and cold visits on audit |
| Patient loyalty | Repeat visits from registered families at or above the clinic plan each quarter |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Electronic medical records, BP apparatus and glucometer, ECG machine, Nebuliser, Pulse oximeter, Vaccine cold box.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Consultant Physician, Medical Superintendent
Interview questions for a General Physician
- A 35-year-old office worker has had a cough for three weeks. Which questions and tests do you start with?
- When do you prescribe an antibiotic for a sore throat, and when do you refuse?
- A patient insists on a sick leave certificate but you find no illness. How do you handle it?
- Which symptoms in a walk-in patient make you send them straight to emergency?
- How do you explain a mildly abnormal check-up report without alarming the patient?
- How do you see 70 OPD patients in a morning and still listen properly?
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What does a general physician do?
A general physician is the first doctor patients usually see. They treat common illnesses such as fevers, infections and stomach upsets, manage long-term conditions like diabetes and blood pressure, run health check-ups and vaccinations, and refer patients to specialists when a problem needs further care.
Is a general physician an MBBS or MD doctor?
Both are common in India. Many general physicians are MBBS doctors with OPD experience, while others hold an MD or DNB in General Medicine or Family Medicine. Hospitals often keep the title consultant physician for MD doctors who manage admitted patients, so the job description should state the qualification required.
Who does a general physician report to?
In hospitals a general physician usually reports to the medical superintendent or the head of medicine. In polyclinics and diagnostic chains the report goes to the medical director or centre head, and in corporate health centres to the occupational health head or the HR head.