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General Practice

Universities
34
Programs
81
Major category
Medicine

Specialization introduction

Major introduction

General practice is a comprehensive clinical discipline focused on communities and families, training 'health gatekeepers' who can handle common and frequent diseases while coordinating specialist resources.

Program overview

General practice might sound a bit unfamiliar, but simply put, it trains doctors who 'know a little about everything.' Unlike specialists, general practitioners focus on a person's overall health rather than a specific organ or disease. You'll work in community hospitals, township health centers, or family doctor clinics, handling common illnesses (like colds, high blood pressure, diabetes) while also providing preventive care, chronic disease management, and health counseling. Core courses include Introduction to General Practice, Community Medicine, Family Medicine, Clinical Skills (managing common conditions in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics), Preventive Medicine, and Rehabilitation Medicine. Many Chinese medical schools (such as Fudan University and Capital Medical University) offer master's programs in general practice, and they arrange rotations in community hospitals where you'll interact with real patients. This major is suitable for students who enjoy interacting with people, are patient, and are willing to work at the grassroots level—if you think hospital specialists are too busy and narrow, and you want to help patients more comprehensively, general practice is a great choice.

Major prospects

在中国，全科医学正变得越来越重要。因为人口老龄化，慢性病（高血压、糖尿病）患者越来越多，大医院人满为患，国家希望把常见病留在社区解决。所以全科医生的需求量很大，很多城市都在建社区卫生服务中心，农村也在推广乡镇卫生院。国际学生可以关注几个方向：一是家庭医生签约服务，中国正在推行‘每个家庭都有家庭医生’，全科医生是主力；二是健康管理，比如为老年人做定期体检、制定健康计划；三是远程医疗，用手机App管理慢性病患者。虽然全科医生收入目前不如热门专科（比如心内科、骨科），但工作稳定，压力相对小，而且有政策补贴（比如基层工作津贴）。如果你打算在中国行医，全科医学规培（3年）后可以考执业医师资格，之后就能独立执业。

Career prospects

毕业后，最常见的去处是社区卫生服务中心（城市）或乡镇卫生院（农村），做全科医生或家庭医生。另外，私立诊所（比如连锁社区诊所、高端家庭医生诊所）也喜欢招全科医生，尤其是能讲英语的留学生。健康管理公司、保险公司（做健康评估）也需要全科背景的人。还有一部分人会去医学院校当老师，或者做全科医学培训。薪资方面，在中国一线城市（北京、上海），社区全科医生月薪大概8000-15000元人民币（税前），加上补贴和奖金，年收入10-20万。二三线城市会低一些，但生活成本也低。如果去私立诊所，薪资可能更高（月薪1.5-3万）。国际学生要注意：如果你不是中国籍，毕业后想在中国当医生，需要先通过汉语水平考试（HSK 4级以上），然后参加执业医师考试。很多学校会帮你联系实习医院，但工作签证需要自己找雇主。

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