Canon EOS Rebel XTi on Amazon

Product Features

Excellent camera for sports photography. Fast enough to catch a high-speed pitched baseball “frozen” over home plate as a batter swings. High resolution helps get a decent picture of outfield players, even when you can’t get up close.

Football and other sports night games: make sure you get a lens with an image stabilizer that helps prevent blurring that occurs when automatic features of camera keep the shutter open a little longer.

Excellent for modeling and bodybuilding photos

6-Pin to 4-Pin i.Link/FireWire Cables on Amazon
6-Pin to 4-Pin is more common from Digital Video Cameras to Apple, Inc. Mac computers or to PC’s with a FireWire/1394/i.Link interface card.

Connect your FireWire compatible Digital Video (DV) Camcorders, storage device, videoconferencing cameras, scanner, printers to your computer with this 3 foot FireWire cable. General Features: 6-pin to 4-pin – FireWire/1394/i.Link device cable – High speed data transfer speed -Supports IEEE 1394 transfer rates of 100/200/400 Mbits -Designed for high speed data transfer.

It is important for you to check the device port for cable compatibility.

FireWire is Apple Inc.’s brand name for the IEEE 1394 interface.

i.Link is the Sony Corp. name for the interface.

The IEEE 1394 standard: FireWire and i.Link is a high-speed serial bus developed by Apple and Texas Instruments — most commonly used for downloading video from digital camcorders to the computer. The first version of FireWire supported 100, 200 and 400 Mbits/sec transfer rates at a distance of 4.5 meters between devices. Almost all digital camcorders have included this connection interface since 1995. IEEE 1394b allows higher speeds at greater distances and was introduced in 2003.

Apple.com
Sony.com

4-Pin to 4-Pin i.Link/FireWire Cables on Amazon
4-Pin to 4-Pin is more common from Video Camera to DVD Recorder or from Video Camera to FireWire (IEEE 1394) Hub.

Connect your FireWire compatible Digital Video (DV) Camcorders,storage device,videoconferencing cameras, scanner, printers to your computer with this 3 foot FireWire cable. General Features: 4-pin to 4-pin – FireWire/1394/i.Link device cable – High speed data transfer speed -Supports IEEE 1394 transfer rates of 100/200/400 Mbits -Designed for high speed data transfer.

FireWire is Apple Inc.’s brand name for the IEEE 1394 interface.

i.Link is the Sony Corp. name for the interface.

The IEEE 1394 standard: FireWire and i.Link is a high-speed serial bus developed by Apple and Texas Instruments — most commonly used for downloading video from digital camcorders to the computer. The first version of FireWire supported 100, 200 and 400 Mbits/sec transfer rates at a distance of 4.5 meters between devices. Almost all digital camcorders have included this connection interface since 1995. IEEE 1394b allows higher speeds at greater distances and was introduced in 2003.

Apple.com
Sony.com

A registered kinesiotherapist is an allied health professional competent in the administration of musculoskeletal, neurological, ergonomic, biomechanical, psychosocial, and task-specific functional tests and measures. A Kinesiotherapist determines the appropriate evaluation tools and interventions necessary to establish, in collaboration with the patient and prescribing physicians, nurse practitioners or physician’s assistants, a goal-specific treatment plan to enhance strength, endurance and mobility of individuals with injuries and functional limitations.

The Kinesiotherapy intervention process includes the development and implementation of a treatment plan, assessment of progress toward goals, modification of the treatment plan as necessary to achieve goals and outcomes, and client education. The foundation of clinician-client rapport is based on education, instruction, demonstration and mentoring of therapeutic techniques and behaviors to restore, maintain and improve overall functional abilities.

Kinesiotherapy is an allied health care field that can be covered by health insurance (licensed medical provider referral required). Kinesiotherapists can administer treatment only upon receipt of a prescription from qualified physicians, nurse practitioners and/or physicians’ assistants.

Kinesiotherapists are credentialed by the Council on Professional Standards Board for Registration of Kinesiotherapists, but are not required to be licensed in any state at the time of publishing this article.

Kinesiotherapy is the application of scientifically based exercise principles adapted to enhance the strength, endurance, and mobility of individuals with functional limitations and in providing exercise training and education for those individuals requiring extended physical conditioning. The discipline is similar to the approach of Personal Trainers, but the setting of a Kinesiotherapist is more likely in a medical office type of setting, rather than a fitness center. Also, Personal Trainer services include non-reimbursible services related to exercise, such as sports performance enhancement, conditioning for appearance and weight control. Kinesiotherapists are often involved in sports performance enhancement in light of an injury or functional disability. Kinesiotherapists are also compared to Physical Therapists, which perform a wider number of modalities and treatments than a Kinesiotherapist. The modalities performed by Kinesiotherapists are exercise and education.

Many of the services of Kinesiotherapists, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Athletic Trainers and Personal Trainers overlap.

More information:
American Kinesiotherapy Association — akta.org

[SAMPLE] The following are responses to questions from a father about training his son …

Do you include children (my son is 12) in the scope of your services?
Yes, any age that is involved sports.

How does the evaluation process work?
Evaluation depends on the sports and any conditioning or medical history. Evalution can be sports specific, biomechanically oriented (posture, gait, technique), general athleticism-oriented (e.g., SPARQ) and endurance-oriented.

What are the options for ongoing engagement?
The training rate is $60 per session. The number of sessions per week or month is pretty much set by your budget, and then follows with a design of our meetings based on the amount of time you can meet. Concurrently, the program includes online personal training and an online journal with Exercisereports.com. The website is designed for individuals to collect their Internet tools for fitness, conditioning and sports performance; keep a record of their goals, competitive performance and training; and hold important media documents, such as videos, body size and fitness records; and sportmedicine record summaries. You would have private access with a user name and a password. Since your son is a minor, you would also have access to the private area so that you can monitor progress and monitor Internet safety. There is also a large amount of free information on fitness, wellness and human performance for the general public.

Where does the training occur?
Training can occur in open fields near your house, at your house, or I have a location available for weight training and cardiovascular training on the east side of Prospect Heights, Illinois, but the minimum age is 13. When we speak on the phone I can give you other options.

Are you able to help with the speed and power development?
Yes. I have been training since 1984 and I have managed these type of categories of training before. Training has changed quite a bit over the years, especially with what is available on the Internet for individuals to find information, to find programs and find equipment. My role in this era is to be a general contractor to help you with tools that you, your son and I would agree on selecting for optimal performance improvement.

The important factors in training for speed involve step frequency; stride length; core stabilization; joint function, stabilization and safety; and muscle power and safety

Here is an example of an online site that shows training techniques and more:
sparqtraining.com/features/category/training

My expertise manages, interacts and helps with proper selection for training (program design) and manages, interacts and helps with specific techniques and operations of the training program.

Exercisereports.com uses Snap.com javascripts which causes pop-up mini web pages to appear that correspond to the outside link that is rolled over by the mouse, trackball or trackpad.

Using Firefox 2.0.0.11 or greater, the user has the ability to disable or enable the context popups. The default setting is to disable the popup miniweb pages or context menus. Some people find the popup mini-webpages very useful because they can see the page without actually committing to going to the outside website, and then decide if they want to move on to the other website. Others find the unexpected pop-ups annoying and distracting.

Here are the instructions for changing the settings.

Go to Firefox Preferences Menu
Click on the Content Tab

If you want to allow the popups …

If you want to prevent the Snap.com pop-ups, but you still want JavaScript enabled …

Disabling JavaScript also stops the context menu or mini-Web Pages from appearing

For more information:
Snap.com
Firefox.com

A Strength and Conditioning Coach is a coach that is in charge of the physical development, fitness, and conditioning plan for sports teams. Strength coaches are most well-known as strength and conditioning coordinators for the players of NFL and college football teams. The lead coach is given the title of Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. There are also other individuals that assist the program and are given the title of Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, Strength and Conditioning Assistant or Physical Development Coordinator.

In practice, Strength and Conditioning Coaches have responsibilities that are closer to a Personal Trainer than a Coach. However, Strength Coaches work very closely with the coaching department of teams and are categorized as coaches. Strength and Conditioning Coaches also work closely with Athletic Trainers and Team Physicians to keep players and teams in top shape.

The main responsibilities of Strength and Conditioning Coaches includes the following:

Strength and Conditioning Coaches also often work with the wives and families of players and coaches to promote a wellness lifestyle for the families of coaches and players.

A Chiropractor (from Greek chiros and praktikos meaning “done by hand”) is a health care professional who diagnoses and treats mechanical disorders of the spine and musculoskeletal system with the intention of affecting the nervous system and improving health. Chiropractic is based on the premise that a spinal joint dysfunction can interfere with the nervous system and result in many different conditions of diminished health. While some chiropractors use the term vertebral subluxation to describe what they treat, others have dropped this concept and concentrate mostly on the musculoskeletal components of spinal injury and rehabilitation of the spine. In contrast, the term subluxation as used in conventional medicine is usually associated with specific conditions which are a direct consequence of injury to joints or associated nerves.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by D. D. Palmer, and it is now practiced in more than 100 countries. Chiropractic treatments vary depending on the patient’s condition and the type of approach taken by the particular chiropractor. They commonly include spinal adjustments, although other interventions may be used as well.

There are four main groups of chiropractors: “traditional straights”, “objective straights”, “mixers”, and “reform”. All groups, except reform, treat patients using a subluxation-based system. Differences are based on the philosophy for adjusting, claims made about the effects of those adjustments, and various additional treatments provided along with the adjustment.

Traditional Straight Chiropractors are the original practice. Traditional straight chiropractors follow the philosophical principles set forth by founder DD Palmer and son BJ Palmer; that vertebral subluxation leads to interference of the human nervous system and is a primary underlying risk factor for almost any disease. Straights adhere to the chiropractic diagnosis of subluxations, and view the medical diagnosis of patient complaints (which they consider to be the “secondary effects” of subluxations) to be unnecessary for treatment. Instead, patients are typically screened for “red flags” of serious disease, and treated based on a practitioner’s preferred chiropractic technique. This stance against medical diagnosing has been a source of contention between mixers and straights, because accreditation standards mandate that differential diagnosis be taught in all chiropractic programs so that patient care is safe and relevant to their complaints. Additionally, several state chiropractic licensing boards mandate that patient complaints be diagnosed before receiving care. The most popular national association for traditional straights is the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), as well as the Federation of Straight Chiropractors and Organizations (FSCO) and the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA).

Objective Straight Chiropractors have one purpose in practice — to correct vertebral subluxations because they interfere with the full expression of life by reducing the ability of the innate intelligence of the body (a controversial concept referring to an inborn organizing and healing force in the human body) to coordinate function through the nervous system. Objective Straight chiropractors are a minority group and a recent off-shoot of the traditional straights. This group is differentiated from traditional straights mainly by the claims made. While traditional straights claimed that chiropractic adjustments are a plausible treatment for a wide range of diseases, objective straights only focus on the correction of chiropractic vertebral subluxations. Like traditional straights, objective straights typically do not diagnose patient complaints. Their guiding principles are summed up as: “We do not want to diagnose and treat diseases, even diseases of the spine.” and “We do not want chiropractic to be practiced as an alternative to medicine.” They also don’t refer to other professionals, but do encourage their patients “to see a medical physician if they indicate that they want to be treated for the symptoms they are experiencing or if they would like a medical diagnosis to determine the cause of their symptoms.”Most objective straights limit treatment to spinal adjustments. Objective straights tend to share the viewpoints found in the Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Education (F.A.C.E.).

Mixer Chiropractors are an early offshoot of the straight movement. The mixer branch originated from naturopathic, osteopathic, medical, and even chiropractic doctors who attended the Palmer College of Chiropractic and then re-organized the treatment system to include more diagnostic and treatment approaches. They eventually split from the traditional straight group and formed various other chiropractic schools including the National College of Chiropractic. Their treatments may include naturopathic remedies, physical therapy devices, or other Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) methods. While still subluxation based, mixers also treat problems associated with both the spine and extremities, including musculoskeletal issues such as pain and decreased range of motion. Mixers describe vertebral subluxations as a form of joint dysfunction or osteoarthritis. Diagnosis is made after ruling out other known disorders and noting general signs of mechanical dysfunction in the spine. They tend to be members of the American Academy of Chiropractic Physicians, The American Academy of Spine Physicians, and/or the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), and all the major groups in Europe are also in membership of the European Chiropractors Union. Most chiropractors are of the mixer category.

Reform Chiropractors are a minority group who advocate the use of palpation and manipulation to identify and treat osteoarthritis, painful joints, and other musculoskeletal problems. They do not subscribe to the Palmer philosophy of Innate Intelligence and vertebral subluxations, do not believe that spinal joint dysfunction causes organic or systemic disease, and tend not to use alternative medicine methods. They prefer to align themselves more with medical and osteopathic physicians in their views of disease causes, processes and responses to manipulative therapy. Reformers tend to share the viewpoints found in the National Association for Chiropractic Medicine.

Since its inception, Chiropractic has been the subject of controversy, criticism, and outright attacks. It has come from critics within the profession, critics outside the profession, and from researchers in the scientific community. Historically, these have indirectly led to the scientific investigation of chiropractic and an antitrust suit against the American Medical Association. In May 2006, a nationwide phone survey study published in the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics reported that 83% of individuals are satisfied or very satisfied with chiropractic care.

Chiropractic’s Approach to Healthcare
According to Robert Mootz D.C. and Reed Phillips D.C., Ph.D., although chiropractic has much in common with other health professions, its philosophical approach distinguishes it from modern medicine. Chiropractic philosophy involves what has been described as a “contextual, naturopathic approach” to health care. The traditional, “allopathic” or “medical” model considers disease as generally the result of some external influence, such as a toxin, a parasite, an allergen, or an infectious agent: the solution is to counter the perceived environmental factor (e.g., using an antibiotic for a bacterial infection). By contrast, the naturopathic approach considers that lowered “host resistance” is necessary for disease to occur, so the appropriate solution is to direct treatment to strength
en the host, regardless of the environment. In contemporary clinical practice, one can find elements of both naturopathic and allopathic philosophy among all types of providers. The degree to which a practitioner emphasizes different tenets of these philosophies is one factor that determines the manner in which they practice.

Chiropractic Perspectives That Reflect a Holistic Approach to Patient Care

While the Chiropractic approach to healthcare stresses the importance of prevention, most patients initially visit a chiropractor complaining of a musculoskeletal problem (especially low back and neck pain).

Most chiropractors concern themselves with the overall health of the patient. Therefore, chiropractors emphasize the importance of healthy lifestyles and do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery. Chiropractic care is appealing to many health-conscious Americans. Chiropractic treatment of the back, neck, extremities, and joints has become more accepted as a result of research and changing attitudes about alternative, noninvasive health care practices.[26]
Most chiropractors work in private practice or work in small groups, employing chiropractic assistants as office staff and to perform therapeutic activities. They may also employ massage and physiotherapists as adjuncts to chiropractic care.

SOURCES:
Gaumer G. Factors associated with patient satisfaction with chiropractic care: survey and review of the literature. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2006 Jul-Aug;29(6):455-62.

AHCPR Publication No. 98-N002 Agency for Health Care Policy and Research – AHCPR Chapter 2 (Table 1) Chiropractic Belief Systems, Robert D. Mootz DC; Reed B. Phillips DC, PhD.

More information …

American Chiropractic Association — amerchiro.org

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) is dedicated to the advancement of chiropractic health care. It provides the latest information on current developments in therapeutics, as well as reviews of clinically oriented research and practical information for use in clinical settings. The Journal’s editorial board includes some of the world’s leading clinical low-back and spine researchers from medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, and post-secondary education. JMPT, the premier biomedical publication in the chiropractic profession, publishes peer-reviewed original articles, case reports, journal abstracts, commentary, and new media reviews. Readers include chiropractors, osteopaths, physical therapists, physiatrists, radiologists, and sports medicine specialists. The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics is the official journal of the American Chiropractic Association

A nutritionist is a health specialist who devotes their professional life to food and nutritional science, preventive nutrition, diseases related to nutrient deficiencies, and the use of nutrient manipulation to enhance the clinical response to human diseases. A dietitian is a legally protected term regulated by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). All dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians.

There are three informal categories of nutritionists ‘on the street,’ so to speak:

Keep in mind, dietitians and nutritionists (with lesser qualifications) advise people on dietary matters relating to health, well-being and optimal nutrition every day — one-on-one, in classes and through the news media. Nutritionists have varying levels of education from someone with little or no education to an individual who has obtained a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. This is because the term “nutritionist” is not a legally protected term in most parts of the world. As a result, the term “nutritionist” is subject to several interpretations. Many nutritionists appear on television, in newspapers and magazines, and write nutritional books, which may or may not have any real information of proven value regarding diet, disease support, disease prevention, health and wellness, body composition enhancement or performance enhancement.

Dietitians have an extremely broad-based knowledge of diet, disease and human health, but may sometimes not be as helpful to athletes, compared to health or fitness professionals who are closely studying the effects of certain food and supplement practices with physical training. However, if you ask a dietitian to help you with a particular subject and focus on your goals, the dietitian would be able to pick up on the topic and excel any other nutritionist’s capabilities.

A dietitian (sometimes spelled dietician) is the expert in food and nutrition. Dietitians help promote good health through proper eating. They also supervise the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits. The goals of the dietitian are to obtain, prepare, and serve flavorsome, attractive, and nutritious food to individuals, medical patients, family members, employees (in workplace cafeterias) and students (in school cafeterias).

In the United States, legally recognized nutrition professionals include the registered dietitian (RD) and the dietetic technician, registered (DTR). These terms, as well as simply dietitian, are legally protected terms regulated by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Some RDs or DTRs call themselves nutritionists. However, the term nutritionist is not regulated, as dietitian is. People, such as chiropractors, personal trainers and nutritional product sales people may call themselves nutritionists without the educational and professional requirements of registered dietitians. Dietetic technicians are not the same as dietitians in terms of responsibilities and qualifications. Different professional terms are used in other countries.

In the U.S., dietitians are registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (the certifying agency of the ADA) and are only able to use the label “Registered Dietitian” when they have met strict, specific educational and professional prerequisites and passed a national registration examination.

A dietitian’s education in health science involves significant scientific based knowledge in anatomy, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physiology, nutrition, medical science. Strong foundations in advanced scientific knowledge and an internship, counseling skills and an understanding of aspects of psychology enable a Registered Dietitian to assess, analyze, intervene, and educate a individuals in relation to diet and disease.

There following are common academic plans to becoming a fully qualified registrable dietitian:

Besides academic education, registered dietitians must complete up to a year long dietetic internship of at least 900 hours through an accredited program before they can sit for the registration examination. The dietetic internship requires the intern to complete several areas of competency including rotations in clinical, community, long-term care nutrition as well as food service, public health and a variety of other worksites.

Once the degree is earned, the internship completed, and registration examination passed, the individual can now use the nationally recognized legal term, Registered Dietitian, and is able to work in a variety of professional settings. Most states require additional licensure to work in most settings. To maintain, the RD credential, professionals must participate in and earn continuing education units 75 hours every 5 years.

Types of dietitians
The majority of dietitians are clinical, or therapeutic, dietitians. Clinical Dietitians or Consultant Dietitians often help with sports teams, especially professional sports teams. Dietitians hired by sports teams help setup pre-game meal policies for optimal energy and performances during games. Dietitians also help educate and motivate players and their families toward the best meals and supplements for optimal health and player performances and the wellness of the player’s family. The following is a list of types of dietitian careers:

Business & Media Dietitians
Business & Media dietitians serve as resource people for the media. Dietitians’ expertise in nutrition is often taped for TV, radio, and newspapers — either as an expert guest opinion, regular columnist or guest, or for resource, restaurant, or recipe development and critique. Dietitians have served as show hosts on major television stations and as drive-time radio news anchors. Dietitians write books, appear on television cooking channels, and author corporate newsletters on nutrition and wellness. They also work as sales representatives for food manufacturing companies that provide nutritional supplements and tube feeding supplies.

Clinical Dietitians
Clinical dietitians work in hospitals and other health care facilities to provide medical nutrition therapy to patients according to the disease processes, provide individual dietary consultations to patients and their family members and also conduct group educations for other health workers, patients and the public. They coordinate both medical records and nutritional needs to asess the patients and make a plan based on their findings. Some clinical dietitians have dual responsibilities with medical nutrition therapy and in foodservice, described below. In addition, clinical dietitians in smaller facilities also provide or create outpatient education programs. They work as a team with the physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, speech therapists, social workers and nurses to provide care to the patients.

Clinical dietitians review medical charts and meet with patients patients’ families. They w
ork with other health care professionals and community groups to provide nourishment, nutritional programs and instructional presentations to benefit people of all ages, and with a variety of health conditions. This is accomplished by developing individual plans to meet nutritional needs. These plans include nourishment plans or diet plans, patient and family education with normal eating, tube feedings (called enteral nutrition, which helps normalize body protein levels, restore immune function and promote weight gain), intravenous feedings (called parenteral nutrition) such as total parenteral nutrition (TPN, which provides the entire nutrient needs of the patient via intravenous infusion) or peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN, which provides nutrients via I.V., but in a lower concentration). Clinical dietitians provide individual and group educational programs for patients and family members about their nutrition and health.

Consultant dietitians
Consultant dietitians work under private practice. They contract independently to provide nutrition services and educational programs to individuals, sports teams, nursing homes, and in health care facilities. As recent studies have shown the importance of diet in both preventing and managing disease, many US states have moved towards covering medical nutrition therapy under the Medicaid/Medicare making consulting a much more lucrative option for dietitians due to insurance reimbursement.

Community dietitians
Community dietitians work with wellness programs and international health organizations. These dietitians apply and distribute knowledge about food and nutrition to specific life-styles and geographic areas. They coordinate nutritional programs in public health agencies, daycare centers, health clubs, and recreational camps and resorts. Some community dietitians carry out clinical based patient care in the form of home visits for patients who are too physically ill to attend consultation in health facilities.

Foodservice dietitians
Foodservice dietitians or managers are responsible for large-scale food planning and service. They coordinate, assess and plan foodservice processes in health care facilities, school food service programs, prisons, cafeterias and restaurants. These dietitians will also perform audits of their departments, train other food service workers and use marketing skills to launch new menus and various programs within their institution. They direct and manage the operational and nutrition services staffs such as kitchen staffs, delivery staffs and dietary assistants or diet aides.

Gerontological dietitians
Gerontological dietitians are specialist in nutrition and aging. They are Board certified in Gerontological Nutrition with the American Dietetic Association. They work in government agencies in aging policy, and in a regulatory capacity in the oversight of nursing homes and community-based care facilities. They work as Consultants in Nursing Homes, and in higher education in the field of Gerontology (the study of Aging.)

Research dietitians
Research dietitians are mostly involved with dietary related research in the clinical aspect of nutrition in disease states, public aspect on primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary health prevention and foodservice aspect in issues involving the food prepared for patients. Many registered dietitians also work with the biochemical aspects of nutrient interaction within the body. Research Dietitians normally work in a hospital or university research facilities. It should be noted that some Clinical dietitian’s roles also involve research other than the normal clinical workload. Quality improvement in dietetics services is also one area of research.

More information …
American Dietetic Association (eatright.org)
British Dietetic Association (bda.uk.com)
Dietitians Association of Australia (daa.asn.au)

General practice, internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics are concerned with wide variety of human medical issues and circumstances which blurs the public’s understanding and differentiation of each specialty.

General Practioner, Family Physician, Family Practitioner
A general practitioner (GP), family physician or family practitioner (FP) is a medical doctor who provides primary care. A GP or FP treats acute and chronic illnesses, provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. The synomyms family practitioner or family physician have become widespread in Canada and the USA. The term general practitioner is common in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries, where the word physician is largely reserved for certain other types of medical specialists, notably in internal medicine.

In the United States, a general practitioner has completed the one-year internship required to obtain a medical license, after having received at least an undergraduate Baccalaureate degree and a four-year M.D. Doctor of Medicine or a D.O. Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. A physician who specializes in family medicine (also known as a family physician), however, has completed a three-year family medicine residency in addition to the undergraduate and doctoral studies, and is eligible for the board certification now required by most hospitals and health plans.

Most family physicians practice in solo or small-group private practices or as hospital employees in practices of similar sizes owned by hospitals. Still, many choose to teach medicine at medical schools or family medicine residency programs, though usually for much less pay. Others choose to practice as consultants to various medical institutions, including insurance companies.

Starting in the 1970s and 1980s, many board-certified family physicians in the United States began to consider the terms “General Practitioner” and “GP” as somewhat demeaning and derogatory, discounting their additional years of training. It was not until 1969 that Family Medicine (formerly known as Family Practice) was recognized as a distinct specialty in the U.S.

A family physician is board-certified in family medicine. Training is focused on treating an individual throughout all of his or her life stages. Family physicians will see anyone with any problem, but are experts in common problems. Many family physicians deliver babies as well as taking care of patients of all ages. Family physicians complete undergraduate school, medical school, and three more years of specialized medical residency training in Family Medicine. Board-certified family physicians take a written examination every six, seven, nine, or ten years to remain board certified, depending on what track they choose regarding the maintenance of their certification. Three hundred hours of continuing medical education within the prior six years is also required to be eligible to sit for the exam.

Between 2003 and 2009 the board certification process is being changed in family medicine and all other American Specialty Boards to a continuous series of yearly competency tests on differing areas within the given specialty. The American Board of Family Medicine, as well as other specialty boards, are requiring additional participation in continuous learning and self-assessment to enhance clinical knowledge, expertise, and skills. The Board has created a program called the “Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians” (MC-FP) which will require family physicians to continuously demonstrate proficiency in four areas of clinical practice: professionalism, self assessment/lifelong learning, cognitive expertise, and performance in practice.

Certificates of Added Qualifications (CAQs) in adolescent medicine, geriatric medicine, or sports medicine are available for those board certified family physicians who meet additional training and testing requirements. Additionally, fellowships are available for family physicians in adolescent medicine, geriatrics, sports medicine, rural medicine, faculty development, obstetrics, research, and preventative medicine.
The family medicine (FM) paradigm is bolstered by primary care physicians trained in internal medicine (IM); although these physicians are trained in internal medicine only, adult patients provide the majority of the patient base of many family medicine practices. In the United States, there is a rising contingent of physicians dually trained in internal medicine and pediatrics (“peds”, pronounced “peeds”), which can be completed in four years, instead of the three years each for IM and pediatrics. A significant number of family medicine practices (especially in suburban and urban areas) do not provide obstetric services anymore (due to litigation issues and provider preference), and as such, this blurs the line between the FM and IM/Peds difference. One suggested difference is that the IM/Peds-trained physicians are more geared towards subspecialty training or hospital-based practice. Even so, there are many groups with FM-trained and IM/Peds-trained physicians working in seamless harmony.

There is currently a shortage of family physicians (and also other primary care providers) due to several factors, notably the lesser prestige associated with the young specialty, the lesser pay, and the increasingly frustrating practice environment in the United States. Physicians are increasingly forced to do more administrative work, shoulder higher malpractice premiums due to highly profitable insurance monopolies that charge excessive premiums, thus forcing doctors to spend less and less time with patient care due to the current payor model stressing patient volume vs. quality of care. Things are starting to change as more insurance carriers consolidate. They are not stressing performance but more and more volume, thus increasing insurance company profit margins. Physicians are starting to shun insurance carriers to lessen the paperwork and focus more on patient care as they are originally trained to do. The average starting salary in the United States for family physicians is $100,000 to 120,000 a year.

Traditionally, GPs may care for hospitalized patients; where they have hospital privileges, they may perform minor surgery and/or obstetrics. Many GPs do some minor procedures, such as removal of skin lesions, in their offices (their rooms in UK and Commonwealth usage).

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) was founded in 1947 to promote the science and art of family medicine. It is one of the largest medical organizations in the world with more than 94,000 members. The Academy was instrumental in establishing family medicine as a recognized medical specialty; a certifying board was approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties in 1969.

American Board of Family Medicine (originally called the American Board of Family Practice was recognized as the 20th medical specialty in February, 1969. The board was formed out of a need to encourage medical school graduates to enter “general practice.” In 2005, the board’s name was changed to the American Board of Family Medicine.

Pediatrician
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of pediatricians, physicians trained to deal with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. Its motto is: “Dedicated to the Health of All Children.” Most American pediatricians are members of this physician-focused organization.

In 1930, 60 physicians who specialized in child health founded the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The name of the non-profit organization reflected the physician’s commitment to children and the specialty of pediatrics. It also formally acknowledged the difference between adult and child health care. In 1948, the first issue of their journal Pediatrics was published.

In the la
st 75 years, the AAP has grown to a membership of 60,000 board-certified primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists. Through advocacy efforts, physician education, research, and the continual creation of pediatric care and practice policies, AAP members and staff work tirelessly to affect broad social and medical changes benefiting all children and the future of pediatrics.

Internist/Internal Medicine
Internal medicine is the branch and specialty of medicine concerning the diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases in adults, especially of internal organs. Doctors of internal medicine, also called “internists”, are required to have included in their medical schooling and postgraduate training at least three years dedicated to learning how to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases that affect adults. Internists are sometimes referred to as the “doctor’s doctor,” because they are often called upon to act as consultants to other physicians to help solve puzzling diagnostic problems. While the name “internal medicine” may lead one to believe that internists only treat “internal” problems, this is not the case. Doctors of internal medicine treat the whole person, not just internal organs.

Internists hold either an allopathic (MD, MBBS, MBChB, etc) or osteopathic (DO) degree. Internists should not be confused with “Medical Interns,” who are either physicians in their first year of residency training (in countries like the USA), or last-year medical students (in countries like Colombia). Although Internists may act as primary care physicians, they are not “family physicians,” “family practitioners,” or “general practitioners” (whose training in certain countries includes the medical care of children, and may include surgery, obstetrics and pediatrics). General Internists practice medicine from a primary care perspective but they can treat and manage many ailments and are usually the most adept at treating a broad range of diseases affecting adults.
Internal Medicine sub-specialists may also practice general internal medicine, but can focus their practice on their particular subspecialty like cardiology or pulmonology after completing a fellowship. (Additional training of 2-3 years).

In the USA, adult primary care is usually provided by either family practice or general internal medicine physicians (Internists). The primary care of adolescents is provided by family practice, internists and pediatricians. The primary care of children and infants is provided by Family Practice or Pediatricians.

Internists are trained to solve puzzling diagnostic problems and handle severe chronic illnesses and situations where several different illnesses may strike at the same time. They also bring to patients an understanding of preventative medicine, men’s and women’s health, substance abuse, mental health, as well as effective treatment of common problems of the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system and reproductive organs. Most older adults in the United States see an internist as their primary physician.

Subspecialties of internal medicine
Internists can choose to focus their practice on general internal medicine, or may take additional training to “subspecialize” in one of 13 areas of internal medicine, generally organized by organ system. Cardiologists, for example, are doctors of internal medicine who subspecialize in diseases of the heart. The training an internist receives to subspecialize in a particular medical area is both broad and deep. Subspecialty training (often called a “fellowship”) usually requires an additional one to three years beyond the standard three year general internal medicine residency. (Residencies come after a student has graduated from medical school.)
In the United States, there are two organizations responsible for certification of subspecialists within the field, the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine.

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) recognizes the following subspecialties of Internal Medicine:
Cardiology, medical management of disorders of the heart and blood vessels
Endocrinology, medical management of disorders of the endocrine system and its specific secretions called hormones
Gastroenterology, medical management of of digestive system diseases
Hematology, concerned with blood, the blood-forming organs and its disorders
Infectious disease, medical management of diseases caused by a biological agent such as by a virus, bacterium or parasite
Medical oncology, medical management of diagnosis and treatment of cancer
Nephrology, medical management of of the function and diseases of the kidney
Pulmonology, medical management of diseases of the lungs and the respiratory tract
Rheumatology, medical management of diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases.

The ABIM also recognizes additional qualifications in the following areas of Internal Medicine:
Adolescent medicine
Clinical cardiac electrophysiology
Critical care medicine
Geriatric medicine
Interventional cardiology
Sports medicine
Transplant hepatology
Internists may also specialize in allergy and immunology. The American Board of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology is a conjoint board between internal medicine and pediatrics.

The American College of Osteopathic Internists recognizes the following subspecialties.
Allergy/Immunology
Cardiology
Critical care medicine
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Geriatric medicine
Hematology/Oncology
Infectious diseases
Nuclear medicine
Nephrology
Pulmonology
Rheumatology