Physician in 1347: The Black Death overwhelms Europe's physicians

A physician diagnoses and manages illness through examination, testing and medication, typically following a patient over months or years. A surgeon treats disease or injury by operating, usually for a single well-defined episode of care. Many physicians — internists, family doctors, cardiologists — never operate; some conditions are handled entirely by a physician, others are referred to a surgeon once medical treatment is exhausted.

How long does it take to become a physician? Most countries require roughly ten to eleven years after secondary school: four to six years of medical school followed by three or more years of residency in a specialty such as internal medicine, family medicine or pediatrics. The United Kingdom compresses medical school to five or six years but adds a two-year foundation programme before specialty training begins, so the total ends up similar.

What is the difference between a physician, a doctor and a general practitioner? In everyday English, "doctor" covers any licensed physician, including surgeons and specialists. "Physician" more precisely means a non-surgical doctor practicing internal medicine or a related specialty. A "general practitioner" or family doctor is a physician trained broadly rather than in one organ system, usually a patient's first point of contact and the one who decides which specialist, if any, a case needs next.