Postgraduate - Area of study Family medicine

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has described family medicine as "whole person care in the context of the family and the community. Continuing care drawing on biomedical, psychological, social and environmental understandings of health".

Primary medical care in Australia, and in many other countries, is largely delivered by general practitioners and has a long and proud history as a clinical discipline. As medical information and knowledge develop, general practitioners/family physicians and other health care professionals need to manage emerging concepts in practice as well as know how to access information and critically analyse literature.

Courses in this area of study are intended for general practitioners and those working in general practice settings who wish to expand their knowledge and skills in areas relevant to family medicine. Students gain critical appraisal skills in reference to the nature of the discipline, its daily practice, and its literature and research base, to meet their own personal and professional needs, as well as the needs of the patients and the community in which they practice.