{"id":11288,"date":"2021-07-13T16:00:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/?p=11288"},"modified":"2021-07-14T19:48:24","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T19:48:24","slug":"why-its-important-to-see-the-right-primary-care-provider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2021\/07\/13\/why-its-important-to-see-the-right-primary-care-provider\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding the Right Primary Care Provider"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Why<\/p>\n

Para leer en Espa\u00f1ol, por favor haga clic aqu\u00ed<\/a><\/p>\n

When you picture a doctor, you probably think of a primary care physician you have seen sometime during your life. This is for a good reason: whether the visit was for a yearly physical, an illness, or management of a chronic condition, your primary care physician is an important source of health care and often the first point of contact for a new health problem.<\/p>\n

Primary care physicians have extensive training and can handle a wide variety of health conditions. To become a primary care physician after graduating from medical school, one needs to complete a three- or four-year training program in one of the following specialties: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or a combined program in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Each of these specialties differs in focus and requirements, but all provide rigorous training.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to selecting a primary care provider for you or a member of your family, you want to choose based on your specific needs,\u201d says Bennett Shenker, MD<\/a>, Cooper University Health Care<\/a>\u2019s Chief and Chair of Family Medicine<\/a>. \u201cWhether family medicine, internal medicine, or a pediatrician<\/a>, it is important to understand the differences among the types of providers.\u201d<\/p>\n