Commonly Used Terms Defined

Challenges to understanding data gathered include understanding of qualifications.

MBBS MBBCh and MD can represent basic medical degree (and MD a graduate designation with research or specialty) and the clerkship or final year of medical school can be considered a practical year or even an internship or service year and some require a year to three of community work prior to beginning post grad training in family medicine; diplomas eg. PGDFM or GDFM usually require lesser training specand sometimes online but a Diplomate in India has finished a three year residency; Fellow or Fellowship can be lower online or the highest form of qualification. A Master’s may be a shorter route to designation while a MMed in Africa and some Asian countries may be four years and a super-residency including PhD type research.

MD

  • Doctor of Medicine

  • This is generally completed after an undergraduate degree is obtained and includes a residency

  • In certain countries this could indicate a specific specialization or a research doctorate.

MBBS

  • Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

  • A professional undergraduate degree, usually of six-year duration taken immediately after highschool studies, awarded in Commonwealth countries

 MDGP

  •  MD in General Practice 

    • In India, MD is granted following post graduate training. 

    • In Quebec, an MD is referred to as MDCM.

    • MDCM Quebec: Medicinae Doctor et Chirurgiae Magister (Translates to Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery).

    • The term MDM is equivalent/ Homologous to the term MBBS previously mentioned.

Family Medicine Established

  • This is the year that the first program for family medicine was implemented in the country

Family Doctor and General Practitioner

  • Sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, as both provide primary care. Family doctors have additional training specializing in family medicine. Most countries have either a College or Society of Family Doctors acting as a governing body.

Diploma of Family Medicine

  • (DFM) - A diploma level course, designed to include teachings about all levels of healthcare for all ages.  

Masters of Family Medicine

  • A training program that focuses more on the didactic aspect of family medicine specialization.

Fellowship in Family Medicine

  • A Fellowship is considered a value of membership and will be bestowed for life as long as the member remains in good standing with the College (FCFP). To do a Fellowship is to further specialize yourself in the field of family medicine. Fellowship in the College of Family Physicians of Canada (FCFP). (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cfpc.ca/Fellowship/

Residency in Family Medicine

  • This occurs after medical school and involves hand-on and clinical training in preparation for family medicine.

Master of Clinical Science (MClSc) degree in Family Medicine

Master's level program to prepare family physicians for academic family medicine roles, offered as both a part-time and a full-time program at the University of Western Ontario.

MScCH: Family and Community Medicine

A professional graduate intended to strengthen the practice of family medicine and primary care for regulated health profession, at the University of Toronto.

M.Sc. in Family Medicine

A two-year program research degree offered at McGill University for undergraduates with a strong interest in family medicine and primary health care, family medicine residents, practicing family physicians, and other allied health professionals.

Master of Family Medicine (Clinical)

Tufts Master Teacher Fellowship,

Malta’s three semester and

Edinburgh’s oThe Master of Family Medicine (MFM) many routes exist, but these would not be thought of as qualifying a person to practice as a family doctor.

In Latin America Mexico has a Postgrad Maestria

Colombia a six semester Especialización en Medicina Familiar

Paraguay Maestrías de Salud y Medicina

Argentina Maestría en Salud Familiar y Comunitaria (ENG: Master of Family and Community Health)

A masters degree intended for healthcare professionals with related experience.

Uruguay Master Of Medicine in Family Medicine and Community Practice might be a three year residency.

This webpage was created with the aid of several collaborators who include the World Bank, the CFPC, the AAFP, and other important webpages and organizations. The following links will lead to the websites that were utilized and adopted from our collaborators:

WHO DALY data:  https://www.who.int/gho/database/en/

World Bank: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?view=chart

AAFP Interface: https://www.aafp.org/mapper/global-mapper.html

CFPC Interface: https://global.cfpc.ca/Narratives/Landing