Family practice is the branch of medicine concerning the total health care of the person and the family. A family practice physician can have a varied and extensive medical background, including internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and geriatrics. A family physician has the skills and knowledge to provide care and health maintenance education for all ages. This physician is trained to diagnose and treat each member of the family, no matter what the problem.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Emphysema, Broncho-Esophagology, Pneumonia, Osteoarthritis , Bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, Asthma, pectus excavatum, osteoporosis, infection, Diabetes, cancer, Acne, Alzheimer's disease, Hypertension, Autism, Yeast infection, Strep throat, Anemia, and Aneurysm.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including wart removal and mole removal.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Bone density test, FAA-Flight Physicial, physicial / check up, physicial, biopsy, Computed Axial Tomography (CT or CAT Scan), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), ultrasound, x-ray, Blood Test, Upper GI (Barium Swallow), stool test, Lower GI (Barium Enema), electrolyte test, microbiological culture, and pH probe test.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Virginia has 3,161 practicing family doctors. Broken out by city, family practice doctor density in Abingdon is 12, in Alexandria is 76, in Altavista is 3, in Amherst is 8, in Ashland is 7, in Bedford is 29, in Berryville is 5, in Big Stone Gap is 10, in Blacksburg is 25, in Blackstone is 13, in Bluefield is 6, in Bridgewater is 3, in Bristol is 17, in Broadway is 3, in Buena Vista is 3, in Charlottesville is 92, in Chesapeake is 106, in Chincoteague is 4, in Christiansburg is 33, in Clifton Forge is 2, in Colonial Beach is 2, in Colonial Heights is 19, in Covington is 5, in Crewe is 2, in Culpeper is 8, in Damascus is 5, in Danville is 24, in Dublin is 7, in Dumfries is 2, in Elkton is 6, in Emporia is 10, in Fairfax is 114, in Falls Church is 56, in Farmville is 9, in Franklin is 5, in Fredericksburg is 52, in Front Royal is 25, in Galax is 15, in Grundy is 2, in Hampton is 60, in Harrisonburg is 40, in Haymarket is 3, in Herndon is 28, in Hillsville is 12, in Honaker is 4, in Hopewell is 21, in Lebanon is 8, in Leesburg is 48, in Lexington is 13, in Louisa is 12, in Luray is 6, in Lynchburg is 63, in Manassas is 63, in Manassas Park is 1, in Marion is 14, in Martinsville is 17, in Middleburg is 2, in Mount Jackson is 3, in Newport News is 176, in Norfolk is 144, in Norton is 12, in Orange is 10, in Pearisburg is 19, in Pennington Gap is 7, in Petersburg is 23, in Portsmouth is 103, in Pulaski is 4, in Purcellville is 15, in Radford is 11, in Richlands is 8, in Richmond is 306, in Roanoke is 131, in Rocky Mount is 23, in Salem is 34, in Saltville is 4, in Smithfield is 8, in South Boston is 6, in South Hill is 12, in Stanardsville is 23, in Staunton is 13, in Strasburg is 3, in Suffolk is 38, in Tangier is 3, in Tappahannock is 8, in Tazewell is 7, in Vienna is 31, in Vinton is 16, in Virginia Beach is 212, in Warrenton is 20, in Washington is 3, in Waverly is 3, in Waynesboro is 11, in West Point is 4, in White Stone is 4, in Williamsburg is 48, in Winchester is 48, in Windsor is 2, in Wise is 2, in Woodstock is 7, and in Wytheville is 16.

Virginia was one of the original 13 colonies, and Richmond, its capital, was also the colonial capital. Virginia achieved statehood in 1788, and its population is currently 7,567,465. Eight U.S. presidents were born in this state. Virginia is rich in colonial history. Two former president’s homes draw thousands of visitors each year: Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington, and Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. Also popular visiting sites are the Shenandoah National Park, the Booker T. Washington birthplace near Roanoke, and the Blue Ridge National Parkway. Famous Virginians are singer Ella Fitzgerald, tennis great Arthur Ashe, and actor George C. Scott

According to 2005 Census estimates, Virginia has a population of 7,567,465. Of this population, 1,765,029 are under the age of 18 and 860,258 are at or above the age of 65.