Is a family doctor the same as a primary care physician?

Usually yes, and...: Family doctors practice as primary care doctors (the doctors that a person should first call, for most problems). For children, a pediatrician is usually the primary care doctor, but family doctors (trained in family practice) can be a child's primary care doctor. An ob-gyn should not be a woman's primary care doctor, because every woman needs internal medicine or family practice as her primary.