[simply Nathan]

I put enough points in a wizard to get Physician-15 as often as I am allowed due to Minor and Major Healing being such useful spells and this still helping with them.

I've never used the skill itself for anything directly.

And no, I've never used Esoteric Medicine in place of Physician because A) It's never been explicit in the actual rules text that it actually does do what Physician does for those spells and B) Any campaign I've been in where Physician was "too high tech", Esoteric Medicine was also forbidden for being "too cinematic".