Hailey Tran
An internist, or internal medicine physician, is a doctor that specializes in internal medicine, focusing on the internal organs and their interaction with each other. They are trained to handle a broad spectrum of illnesses that affect adults, including complex and puzzling diagnostic problems, and are experts in the treatment of chronic illnesses. They can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, and private practices, often building long-term relationships with patients. Internists may also be referred to as hospitalists if they exclusively treat patients in hospitals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of doctor | Internal medicine physician, general internist, doctor of internal medicine |
| Specialization | Internal organs, including the heart, kidney, liver, and lungs |
| Patient age group | Adults |
| Patient type | Patients with complex chronic conditions, multiple illnesses, or geriatric patients |
| Work setting | Hospitals, medical offices, large clinics, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, health clinics |
| Work hours | 40 hours a week, seeing 20-25 patients per day |
| Work flexibility | More flexibility than other specialists in terms of work hours and career paths |
| Work opportunities | Opportunities to work in various fields such as cardiology, oncology, infectious diseases, research, or administration |
| Duties | Diagnosis, treatment, health promotion, disease prevention, patient care, consultation with other specialists, medication management, lifestyle counseling, mental health checks |
| Education | Four-year undergraduate degree from a medical school, pass exams from the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), three-year residency in internal medicine, pass a board certification exam by the American Board of Internal Medicine |
| Salary | Average salary in the United States: $202,600 to $255,500 |
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What You'll Learn
Internists are qualified doctors
Once qualified, internists are doctors who specialize in internal medicine, focusing on the internal organs, including the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs. They are experts in complexity, with a deep understanding of the entire human body and its organ systems, allowing them to see the bigger picture and make connections from multiple data sets. They are trained to solve complex diagnostic problems and manage severe long-term illnesses, particularly in cases where multiple chronic illnesses may be present simultaneously.
Internists are often the first point of care for their patients, seeing approximately 20 to 25 patients per week and working around 40 hours per week. They build long-term relationships with their patients, sometimes treating them over the course of their entire adult lives. They provide comprehensive, longitudinal patient care and make recommendations based on each patient's unique situation.
Internists can work in a variety of settings, including medical offices, large clinics, and hospitals, either as solo practitioners or in group practices. They may also choose to subspecialize in a more focused area of internal medicine, such as cardiology, oncology, or infectious diseases, which usually requires additional training of one to three years.
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They specialise in adult medicine
Internists are doctors who specialise in adult medicine. They are trained to handle a wide range of illnesses that affect adults and are experts in diagnosis, treatment, and health promotion. They can manage severe chronic illnesses and complex cases where several illnesses occur simultaneously. They are also known as internal medicine physicians or doctors of internal medicine.
Internists are specialists in the internal organs, including the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs. They help manage diseases of these organs and are knowledgeable about how they interact. For example, they work with patients who have diabetes, which can affect other organs if not properly managed. They often serve as gatekeepers, closely monitoring patients' body systems and helping to manage chronic illnesses.
As experts in complexity, internists are well-equipped to solve complex diagnostic problems. They consider multiple data sets and make connections to identify optimal solutions for their patients. They provide comprehensive, longitudinal patient care and often develop long-term relationships with their patients, following them throughout their adult lives. This allows them to provide personalised recommendations based on each patient's unique situation.
Internists can work in various settings, including medical offices, large clinics, and hospitals. They may work as solo practitioners or partner with other physicians in group practices. Some internists are employed by clinics or hospitals as salaried staff. They have flexibility in their work hours and career paths.
While internists typically specialise in adult medicine, some may choose to subspecialise further in areas such as cardiology, oncology, or infectious diseases. This additional training allows them to focus on a more specific area of internal medicine and provide even more specialised care to their patients.
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They can treat a range of conditions
Internists are doctors who specialize in internal medicine and treat a wide range of health issues in adults. They are trained to handle a broad spectrum of illnesses and are experts in diagnosis, treatment, and the management of chronic illnesses. They can treat a range of conditions, including:
- Chronic illnesses: Internists are well-equipped to manage severe long-term illnesses and complex chronic conditions. They help patients with multiple chronic diseases and are knowledgeable about how these conditions interact. For example, they may treat patients with diabetes, monitoring their health to ensure the disease does not affect other organs and managing any related complications.
- Cardiological conditions: Internists can treat conditions related to the heart, such as heart disease and hypertension. They are knowledgeable about the heart's interaction with other organs and can provide ongoing care for these patients.
- Pulmonary/Respiratory diseases: Internists diagnose and treat diseases involving the respiratory system and lungs, such as pulmonary disease.
- Oncology: Internists can specialize in oncology, which involves the diagnosis and treatment of malignant and benign tumors.
- Infectious diseases: Internists can also work in the field of infectious diseases, treating conditions such as COPD and infectious diseases.
- Endocrine issues: They can help patients with endocrine-related issues, such as diabetes and elevated cholesterol.
- Rheumatology: Internists can diagnose and treat diseases affecting bones, joints, and muscles.
- Mental health: Internists may also check for mental health issues such as depression and counsel patients on lifestyle changes to improve their overall health.
Internists often develop long-term relationships with their patients, providing care before, during, and after hospitalization. They may work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, or private practices, offering flexibility in their career paths.
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They work in hospitals and outpatient settings
Internists are doctors who specialize in internal medicine. They are trained to handle a broad spectrum of illnesses that affect adults and are experts in diagnosis and treating chronic illnesses. They are also known as internal medicine physicians or doctors of internal medicine.
Internists work in hospitals and outpatient settings. In hospitals, they provide care for their patients during patient rounds and follow their patients when hospitalized (inpatient setting). They may also work in other clinical settings, such as rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, and health clinics. They can also be employed by a clinic or hospital as salaried staff.
In outpatient settings, internists may work in medical offices, large clinics, or private practices. They see patients in an office-based setting and may also have patients visit them for follow-up care after release from the hospital. They develop a care plan based on newly diagnosed conditions and other changes to their health. They may also consult with their patients' other doctors, coordinate care, and check for medication interactions.
Internists typically work 40 hours a week, seeing approximately 20 to 25 patients per day. They have more flexibility than other medical specialists when it comes to work hours and career paths.
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They can be distinguished from hospitalists
An internist is a doctor who specialises in internal medicine. They are trained to handle a broad spectrum of illnesses that affect adults and are experts in diagnosis and treating chronic illnesses. They can also help patients with multiple complex chronic conditions. They can provide both inpatient and outpatient care and can follow patients over the duration of their adult lives.
Hospitalists, on the other hand, are medically trained individuals who treat patients in hospital settings. They are physicians who practice medicine in a hospital setting and focus on acute care needs in hospitalized patients. They treat patients who are admitted to the hospital, known as inpatients. Hospitalists may have varied schedules based on the size of the hospitals they work in and the number of patients they treat daily. They may work weekends, evenings, overnight shifts, and holidays.
While internists and hospitalists share many similarities, there are some key differences. Internists can treat patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings, whereas hospitalists only treat inpatients. Hospitalists treat patients on a short-term basis, whereas internists provide regular care for patients over a long period.
Additionally, internists only treat adult patients, whereas hospitalists who work in internal medicine treat adults, but those who work in other areas of medicine may see patients of different ages. For example, a pediatric hospitalist treats patients under the age of 18.
In terms of salary, hospitalists in the US make an average of $268,960 to $282,679 per year, while internists earn an average of $273,511 to $292,733 per year.
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Frequently asked questions
An internist is a doctor who specializes in internal medicine or the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of internal diseases in adults. They are trained to solve complex diagnostic problems and manage severe long-term illnesses.
Internists diagnose, treat, and monitor medical conditions such as lung disease, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and arthritis. They often develop long-term relationships with their patients, seeing them through their entire adult lives.
You can ask for referrals from friends, relatives, or coworkers. You can also look at reviews on health rating sites like Vitals, Healthgrades, Google, or Yelp. You can narrow down your list of potential internists by considering factors such as hospital affiliation, board certification, hours of operation, and areas of specialization.
Hospitalists are physicians who only treat patients in a hospital setting, while internists typically work in outpatient settings such as doctor's offices or clinics but may also visit their patients in the hospital. Hospitalists often specialize in internal medicine, but their duties differ from internists, who provide regular long-term care to patients.
