Who are internal medicine specialists and what do they do?
Internal medicine specialists focus primarily on treating adult medical disorders, and are especially skilled in multi-system illnesses or situations where several illnesses afflict a patient at once. Despite the name, they are trained to treat the whole body, not just internal organs, and see patients for a variety of conditions and complaints.
Also known as internists, these doctors often work as general practitioners, hospitalists, and primary care physicians. Patients see an internist for an annual checkup and diagnosis, as well as for treatment and management of acute and chronic illnesses. Preventive medicine and patient education are often emphasized, including annual physical examinations to monitor patients’ blood pressure, cholesterol levels and glucose levels and ensure other baseline tests are within normal levels for a patient’s age and gender.
Because internists’ patients often suffer from multi-system disorders, internists often work in hospitals where it is easiest to administer complex treatment and tests. Some internists also work in clinics or private practices, or split their time between a private practice office and a hospital.What subspecialties might an internal medicine specialist have?
Internal medicine specialists, while often practicing general internal medicine, may also undergo additional training to subspecialize in an area of internal medicine. There are more than a dozen different subspecialties recognized by the American Board of Internal Medicine, from adolescent medicine to hematology (blood), to rheumatology (arthritis) to sports medicine. Training in a subspecialty is typically called a fellowship and requires 1-3 years of training in addition to three years of internal medicine residency training.What symptoms and conditions are typically treated by an internal medicine specialist?
An internal medicine specialists’ scope of practice varies, but they typically provide basic diagnoses and non-surgical and surgical treatment of common medical conditions and illnesses. Internal medicine doctors will collect a patient’s history and review it to help inform the decision-making process when making a diagnosis. They review prior medical history, illnesses and other health information. A physical examination and basic medical testing helps them reach diagnoses, such as reading blood and other tests, electrocardiograms and X-rays.
Together with the patient, the internal medicine doctor forms a plan that can include additional testing if needed, a referral to see a specialist, medication prescriptions, therapies, changes to diet or lifestyle, additional patient education, or follow-up treatment. Patients also may receive advice or education on improving health behaviors, self-care and treatment, screening tests and immunizations.
Some common conditions treated by internists include:
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- Gynecological complaints
- Infectious diseases
- Musculoskeletal complaints
- Respiratory system diseases
- Thyroid disease