Internists are doctors who work as general practitioners but have received additional training, ranging from three to more years after medical school, to specialize in treating diseases that occur within the body or in relation to one or more body systems. There are internists who are cardiologists, gastroenterologists, and other specialists who choose to specialize in a specific system or organ. They can also train to work with a group of people, such as geriatric medicine practitioners or pediatricians. The main difference between an internist and a cardiologist is that the internist will see patients for general medical care as well as their specialty.
Geriatric medicine, for example, is concerned with diseases that affect people as they grow older. Most internists who specialize in geriatric medicine see a population of elderly patients, but they don’t just see them for age-related ailments. They would see them for a variety of ailments, such as strep throat or an ear infection. Similarly, a gastroenterologist internist works with patients not only when they have gastrointestinal problems, but also when they have pink eye, the flu, or bronchitis.
Many people prefer to work with an internist because this doctor is both a primary care physician and a specialist. Anyone suffering from a serious illness in one of the body’s systems may find it easier to find a doctor who specializes in that system while also being trained to treat common illnesses. Of course, finding an internist who specializes in the area that people require is not always possible. Others choose an internist as their primary care physician even if they do not have any illnesses that the doctor is trained to treat.
This raises an intriguing point. Even if an internist has a sub-specialty, not all internists do. After medical school, some doctors only do a three-year residency in internal medicine.
If the residency is successfully completed in the United States, doctors can obtain certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine. Additional residencies or fellowships in the field are not required. Training has already resulted in a high level of competence in diagnosing and treating diseases of the body’s systems, particularly internal organs. Internists are particularly appealing to some patients because of their additional training beyond medical school, and most people who have health insurance and must choose a primary physician can choose internists if they prefer.