Internists

Internist is the medical doctor who is applying the methods of internal medicine, the art of preventing, diagnosing, and treating the internal diseases. Internal medicine is concerned with the illnesses of the adult patient and particularly with those which are system-wide and includes diseases common to the industrialized countries of the world.

Education and training of internists

The basic medical training is normally accomplished by completing a four-year program at an accredited medical school. Graduates are awarded the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. The next step for the medical graduates is getting a license by passing an examination, namely United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Following this, they may apply for either a transition-year internship or a preliminary-year internship followed by residency training in internal medicine, where they will receive training in primary care both inpatient and outpatient clinics. Residency programs usually take about three years to complete. Subspecialty training takes about two years to complete, and during this time the trainee focuses on a specific area of internal medicine such as cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, pulmonary medicine, oncology, or nephrology.

Internist roles and responsibilities

An internist is on the front line of medical care; they mainly focus on the diagnosis and management of adult patients with internal diseases. Their responsibilities include:

• Diagnosing and treating acute and chronic diseases, including both common and rare conditions
• Managing patients with complex medical problems, often in consultation with other specialists
• Ordering and interpreting tests, such as blood tests, imaging studies, and biopsies
• Prescribing medications and other treatments
• Educating patients about their conditions and treatment options