What Is an Internist Specialist?
An internist is a doctor of internal medicine. Sometimes they're called internal medicine physicians. They are not interns.
These doctors specialize in the internal organs and systems of the body (hence the name), but they aren't limited to those areas. They can also give preventive care and treat many health problems, from a skin rash to diabetes and beyond. They only treat adults, and they don't perform surgery.
Patients often have long relationships with their internists, since they help patients with so many different types of ailments. They often act as primary care doctors. As the American College of Physicians puts it, "Internal Medicine physicians see the big picture. Their deep training and knowledge of the entire human body and its organ systems give them a unique perspective of how everything works in unison. ... They are often called upon by other medical professionals for their ability to connect the dots and help solve problems."
Internist vs. Family Physician
When choosing a primary care doctor, you may opt for an internist or a family doctor. The biggest difference between the two is the age of the patients treated.
- Internists specialize in treating adults (those over age 18, though some internists treat people over 16).
- Family physicians treat children as well as adults.
Both can treat a wide spectrum of conditions and give preventative care. Internists have a great depth of knowledge about adult health issues. They may specialize in areas like psychiatry, dermatology, or orthopedics, to name a few. Family physicians have a broader base of knowledge since they're treating children as well as adults.
Internists also are more likely to give hospital care. Family doctors can treat patients at hospitals too, but they often refer cases like these to a specialist.
What Does an Internist Do?
Internists specialize in diseases of the internal organs (like the heart, kidney, liver, and lungs) and systems (like your respiratory system and your digestive system). Most diseases have something to do with at least one of your organs or systems. And sometimes a disease may affect more than one organ. With an internist, you can get care for your whole body at one time.
Some internists are generalists while others specialize in one organ. For instance, they may be a heart specialist (cardiologist).
Internists often help to manage chronic illnesses. These are ongoing illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. They may provide women's health services (like a pelvic exam), mental health services, ear, and nose and throat care, and other health services.
Internists typically see people in their office. They'll take a patient history, order tests, diagnose what's wrong with you, refer you to a specialist if needed, and design a plan of treatment.
Education and Training
To be an internist, you first need to have a four-year undergraduate degree. Next, you'll need to complete:
- Medical school, usually taking four years
- A three-year residency in internal medicine
You’ll then need to pass an exam to become certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Internist Doctor Specialties
If you choose a specialty, you'll need one to four more years of education. Areas of specialization for internists include:
- Adolescent medicine (teens and young adults)
- Allergy and immunology (immune system)
- Cardiology (heart)
- Critical care medicine (caring for patients in intensive care)
- Endocrinology (diabetes and other diseases of the endocrine glands)
- Gastroenterology (digestive tract, liver, gallbladder)
- Geriatric medicine (older adults)
- Hematology (blood)
- Hospice and palliative care
- Infectious disease (infections from bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.)
- Nephrology (kidneys)
- Neurology (diseases of the nervous system, like the brain and spinal cord)
- Oncology (cancer)
- Psychiatry (mental conditions)
- Pulmonology (lungs)
- Rheumatology (joints and musculoskeletal system)
- Sleep medicine
- Sports medicine
Most internists with a specialty are referred to by their area of focus. For instance, they may be called cardiologists, oncologists, or hematologists. But they all start out as internists.
Some internists only see hospital patients. They are called hospitalists. Others may work in different care settings, such as rehabilitation facilities or centers for hospice care. Some go into research, and others choose to become administrators.
Reasons to See an Internist
Here are some reasons you might see an internist:
Chronic disease care
Chronic diseases are ongoing diseases. These include conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and arthritis. An internist can monitor you to see that your disease doesn't get worse.
Preventive care
These are things your general internist or their staff does to prevent health problems or to diagnose them early on. They include:
- Annual checkups to make sure your body and its organs are working correctly; sometimes referred to as a physical
- Vaccinations
- Ordering blood tests and urine tests to make sure you're not developing chronic diseases, or to check for pregnancy, STDs, and other conditions
- Recommending screenings for diseases like breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer
Mental health care
Specialized internists called psychiatrists can treat problems like depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and dementia. They can also treat substance abuse problems.
Infections and allergies
Allergists take care of problems like allergic rhinitis (hay fever), sinusitis, asthma, and bad reactions to foods, drugs, vaccines, and stinging insects. Internists treat infectious diseases as part of their practice, but they may also specialize in this area, helping to diagnose unknown infections or assist in managing complicated ones.
Pain management
Pain can have a variety of causes. It could be from something relatively minor, such as a muscle strain or a stomach virus. Or it could be something serious such as acute appendicitis or cancer. You might also have chronic pain from arthritis. An internist should be able to diagnose your problem and provide relief.
Internists are trained to treat most health conditions, but they may refer you to the right expert if needed.
What to Expect at the Internist
Although what happens at your visit may vary depending on your reason for going, you can probably expect these steps in care:
The internist will check your vital signs. They’ll go over your medical history and your list of medications. Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and your general state of health. They will usually give you a physical exam to get a complete picture of your health.
As part of your physical exam, your internist typically will:
- Look at your general appearance, including your posture and how you move
- Listen to your heart, checking for a heart murmur, irregular heartbeat, or other unusual sounds
- Listen to your breathing, checking for crackles, wheezing, or shortness of breath
- Look at your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and throat
- Check your skin and nails
For wellness checks, the doctor may order screening tests such as a lipid panel or bone density test. For specific problems, the doctor will order the appropriate test, whether it be a simple urinalysis or something more complex, like an imaging test. You may be asked to come back for a follow-up visit, or your doctor may advise that you see a different specialist.
If you see other specialists, your internist may consult with your other doctors, coordinate your care, and check for medication interactions. The best internists are proactive and may counsel you on lifestyle changes and steps to take to avoid problems in the future. They’ll also check for mental health problems such as depression.
How to Find a Good Internist
First off, make a list of what's important to you in a doctor. Besides how they treat a patient, you might want someone who's near your home or office, who went to a particular medical school, or is affiliated with a particular hospital. Remember, this may turn into a long-term partnership, so take your time to think this through. Once you've figured out your requirements, you should:
- Ask for referrals. Your friends, co-workers, and relatives are great people to ask about finding a good internist. Some people ask for recommendations on social media like Facebook or Nextdoor.com as well.
- Check with your insurance company. See if the doctors suggested are covered before you invest too much time in checking them out. Your insurance website may also tell you if they're accepting new patients, though sometimes that info is out of date.
- From your list of internists covered by insurance, check things like hospital affiliation, board certification, hours of operation, areas of specialization, and other data important to you. These are usually on the doctors' websites.
- So far, so good. But what is your potential internist like as person? You can look at reviews on health rating sites like Vitals and Healthgrades or even on Google or Yelp to get an idea. But don't go completely off these reviews. Like many other rating services, they can be misleading, since the people who tend to leave reviews either think the service was exceptional (5 stars) or exceptionally bad (1 star). Not so much in the middle.
- Narrow your list down to about three doctors and call their offices. You can ask questions like, Is the doctor taking new patients? How long does it take to get an appointment? What is the cancellation policy? You can tell a lot just by how long it takes for someone to answer the phone and how they answer these questions.
- Once you've decided on an internist, book the appointment by phone or online.
- After your first visit, ask yourself some questions, like: "Did the doctor and staff make me feel comfortable? Did they spend enough time with me or was it rushed? Did I understand what the doctor was saying to me? Did they listen to me and give me a chance to ask questions?" If the answer to most of these questions was "no," you may want to keep shopping. If it was "yes," congratulations! You have a great new internist.
Takeaways
Internists are doctors that specialize in internal organs and systems. They often act as primary care doctors for adults. Internists may be generalists or specialists such as cardiologists and dermatologists. To find a good internist, ask friends, co-workers or relatives for recommendations and check with your insurance to see if they're on your plan.
Internist FAQs
What is the difference between a doctor and an internist?
An internist is a type of doctor, also known as a doctor of internal medicine. Internal medicine refers to the internal organs in the body, like the heart, lungs, and kidneys.
What parts of the body does an internist treat?
A general internist will treat all parts of the body. A specialist internist will have training on treating the whole body but their specialized training will be on one body part. For instance, a nephrologist is an internist who specializes in treating the kidneys.
Should older people see an internist?
Sure. An older person can see a general internist or look for one who specializes in geriatric medicine. Geriatricians have special training in physical and mental changes associated with aging.