What Is Internal Medicine?

Internal medicine is the area that specializes specifically in preventing, diagnosing, and treating adult diseases. The doctors that have obtained a specialty in internal medicine are called internists. Doctors of internal medicine are sometimes employed full-time at hospitals, but they sometimes can temporarily hold positions both locally and internationally. They can also play an essential role in both research and teaching.

The term internal medicine actually comes from a German term. The term was coined in the late 19th century. It was used to describe doctors who combined the care of patients with the science of the laboratory. It was actually American doctors who had studied abroad in Germany who then brought this specialty to the United States. Sometimes, especially in Commonwealth nations, internists are just simply called physicians. Many times the patients that these kinds of doctors see are seriously ill or they might have complex problems that require extensive investigation. Because of this, many of these kinds of doctors work mostly in hospitals.

In order to become an internist, a person would have needed to receive the necessary schooling. The first step in this schooling process is to have graduated from high school. Then a person would need to complete a four-year undergraduate degree at a college or university. Then a person would need to apply and be accepted into a medical school, which are usually attached to a university. Usually these programs require exceptional grades and work ethic. In total, prospective doctors will usually spend about eight years in college before obtaining a doctorate. After this process, usually new graduates will then need to complete a residency program at a hospital for either one or two years. This is undertaken under the supervision of more experienced doctors. This will ensure that doctor will be able to apply the skills that they learned in school to the real world and real patients. In addition to medical school, a person who wants to be an internist will need to obtain even more training.

There are many different subspecialties for an internist to further specialize in. One of them is cardiology, which is the study, treatment and diagnosis of hearts and blood vessels. Another subspecialty is endocrinology, which revolves around the endocrine system and the hormones secreted by that system. Gastroenterology, which is mostly concerned with the digestive system and the diseases that affect it, is another subspecialty of internists. Hematology, which concerns blood; infectious disease, which concerns diseases caused by biological agents like viruses, bacteria and parasites; and medical oncology, which deals with the treatment of cancer by chemotherapy, are three more different subspecialties that internists can acquire. There are many, many more different subspecialties in this field. However, training in all of these subspecialties takes time. Therefore, a doctor will typically only have training in one or two of them. Throughout their career they could acquire more and more training and expertise, but doctors will need to also keep up with developments in the areas that they already have training.