Most of the education of the internal physician will be on adult diseases and prevention. Internal physicians act as consultant most of the time. They offer consultation to other doctors on difficult topics. They will know more than the non-internal doctors.

Internal physicians can also be called internist or general internist. They’re not family doctors or general practitioners. Internal physicians care for the whole patient. They would deal with every single topic that has to do with the patient from head to toe. This is different than a doctor who specializes in a specific part of a body like a urologist. An internal physician deals with almost every topic that has to do with the adult. This makes them a reliable consultant for other doctors. They act as a consultant most of the time.

There’re physician who will only care for the nose or the eyes or the feet but an internal physician would care for the patient from head to toe and even mental illnesses. Internal physician can handle simple or complex diseases. They handle a wide spectrum of diseases and level of complexity. They can handle illnesses that are happening with other diseases at the same time. They can handle multiple diseases within a patient. They also counsel the patient on disease prevention and good health. They also handle cases of and the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system, reproductive organs, substance abuse, women’s health, surgery, OB, Peds, and mental health. Internal physician do care for their patients all throughout their lives. They don’t hand the patient over to the next physician and forget about it. They’re there through every stage. The job of an internal physician is probably the most comprehensive of them all. An internal physician would spend a lot of time mastering his education and experiences. The internist would need to be in top shape since they are the doctor of doctors.

An internal physician can choose to have a sub-specialty. They can choose from 13 areas. For example, they can choose to specialize in cardiology. Cardiology focuses on the problems of the heart. Sub-specialties are called fellowships and they require one more year after the three years of internal medicine residency are done. Internal medicine started in Germany. It was brought to the US from Germany. The word internal medicine does not mean that the doctor deals with the internal system only. The internal physician will need to study more than other doctors. They will have a more comprehensive training regarding the adult health and diseases. An internal physician will have many career choices. Since they know so much they can go into any area and work. They can even have their own businesses. They can go into teaching at the university. They can work in a hospital or set up their own clinics. They have many, many options to choose from. The job outlook for an internist is very good. The salary is high too.