Who are internal medicine specialists and what do they do?
Internal medicine specialists focus primarily on treating adult
medical disorders, and are especially skilled in multi-system
illnesses or situations where several illnesses afflict a
patient at once. Despite the name, they are trained to treat the
whole body, not just internal organs, and see patients for a
variety of conditions and complaints. Also known as internists,
these doctors often work as general practitioners, hospitalists,
and primary care physicians. Patients see an internist for an
annual checkup and diagnosis, as well as for treatment and
management of acute and chronic illnesses. Preventive medicine
and patient education are often emphasized, including annual
physical examinations to monitor patients’ blood pressure,
cholesterol levels and glucose levels and ensure other baseline
tests are within normal levels for a patient’s age and gender.
Because internists’ patients often suffer from multi-system
disorders, internists often work in