Look inside yourself to find out if you want to look inside your patients.

An internship can be a great way to kick start your career! But that’s not what we’re talking about today. Although the names sound alike, an intern is not the same as internist.

Instead, this article will be about doctors of internal medicine, or internists.

Internists diagnose and treat some of the most challenging cases in healthcare. Let’s review a few sample cases and explore what life is like as an internist.

What Doctors of Internal Medicine Treat

Internists provide annual exams and assist with health management and disease prevention. In this way, they have some similarities with a primary care physician or PCP, but there are also major differences.

Internal medicine physicians typically only treat adults, including senior patients in the geriatric sector. Internists also specialize in internal medicine, so they have a separate path of education than a primary care physician.

Internists start by taking the same educational journey as PCPs, but they begin additional training for treating the internal organs. Internists begin this training at about the same time a PCP would normally start their professional practice.

By taking on this extra training session, internists learn how organs, such as the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs, interact with the body and with each other.

Internists then use this knowledge to diagnose problems such as:

• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Chronic lung disease
• COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Elevated cholesterol
• Kidney issues
• Endocrine issues
• Blood disorders
• Infectious disease

All of the health problems listed above can cause, or even mimic, the others listed.

Identifying the specific problem and the best course of action to take is what being an Internist is all about.

Average Day in the Life of an Internist

Usually internists start their workday at 8 AM. Since they care for patients with chronic diseases, Internists spend a good portion of their day working with existing patients. This can include seeing patients at a doctor’s office, making the rounds at a hospital, or a combination of the two.

During these visits, Internists run tests, check results, and provide excellent bedside manner. On average, an internist has about 25 patients. Naturally, the more regular patients an internist has, the longer their day can be.

In addition to checking on patients, internists may consult with other doctors, such as neurologists or pulmonologists. When collaborating in this manner, other physicians rely on an internist’s specialized knowledge to formulate possible diagnoses.