If you are searching for a doctor, you may be wondering what the difference is between family doctors and internal medicine doctors. Internal medicine doctors, or internists, are specialists who use their scientific knowledge ad clinical expertise to diagnose, treat, and care for adults. Let’s look at what internists do and where to find an internal medicine doctor near Crawford, Maryland.

Internists

The term internal medicine comes from a German term innere medizin. This term was used to describe doctors who combined the science of the laboratory with the care of patients and was adopted when many early 20th century American doctors studied medicine in Germany and introduced this field to the United States. Internal medicine doctors may be called internists, general internists, and doctors of internal medicine.

However, this should not be confused with interns, who are doctors in their first year of residency training. Internal medicine doctors are highly skilled and well trained in the diagnosis of puzzling medical problems, ongoing care for chronic illness, caring for patients with more than one disease, promoting overall health and preventing disease.

Primary Care Physician

Internists can act as your primary care physician, but they are not family physicians, family practitioners, or general practitioners. These providers may specialize in obstetrics, pediatrics, or even surgery where internal medicine doctors focus solely on adults.

Internal medicine doctors regularly see patients with heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, chronic illnesses, and more. They may consult with doctors in other fields or be asked to consult on a patient by other specialists.

Education Requirements

Internists must graduate a four-year medical school and complete residency in internal medicine which usually lasts three years. then, he/she may begin practicing internal medicine. Some internal medicine doctors choose to subspecialize areas such as infectious disease, gastroenterology or cardiology. This training is called a fellowship and consists of two to three years of additional training.

Internal Medicine Doctor Crawford Maryland

If you are looking for a doctor that can handle complex medical issues, diagnose puzzling medical conditions, or focuses more on whole body health, an internal medicine doctor might be right for you. Contact Bowie Internal Medicine today to learn more.