Internal Medicine Doctor - Description of One

An Internal Medicine doctor is a doctor who deals specifically with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases in adults as well as nonsurgical health issues in adults. Doctors of Internal Medicine are also called internists. Sometimes they are considered to be a “doctor’s doctor.” The reason for this is because other physicians sometimes call upon their area of expertise and need them to act as consultants in diagnostic health problems of a puzzling or uncertain nature.

Internal Medicine is a specialty in the field of medicine that does not focus in on one particular area of the human body but instead views it as a whole. While the name- Internal Medicine Doctor- may seem to imply that these healthcare professionals work only with the internal organs of a patient that is actually not the case. Physicians who work in this medical capacity also routinely treat conditions of an external nature. Internists are used to seeing patients with a broad range of medical problems which is why they become well acquainted with a vast array of conditions.

It is not uncommon for an Internal Medicine Doctor to be called in on a case that has left other doctors baffled in terms of a diagnosis and a course of treatment. These doctors often help to solve medical puzzles because their field is so vast.

This area of medicine has a selection of subspecialties. Doctors can choose to sub- specialize if they so wish to. Examples of two subspecialties in Internal Medicine include immunology, which is the study of disorders of the immune system as well as allergies, and nephrology which is the study of how the kidneys work. Some other examples include cardiology, oncology, endocrinology, infectious disease hematology and rheumatology. There are 13 subspecialties of Internal Medicine that have been identified in the United States.

Those who train to work in Internal Medicine can treat all sorts of problems. They can treat cancer and hepatitis and an array of other conditions. These physicians treat both males and females. Some work as primary care doctors even though their training is more specialized in nature than that of a general practitioner (GP).

It is important to note that these doctors treat only adult patients and do not take care of babies or children. As well they rarely perform any type of surgeries and do not treat pregnant women or any type of reproductive health condition. As well these physicians do not get involved with orthopedic health problems or traumas. The only exception to this is when these conditions overlap with other conditions that they are trained to treat.

The list of health concerns, illnesses and conditions that an Internal Medicine doctor can treat is long and exhaustive. As previously mentioned, this is a broad area of medicine that encompasses many different health conditions. This kind of specialist can treat chronic conditions as well as external conditions that affect the skin, hair, nails, ears or eyes. He/she is sometimes even asked to help out with issues that relate to the mental health and well being of a patient.