MEDICAL SPECIALTY SELECTOR

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Internal Medicine

A general internist specializes in the prevention, detection and treatment of illnesses in adults and is not trained in a subspecialty of internal medicine. The general internist is well trained in the diagnosis of puzzling medical problems, in the ongoing care of complex and chronic illnesses, and in caring for patients with more than one disease. Most general internists provide care for their patients in an ambulatory setting (office or outpatient), and some follow their patients when hospitalized (inpatient setting). Other general internists are known as "hospitalists" and care for patients only in the hospital.

• Number of physicians in specialty - Medium, less than 50,000
• Competitiveness of Residency - Low to medium, depending on location
• Length of training - Three years. You can choose a primary care (emphasis on ambulatory care and offering electives in women's health, musculoskeletal issues, or sports medicine) or traditional (academic/hospital-based) track. Residents from either track can go into practice or do a subspecialty fellowship. In recent years most have chosen to do a sub-specialty fellowship.

Values & Personality Traits of Physicians in Internal Medicine

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