Internal medicine
Internal medicine is a vast field that offers primary care to adults. An Internal medicine practitioner will be the first point of contact for adult patients when they have new health concerns. Internal medicine practitioners, popularly known as internists, prescribe treatments, administer vaccines, and perform exams in this wide segment of the population. Because the age of the patient, and therefore the issue varies widely, the field of internal medicine has numerous subspecialties including cardiology, endocrinology, oncology, rheumatology, and gastroenterology, among others. As one advances in age, more specialized care is required from a Santa Monica, CA internal medicine physician. This largely explains why medical services for the adult population are on the rise.
Becoming an Internist
Regardless of the medical specialty one chooses, they need to have solid academic metrics, a four-year bachelor’s degree, and a four-year medical degree, to practice internal medicine. Through medical school, one will learn the basic biological sciences, including completing clinical rotations for gaining experience, and the licensure process. Towards the end of medical school, a postgraduate internal medicine residency (usually taking three years) is required so that one can obtain a medical license. Afterward, the board certification will be awarded and one can begin practicing as a qualified Santa Monica, CA internal medicine physician.
Benefits
Internists are trained to handle a wide range of diseases, thus they can navigate, diagnose and effectively treat both those patients that have a specific illness and those with general issues. A qualified internist is trained to provide sufficient medical care to patients as young as 18 years up to senior citizens. Some of the most common diseases and illnesses of concern that they regularly come across include high blood pressure and diabetes. The most efficient internists take the time needed to care for their patients and create a good working relationship with them. Good working relationships and the ability to solve complex medical issues go a long way in ensuring that internists provide the greatest impact on their services.
The future
The field of internal medicine has been around for some time. However, the ever-increasing national and global population means that the discipline is on a steady upward trajectory. More internists are needed in the society to ensure the adult population remains as healthy as can be. They must be able to adapt to the dynamic working environment, incorporate new methodology and processes in order to stay relevant and be effective. In short, the future of internal medicine is bright. New technologies are being incorporated into the discipline on a regular basis, and internists are now adopting innovative strategies and processes, which is greatly improving the quality of healthcare being provided. Today, life-threatening medical conditions are easily identified and solved in due time.
Roles
Because sick children are taken to pediatricians, most patients seen by family physicians are adults, and this creates confusion between what family doctors and internal medicine physicians do. However, a family doctor can also see children when they choose to, including those in their early adolescence, whereas an internal medicine physician only treats adults. Internal medicine gives a practicing physician the platform to deal with a wide range of problems, ensuring they have extensive knowledge on each of the subspecialties of internal medicine. This provides internists with a great opportunity to continuously learn on the job.