FAQS

Internal medicine physicians, or internists, are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to diagnose, treat and care for adults from health to complex illness. They are especially well trained in the diagnosis of puzzling medical problems, ongoing care of chronic illnesses and care of patients with more than one disease. Internists also specialize in health promotion and disease prevention.

Internal medicine physicians can be called "internists," "general internists," and "doctors of internal medicine."  Although internists may act as primary care physicians, they are not family physicians, family practitioners, or general practitioners, whose training is not solely concentrated on adults and may include surgery, obstetrics, and pediatrics.

Internists routinely see patients with conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and chronic lung disease. An internist may consult with doctors in other fields of medicine, or may be called to consult on a patient by another specialist.

To become an internist, a graduate of a four-year medical school must complete a residency in internal medicine, which usually lasts three years. Once general internal medicine residency training is complete, a physician may begin to practice internal medicine, or an internist may then choose to subspecialize in a particular area of internal medicine, for example, cardiology or infectious diseases. Subspecialty training, called fellowship, calls for two to three years of additional training.

Some internists are known as “hospitalists” and care for patients only in the hospital.    

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adapted from American College of Physicians definition @   https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/what-is-a-doctor-of-internal-medicine-or-internist-0