General Internal Medicine Physicians

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Internal Medicine Physician (IM Physician), Internist, Medical Doctor (MD), Physician

What they do:
Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.
On the job, you would:
  • Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient.
  • Treat internal disorders, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or problems of the lung, brain, kidney, or gastrointestinal tract.
  • Prescribe or administer medication, therapy, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.

Knowledge

Health

  • medicine and dentistry
  • therapy and counseling

Math and Science

  • biology
  • psychology

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Skills

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • reading work related information

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Abilities

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • notice when problems happen
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

Visual Understanding

  • see hidden patterns
  • quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things

Attention

  • pay attention to something without being distracted

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Integrity
  • Dependability
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Concern for Others
  • Achievement/Effort

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Medical software

  • eClinicalWorks EHR software Hot Technology
  • Epic Systems Hot Technology In Demand

Electronic mail software

  • Email software
  • MicroFocus GroupWise

Internet browser software

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Web browser software

Education

Education: (rated 5 of 5)
post-doctoral training or
doctoral degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

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Job Outlook

Average
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about general internal medicine physicians.