Many medical doctors specialize in treating a particular illness or part of the body… but internists are general doctors who see adult patients for all their medical needs. They usually act as either primary care providers, or as inpatient doctors known as hospitalists. These doctors are experts in medical conditions that affect the vital organs of the abdomen and chest. But, they also treat conditions that affect other areas of the body such as joints and the brain. Internists who provide primary care... work in outpatient clinics. There, they diagnose and treat common health problems and help patients manage chronic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure. They prescribe medications and give advice on preventing disease as well, such as which vaccines to get and healthy nutrition options. They also document patients’ test results, examination notes, and medical history. Internists may provide regular care for patients for many years at clinics, or see patients just once in urgent care settings. They are frequently exposed to infectious diseases, and must be able to manage stressful situations treating very sick or dying patients. Becoming an internist requires four years of medical school after college, and three years of residency training. Training includes long hours, night shifts and irregular schedules. General internists may pursue additional training in specialties such as cardiology or gastroenterology.
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.
Health
medicine and dentistry
therapy and counseling
Math and Science
biology
psychology
Education and Training
teaching and course design
Arts and Humanities
English language
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
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
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
You might use software like this on the job:
Medical software
Epic Systems
MEDITECH software
Electronic mail software
Email software
Novell GroupWise
Internet browser software
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Web browser software
post-doctoral training or doctoral degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
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