Can someone explain a primary care internist to me?

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RedSox143

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I know there are primary care internal medicine residencies but like can one choose general internal medicine or do you have to have a specialty with internal medicine or can you be primary care and internal medicine?
 
Can you explain hospitalists and generalists ? I've looked up a bunch of stuff on it but it's not clear.

I wrote on a secondary I wanted to enter a primary care internal medicine residency program to become an internist but I keep thinking that I phrased that wrong
 
Can you explain hospitalists and generalists ? I've looked up a bunch of stuff on it but it's not clear.

I wrote on a secondary I wanted to enter a primary care internal medicine residency program to become an internist but I keep thinking that I phrased that wrong
Hospitalists - inpatient
Primary Care physicians - outpatient
 
Ok that's helpful, is a hospitalist and an internist the same thing?
A hospitalist can be an internist, pediatrician, even OB-Gyn. Hospitalist is more a practice model not a specialty.
 
I think that your are asking if Internal Medicine is considered primary care. The answer is yes.

Primary care specialties include Internal Medicine for adults, Pediatrics for children, and Family Practice, who treat both adults and children. Physicians who practice internal medicine are known as internists. ( not to be confused with interns, who are recent medical school graduates in their first year of post medical school training, in any specialty). Internal medicine residencies are also referred to as medicine residencies.
After you have completed a medicine residency, you may continue to do a subspecialty fellowship. It's optional, but if you do, you are then not going to be considered a primary care physician. Specialty options include the following:

Adolescent Medicine
Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant
Cardiology
Cardiovascular Disease
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
Critical Care Medicine
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Gastroenterology
Geriatric Medicine
Hematology
Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Infectious Disease
Interventional Cardiology
Medical Oncology
Nephrology
Pulmonary Disease
Rheumatology
Sleep Medicine
Sports Medicine
Transplant Hepatology

The hospitalist is a recent development. These are physicians who work full time, or primarily, in a hospital taking care of hospitalized patients.
Hospitalists are primarily either internists, who will care for hospitalized adults, or pediatricians, who will care for hospitalized children. So far, to my knowledge, the residencies for office-based or hospital-based internists is the same. I suppose that some would consider hospitalists to no longer by primary care physicians, but that distinction shouldn't concern you at this point.
 
So far, to my knowledge, the residencies for office-based or hospital-based internists is the same.

Not sure how things are in the IM world, but in peds, it's becoming increasingly popular to do a fellowship in hospitalist medicine (1 year, as opposed to the 3 year subspecialty fellowships). Which I don't entirely understand given that so much of our residency is already taking care of hospitalized patients.
 
Hospitalists - inpatient
Primary Care physicians - outpatient
In-patient are people who are coming in with so undiagnosed compliant, and out-patients are those who are on some treatment, and progress needs to be checked, is that correct?
 
In-patient are people who are coming in with so undiagnosed compliant, and out-patients are those who are on some treatment, and progress needs to be checked, is that correct?
No. Inpatient means a patient who is admitted inside a hospital (and usually stay overnight). An outpatient is someone who walks into a facility and then walks out after receiving services - they are not admitted.
 
Not sure how things are in the IM world, but in peds, it's becoming increasingly popular to do a fellowship in hospitalist medicine (1 year, as opposed to the 3 year subspecialty fellowships). Which I don't entirely understand given that so much of our residency is already taking care of hospitalized patients.

these 1-year "general internal medicine" fellowships have begun popping up
 
Can you explain hospitalists and generalists ? I've looked up a bunch of stuff on it but it's not clear.

I wrote on a secondary I wanted to enter a primary care internal medicine residency program to become an internist but I keep thinking that I phrased that wrong

You did phrase it wrong. It's just an internal medicine residency. But I doubt that will be held against you.
 
You did phrase it wrong. It's just an internal medicine residency. But I doubt that will be held against you.
There are primary care internal medicine residencies...more specifically primary care track in IM programs. His phrasing is fine.
 
Ah. I knew about the track but I didn't realize there are distinct primary care IM residencies.
You misunderstood. There aren't distinct residencies but it's not wrong to call the track a primary care IM residency. They have a separate distinction in ERAS and you apply to then separate from the categorical program.
 
these 1-year "general internal medicine" fellowships have begun popping up
Yes, they're hospitalist fellowships. As if IM residency isn't enough. Don't believe they're required (yet).
 

that's exactly my point... calling it a primary care IM residency or a track is basically interchangeable though it seems this program has a separate PD for primary care rather than a designated aPD. The difference between the primary care track/program and categorical program varies widely at different places. Bottom line is the OP's syntax was fine.

Yes, they're hospitalist fellowships. As if IM residency isn't enough. Don't believe they're required (yet).

from what I see people who pursue these fellowships are usually interested in academic medicine. it is by no means expected or required for hospitalist jobs.
 
that's exactly my point... calling it a primary care IM residency or a track is basically interchangeable though it seems this program has a separate PD for primary care rather than a designated aPD. The difference between the primary care track/program and categorical program varies widely at different places. Bottom line is the OP's syntax was fine.

thanks for the clarification!
 
that's exactly my point... calling it a primary care IM residency or a track is basically interchangeable though it seems this program has a separate PD for primary care rather than a designated aPD. The difference between the primary care track/program and categorical program varies widely at different places. Bottom line is the OP's syntax was fine.



from what I see people who pursue these fellowships are usually interested in academic medicine. it is by no means expected or required for hospitalist jobs.

Thanks for the clarifications this helps greatly!
 
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