IM residency

[TheDBird90]

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So I've been told that Internal Medicine is the basics, that it's the foundation for most other fields. If IM is the foundation, then why isn't every doctor required to complete an IM residency? I know this is probably an absurd question, but I don't know anything about medicine. Someone once asked if there was a Pathology/IM duel residency, which sounded great at first (to me, anyway); but you can only be a true expert in one area, correct? What's the point of doing that, since an IM resident is going to know more medicine than you anyway (hence the point of specialization)? I know there's definitely exceptions to this: the official dual residency programs (like Med/Peds). And I'm not saying it's pointless to specialize in two areas; some people have very good reasons to.

Anyway, would you be missing essential clinical skills/experience by not doing an IM residency (or Family Medicine, for that matter)? I know everyone has a medicine rotation, but I can't help but feel like I would be missing out.

 

[generalmedicine123]

Internal medicine will give you the best training in the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and medical management of adults between the neck and the abdomen (with some knowledge of neurology, psychiatry, and OB), but you really don't need a general internist's knowledge of heart failure or chronic kidney disease or obstructive lung disease in order to be really good at reading MRIs or removing gallbladders or managing psychosis.

 

[TheDBird90]

Would anyone else like to comment?

 

[kavorca]

If you need to know it, you will cover it in whatever residency you pick. That's why you have in-services and board exams.

 

[xffan624]

So I've been told that Internal Medicine is the basics, that it's the foundation for most other fields. If IM is the foundation, then why isn't every doctor required to complete an IM residency? I know this is probably an absurd question, but I don't know anything about medicine. Someone once asked if there was a Pathology/IM duel residency, which sounded great at first (to me, anyway); but you can only be a true expert in one area, correct? What's the point of doing that, since an IM resident is going to know more medicine than you anyway (hence the point of specialization)? I know there's definitely exceptions to this: the official dual residency programs (like Med/Peds). And I'm not saying it's pointless to specialize in two areas; some people have very good reasons to.

Anyway, would you be missing essential clinical skills/experience by not doing an IM residency (or Family Medicine, for that matter)? I know everyone has a medicine rotation, but I can't help but feel like I would be missing out.

IM is general management of adult medical illnesses.

Not covered in this residency: Treating kids, surgical problems (general or specific), gynecological problems/obstetrics, psychiatry, neurology, anesthesia, specialized reading of radiology, reading/preparing pathology slides, doing autopsies, (ie pretty much everything that's a separate residency).

Family medicine does have some overlap, but it also covers kids and ob/gyn stuff.

 

[Ismet]

So I've been told that Internal Medicine is the basics, that it's the foundation for most other fields. If IM is the foundation, then why isn't every doctor required to complete an IM residency? I know this is probably an absurd question, but I don't know anything about medicine. Someone once asked if there was a Pathology/IM duel residency, which sounded great at first (to me, anyway); but you can only be a true expert in one area, correct? What's the point of doing that, since an IM resident is going to know more medicine than you anyway (hence the point of specialization)? I know there's definitely exceptions to this: the official dual residency programs (like Med/Peds). And I'm not saying it's pointless to specialize in two areas; some people have very good reasons to.

Anyway, would you be missing essential clinical skills/experience by not doing an IM residency (or Family Medicine, for that matter)? I know everyone has a medicine rotation, but I can't help but feel like I would be missing out.

Medical school is the foundation, not IM residency.

Internal Medicine is the first step towards adult medicine subspecialties such as cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, etc. You can also just stop with IM residency and become a medicine hospitalist or adult outpatient.

For people who only want to work with children, there would be zero point to doing an Internal Medicine residency, as there would be no point to spending 3 years learning how to take care of adults when they really want to take care of kids. That's why there's Pediatrics.

For people who want to operate for a living, they do Surgery, of which there are many sub-specialties. There is no point for a surgeon to do a 3 year Medicine residency. They will (hopefully) learn all of the "Medicine" things they need to learn during their surgical residency.

You first have to figure out what you want to do with your life (you figure this out in medical school during 3rd year rotations) and then learn how you go about getting to that point. If you will need a clinical skill or experience in your career, you will likely learn it or experience it in your residency and/or fellowship. For example, people who go into Emergency Medicine have to rotate through some IM, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics rotations during residency, because they need that experience. They don't need the depth that a full residency would provide, but they need to know enough to be able to handle a case in the ED.