Is internal medicine = primary care?

[daysforevergone]

Sorry if this is a noob question, but if I want to specialize in internal medicine, is that the same as primary care?

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[DrYoda]

Internal medicine is a primary care speciality.

An internal medicine subspeciality (cards, heme/onc, endocrinology ect) is not.

 

[Parts Unknown]

Sorry if this is a noob question, but if I want to specialize in internal medicine, is that the same as primary care?

If you use your IM training to start/join a general internist practice out in the community, that would be primary care. You would essentially be handling adult medical complaints in an outpatient clinic setting.

If, however, you use your IM training to do strictly inpatient care as a hospitalist, the line can get blurry.

 

[dw2158]

question for those further along in this process than i am: what percentage of people would you estimate don't do any sort of sub-specialty fellowship or training after doing a medicine residency?

 

[GoodmanBrown]

question for those further along in this process than i am: what percentage of people would you estimate don't do any sort of sub-specialty fellowship or training after doing a medicine residency?

The IM FAQ states about 60% of medicine residents end up practicing general medicine (outpatient, hospitalist, and mix), while 40% go on to pursue some sort of fellowship.

 

[SusGob711]

Internal medicine, general pediatrics, OB/GYN, and family practice are all (generally) considered primary care. *Note that specializing generally does not denote primary care. I.e. pediatric cardiology, maternal fetal medicine (OB), etc.

 

[Jihad]

2 more n00b questions:

1.Is the primary care ranking of a school determined by the quantity of graduates entering a primary care field? Or does it refer somehow to the quality of training received in the med school itself?

2. I thought a fellowship was further training after residency to learn to conduct research (for academic medicine, etc). Does it also apply to programs which allow you to subspecialize like pediatric cards or endovascular NS?

Thanks!

 

[Parts Unknown]

1.Is the primary care ranking of a school determined by the quantity of graduates entering a primary care field? Or does it refer somehow to the quality of training received in the med school itself?

There is no standardized way to measure graduate quality. AFAIK, the rankings are based on the percentage of each graduating class that enter primary care fields. That's it.

2. I thought a fellowship was further training after residency to learn to conduct research

Fellowship is simply additional training after residency. Usually it's additional clinical training in a more subspecialized area of practice. For instance, internal medicine fellowships include cardiology, GI, infectious disease, nephrology, heme/onc, etc. In each case you will spend the majority of your fellowship time doing dedicated clinical training in that area.

Most fellowships do involve some dedicated research time, and some involve quite a bit (it just depends on the individual programs).