Keeping IM board long after fellowship training?

[NewYorkDoctors]

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Hello:

I know there are a number of "double boarded" physicians who maintain their IM board after fellowship training.

Usually this is done because there is a synergy or because of financial issues.

ex.

IM/Endocrinology
IM/Infectious Diseases

and others I am not thinking of.


Rather, what would the utility of keeping the IM board for other subspecialties be?

For instance, someone who desires to be IM/Gastroenterology

Now I am fully aware of the fact that being GI/hepatologist full time is by itself a very fulfilling and time-occupying profession. There is literally no time to keep up with the new principles of general IM, much less actually find any time to practice general IM.


But let's say this individual in question simply loves the general knowledge of IM and wants to be certified for the sake of being up to date.


Therefore, can there be a reasonable scenario where a busy subspecialist GI (or cards) primarily does the subspecialty work, but reads up on general IM and keeps the certification, and once in a while do some primary care and hospital admissions?


Or is there some kind of conflict of interest preventing this from happening.
i.e. not allowing one to self-refer to oneself

 

[gutonc]

Lots of subspecialists maintain their IM certification (in fact, only recently has it become possible to not keep it up in most cases) but very few of them (besides the ones you mentioned and perhaps renal and PCCM) actually practice Gen IM, for the very reason you state. Too damn busy.

Also, outside of academia, unless you're moonlighting, no group is going to pay a highly compensated sub-specialist to titrate insulin when they could be doing colonoscopies.

 

[surge55]

IM/nephrologist makes a lot of sense. they could take consults one week and work as a hospitalist the next; plus they could save the hospital money by not consulting nephro for every patient with elevated creatinine or hyponatremia that didn't respond to fluid restriction.

I'm going to keep my IM certification going if/when I get going in nephrology.

 

[michaelrack]

Therefore, can there be a reasonable scenario where a busy subspecialist GI (or cards) primarily does the subspecialty work, but reads up on general IM and keeps the certification, and once in a while do some primary care and hospital admissions?


Or is there some kind of conflict of interest preventing this from happening.
i.e. not allowing one to self-refer to oneself

A few subspecialties (sleep ) are required to keep the general IM certification (if they aren't also certified in pulm). I do essentially no general IM, and I will be attempting to pass the IM recert exam this October.

 

[dragonfly99]

I'm doing cards but the institution I work for requires that I also keep IM board certification...I think it is b/c they employ mostly general medical docs and don't understand that it's not really necessary for someone board certified in cards.

The OP probably won't be wanting to do general IM admissions when he/she actually gets done with training.