How to Become a General Internist

A general internist is a doctor who specializes in internal medicine. Internal medicine focuses on diagnosing and treating disease, as well as maintaining health, so many internists serve as primary care practitioners and refer patients to other specialties as needed. Some internists specialize in particular internal organs, but general internists function similarly to family practitioners, with the main difference being that general internists focus primarily on adults whereas family practitioners also treat children. Here is how to pursue a career as a general internist.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Apply to a college or university to obtain a bachelor's degree, as you will probably need one in order to get accepted to medical school.

2. Check with the medical school that you hope to attend and find out what the required prerequisite courses are. Most medical schools will require a specific sequence of science and math courses before considering your application. Include these courses in your undergraduate study. Try to get high grades, especially in the prerequisite courses.

3. Pursue some healthcare work or volunteer experience, such as becoming a nurse aide or medical receptionist. during your undergraduate study. This should help you to be sure that working in the healthcare field is truly what you want, and when you apply to medical school, past experience may be considered as a part of your application.

4. After completing your bachelor's degree, submit your application to the medical school you hope to attend. The process of completing medical school takes four years and involves rigorous study.

5. After graduating from medical school, apply to an approved three-year residency in Internal Medicine. The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has strict requirements on the conditions of the residency that you must complete, including a requirement to supervise less experienced residents.

6. During your residency, keep up your skills regularly and make sure that you learn all of the required procedures well enough to pass your board exam.

7. Register for and pass the board certification exam in Internal Medicine offered by ABIM.

Tips & Warnings

• If you choose an undergraduate major in pre-medical studies or something similar, the prerequisites for medical school should be covered in your bachelor's degree.
• After completing your residency, it is technically possible to practice medicine without board certification, but many employers will require board certification as a condition of employment.

Resources

• ABIM Internal Medicine

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