What is the difference between a family practice doctor and an internal medicine doctor?

Question

I need to pick out a doctor from this huge list from my insurance and I am not sure if I should pick one that practices family medicine or internal medicine. What is the difference?

Answer 1

Internal medicine docs undergo 3 years of training in all aspects of adult internal medicine (pulmonology and critical care, nephrology, cardiology, endocrinology, rheumatology, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, and hematology/oncology).  That is all they do during residency training, which means they are better trained in these areas.

Family practice docs during their training also learn internal medicine, but not as long or to the extent that internal medicine docs do.  However, they also learn some pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, and minor surgical procedures since they also spend some time training in Ob/Gyn and surgery.  In my opinion, I consider a family practice doc to be a "jack of all trades, but master of none."  They will see both adults and pediatrics patients.  There are some Family Practice doctors that also deliver babies, but with the rise in malpractice insurance premiums most don't since they don't have the volume that Ob/Gyn doctors do.

If you want to go to a doctor who can do a little bit of everything and need basic check-ups, then a family doc may be the choice for you.  However, if you have mainly adult internal medicine issues, you are better off going to an internist since their training is more extensive in this field.

However, if you live in a rural area where the number of docs is limited, if might be easier to see a family practice doc who can addresss all of your needs.

With all being said, there is also a wide range of knowledge and performance skills among doctors.  If you have any friends, I would ask who they see and why they like seeing that particular doctor.

Personally, I would see an internist, but I am a little biased since I did my training in internal medicine.  If you need a baby delivered, I would go to an Ob/Gyn and if you need a minor surgical procedure, I would go to a surgeon if possible.

Answer 2

I would say that Internal Doctors are more specialized in complex diseases that require a close monitorization, frequent visits and need to know what drugs the patient is taking so that if the doctor has to prescribe something else for another problem, that these drugs don't interact with eachother causing a lot of damage.

Family medicine is more focused not really severe diseases that need a checkup and maybe a prescription (like for strep throat for example), but the doctor won't be seeing that specific patient in his office every month.

Take a look at your personal health and ask whether you'll only be seeing your doctor every 3 years for minor things and routine check-ups or whether you have a complex chronic disease (like diabetes combined with some other chronic disease) that needs more through monitorization.

Answer 3

It is my understanding that the main differences are that internal medicine docs can be a bit more thorough.  Also, some internal med docs may not see all ages of people in your family.  

Answer 4

Family practice residents train in internal medicine, pediatrics, and ob-gyn. Since both residencies are three years in length, that leaves more time in internal medicine training for medical subspecialties like nephrology, rheumatology, cardiology and hematology (though of course they're also covered in family practice). If you're looking just for yourself (not kids, too) then the difference might come down to whether the extra subspecialty training or the extra gynecologic training would be of benefit to you. And if you're a typical young, healthy person, there won't be as much difference for you between the specialties as there is in the personalities of the individual practitioners.

Answer 5

In point of fact, regardless of the level of specialization, the fundamental difference is that internal medicine is medicine of ADULT, non-ob/gyn patients. Family doctors take care of adults as well as children (pediatrics) and gyn, but usually not OB - except in the more rural areas.