General Internal Medicine Physicians
People classed as General Internal Medicine Physicians diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. The skills rated most useful are reading comprehension, active listening, and writing. A regular part of the work is to analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient. Interest ratings put Investigative on top at 6.8 out of 7 and Social second, so the code is ISR and the day leans toward research, analysis and working through hard problems. Getting in usually takes graduate school and often five years or more of related experience, a level O*NET calls extensive preparation. People who want research, analysis and working through hard problems usually fit better here than those who need creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.
Main tasks
- Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient.
- Treat internal disorders, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or problems of the lung, brain, kidney, or gastrointestinal tract.
- Prescribe or administer medication, therapy, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.
- Manage and treat common health problems, such as infections, influenza or pneumonia, as well as serious, chronic, and complex illnesses, in adolescents, adults, and the elderly.
- Provide and manage long-term, comprehensive medical care, including diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases, for adult patients in an office or hospital.
- Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Science
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
- You are comfortable relying on reading comprehension and active listening.
May not suit you if
- You lose interest when a job asks for long stretches of analysis.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.4 out of 7 here.
- You want to be working in the field within the next few years.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ISR takes the three highest, and Investigative comes first here.
Preparation
Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Post-Doctoral Training. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Doctor
- Gastroenterologist
- General Internal Medicine Physician
- General Internist
- Internal Medicine Doctor
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.