For a person who has no medical background, the vast array of medical terms and jargon can be confusing. Add to that the differences among medical specialties and what medical practitioners do.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of an illness, questions like “Whom do I see?” usually come to mind. The simple answer to that is you essentially need to see a primary care doctor. Among your top choices for a primary care physician are a family medicine doctor and an internal medicine doctor.
However, choosing between the two can be challenging, as these medical specialties have remarkably overlapping aspects. To fully comprehend the differences between a family medicine doctor and an internal medicine doctor, let’s learn about the training, focus, and patient care activities of each type of practitioner.
What Is a Family Medicine Doctor?
Family medicine doctors provide general outpatient care, which typically includes wellness checkups, family planning, health and lifestyle counseling, immunizations, treating chronic diseases and minor injuries, and screening tests.
As the term “family medicine” implies, this medical specialty is built around a social unit—the family—as opposed to a specific patient population. The training of a family doctor is fundamentally geared toward dealing with the entire spectrum of medical conditions that may affect the members of a family unit.
That doesn’t mean, however, that a person needs to have a family to seek the care of a family doctor. It rather means that a family medicine doctor provides care for people of all ages: from infants, children, teenagers, adults, to the elderly. You can be in any stage of life and seek care from a family doctor.
The breadth of education and training family medicine doctors had to go through equips them with a vast skill set that is especially useful in communities or areas where other specialists may not be accessible. Family medicine doctors typically adapt the nature of their practice to fulfill their community’s specific medical needs.
Continuity of care is among the hallmarks and primary goals of family medicine. This equips a family doctor to care for the same patients throughout their lives and for multiple generations of families at the same time.
What Is an Internal Medicine Doctor?
An internal medicine doctor, also referred to as an internist, specializes in the management of diseases that affect the internal organs, namely, the liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart.
Internal medicine aims to address a broad spectrum of medical conditions that typically affect adults. It encompasses training in general medicine and internal medicine subspecialties, such as infectious diseases, dermatology, rheumatology, and neurology. Since the goal of internal medicine is to provide specialized care to a specific patient population, internal medicine doctors have to go through intensive education and training in both inpatient and outpatient care.
The comprehensive training also enables internal medicine doctors to effectively collaborate with their colleagues from internal medicine specialties in co-managing patients with complex conditions (autoimmune disease, cancer, etc.).
First-Rate Concierge Medical Care in Eatonton, GA
If you are looking for a dedicated primary care doctor in the Eatonton area in Georgia, visit us at Lake Oconee Concierge Medicine. We have two board-certified family medicine doctors who always look forward to providing the best care for each of our patients.
Our providers’ expertise and compassionate approach allow us to deliver exceptional, VIP care to patients through our concierge medical services. This membership service gives our patients 24/7 access to our doctors.
If you’re interested in exploring the amazing benefits of our concierge services, call us at (706) 484-9824 to schedule a consultation or you may also use this convenient appointment request form.
