Internal Medicine

Sophie Baldwin, 2/5/24

See our interviews with Dr. Illath and Dr. Shahida for firsthand insight into Internal Medicine!

Internal medicine doctors manage a variety of illnesses in a diverse patient pool. Many will work in a hospital setting and see sick patients daily. Because the field of internal medicine is vast, it often serves as a gateway to other subspecialties, some of the most popular including gastroenterology, cardiology, and hematology-oncology. Internal medicine is typically a more academic field, and they focus more on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases rather than surgery. Internists must constantly expand their knowledge base to adapt to new challenges.

Fast Facts

• Salary: $229,000

• DO friendly? Yes

• IMG friendly? Yes

• Competitiveness: Low

• Match rate: 98%

• Average step-one: 235

• Surgical? No

Becoming an Internist

• 4 years of undergraduate

• 4 years of medical school

• 3 years of internal medicine residency

• 1-4 years of fellowship (optional)

Work-life Balance

Internists typically have better work-life balances compared to more demanding surgical subspecialties. However, this specialty has one of the highest physician burnout rates. This could partly be due to the lower compensation rates of internists, who are typically among the lowest-paid physicians. The COVID-19 pandemic may have also contributed to the increased burnout rate as internal medicine doctors worked on the frontlines diagnosing and treating illnesses.

Fellowships

• Cardiology (3 years)

• Critical Care (1-2 years)

• Endocrinology (3 years)

• Gastroenterology (3 years)

• Geriatrics & Nutrition (2 years)

• Hematology & Oncology (3 years)

• Infectious Diseases (2 years)

• Medical Genetics (2-4 years)

• Renal (2 years)

• Pulmonary (2 years)

• Rheumatology (2 years)

• Sports Medicine (1 year)

Job Satisfaction and Outlook

• 40% are satisfied with their career (MDLinx)

• 60% report burnout (MDLinx)

• 7% projected job growth (2018-2028) (Zippia)

Sources

https://residency.wustl.edu/choosing-a-specialty/specialty-descriptions/internal-medicine/

https://www.prospectivedoctor.com/how-competitive-is-an-internal-medicine-residency/

https://www.mdlinx.com/article/the-most-burned-out-doctors-by-specialty-2023-update/zGVhpo4bgttJGHR4PjOVu

https://www.zippia.com/internal-medicine-physician-jobs/trends/