The field of medicine can be really tough for students to get in as there are few seats for a number of students who wish to enroll. There are many types of subfields or branches which students try to get admitted in so that they can make a career out of it with clinical science programs, internal and family medicine being some of them.
As each one of the above mentioned programs are entirely different, each of them requires full explanation so that students like you can understand it. Let me offer you some basic information about it so that you can decide about in which you feel to enroll in.
Internal Medicine vs. Family Medicine
Many students are not sure about which program to get in as both the internal medicine and family medicine looks promising. In fact, it is a decision student can take better once they have finished a year or two in the med school as by then they are better equipped about all the ins and outs of that decision. Both are part of the primary care health care. Now let me tell you about these two types of fields of medicine and what you need to know about them.
- Origins of Practice
The origins of these two fields of medicine date back to the late nineteenth century where medical field started to grow alongside other fields of technology. Scientific methods were applied to many types of adult diseases as well as pediatrics too. And that’s when internal medicine started to grow solely as a means to help out adult patients.
On the other hand, family medicine also started to emerge but at a much later time especially alongside the primary care movement in the 1960s. As the focus was turned to a stronger doctor-patient relationship, family medicine was established and now an important branch of medicine.
- Patient Demographics
The key difference between internal and family medicine is obviously the patient demographics. The type of patient they treat is what separates them as internal medicine is all about assisting the adults while family medicine covers all of them. The difference in the ages of the patients is the real factor but students in the early stages can go for both the internal and family medicine and then later on choose a one according to their preferences.
- Similarity in Duties
Another key to understanding internal vs family medicine is about day-to-day work and similarities in the duties of doctors catering to both the types. Some of the things that both the type of doctors cater to are diagnosing and treating patients with the confines of their training and comfort levels. After that, their lines are divided as treatment of adults for specific diseases and symptoms and that for family medicine related diseases are poles apart.
- Differences in duties
Let’s chalk out the differences in the duties of the both type of physicians. Family physicians focus on preventive medicine in outpatient setting. On the other hand, internists work on the diseases of adults which can relate to complex diseases. Most family doctors focus exclusively on outpatient medicine and that’s where the duties in hospitals and in their private clinics too differ a lot. While preventative medicine is a big part of family medicine.
Take the example of a healthy newborn in one visit and step into the next to find a 90-year-old with complicated medical problems. This is simply impossible for a doctor as neonatal care and people with old ages are like comparing chalk and cheese so the family medicine and internal medicine are not the branches of medicine which can be taken along by a doctor simultaneously.
- Residencies and Training
This is another aspect directly related to the type of training they do and that’s why they eventually have to make sure that after completing their medical school courses they need to begin their residencies as soon as possible. Of course, the nature of their residences differ a lot. Internal medicine is typically hospital-based and family residencies are primarily office-based.
The difference in the number of years of training is very critical with internal medicine residents taking care of hospitalized patients for 3 years while family practice residents usually receive approx. one year of that same impatient training.
Final Word
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