The medical field is extremely expansive, and includes more than 120 medical specialities and subspecialties. Hence, it often becomes difficult for a person to determine which professional to seek guidance from, for their particular health concerns. As per Vijaya Boggala in many cases this confusion arises when it comes to the services of an internal medicine physician. Not everyone is clear about why internal medicine physician does and the conditions they treat. Even though there are certain similarities, there are also many differences between internal medicine and other specialities.

In the simplest terms, internal medicine physicians can be defined as specialists who tend to apply clinical knowledge and scientific expertise for the purpose of diagnosing conditions, and providing compassionate care and treatment to adults across the spectrum of distinguished health conditions. According to Vijaya Boggala the specialty of this medical domain lays in the fact that it combines the analytical examination of laboratory science with a compassionate and personalized approach towards adult medicine. Boggala himself is a North Carolina based physician who practices in the sphere of internal medicine.  He mentions that physicians specializing in the domain of internal medicine can treat long-term chronic illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, in addition to various common and severe conditions.

The physicians who specialize in internal medicine are called internists. Unfortunately, in many cases, this term is confused with the role of an intern. It is crucial that people know that interns are physicians who have completed their medical school but are still in training, while internists are the ones professionally practicing and are licensed. They may or may not have a board certification as well.

Here are some of the most common conditions treated by internists :

• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Sinus infections
• Allergies

 In addition to interns, internists are often confused with family physicians. This confusion usually takes place because most of the patients seen by family physicians are adults. Most families take children to pediatricians when they are sick, rather than of a general practitioner such as a family doctor. However, it is important to be aware of the fact that family doctors so treat children, as well as the individuals in their early adolescence stage. Internal medicine physicians however, only treat adults.

In the opinion of Vijaya Boggala a great number of internists start their practice just after the completion of their internal medicine training, and are subsequently referred to as “general internists.” Such physicians tend to be equipped to handle an expansive spectrum of medical conditions that affect adults. They additionally are recognized as experts in the diagnosis, health promotion, disease prevention, as well as treatment of chronic illness. These physicians do not have their specialty limited to a single type of medical problem or organ system. Some internists however also opt to take additional training to “sub-specialize” in a more focused domain of internal medicine.