Sometimes it can be difficult to know what kind of doctor you need, but that’s why you start with a primary care or family doctor. He or she might send you to another type of doctor, a doctor of internal medicine or internist, when your diagnosis might be especially complex or puzzling.
Sometimes called the “doctor’s doctor,” internists focus on adults, usually those with chronic illnesses or particulary difficult-to-diagnose symptoms. They are educated to deal with whatever problem you might bring to them.
Our internists trained for an extra three years after gaining their medical degree to gain experience in a range of disease categories, from psychiatry and dermatology to gynecology and geriatrics.