What is the difference between family medicine and internal medicine (family medicine vs internal medicine)?
Family medicine and internal medicine are two distinct disciplines of medicine that patients are sometimes confused about identifying their specialized expertise. Even for some healthcare professionals, it sometimes confusing to identify the difference.
Internal medicine and family medicine both deal with the management of different medical conditions, diagnosis, and prevention. But, there is a difference between the two distinct medical specialities.
While family medicine physicians specialize in treating patients of all ages, internal medicine physicians mainly care for adults, diagnosing and treating medical conditions affecting the internal organs.
We will be discussing more on the difference between family medicine and internal medicine. But first, let’s talk about internal medicine.
What Is Internal Medicine?
Internal medicine physicians primarily focus on adults, diagnosing and treating medical conditions affecting the internal organs. They are also called internists, with expertise in diagnosing, treating, and preventing long-term illnesses and medical conditions in adults.
Internists are health professionals specifically trained to care for a variety of medical conditions in adults. Counselling patients on prevention and wellness is among their expertise as health professionals.
According to the American College of Physicians (ACP), the general and subspecialty nature of training enables internists to develop expertise in diagnosing illnesses that usually affect adults.
These internists are trained in general medicine and their expertise also include managing complex medical situation in which various health conditions may affect an adult patient.
In order to practice internal medicine, Internists are required to complete a three-year residency. Internists can also take additional training in a subspecialty like endocrinology, oncology, dermatology, cardiology, psychiatry, neurology, rheumatology, or geriatrics.
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What Is Family Medicine?
Family medicine or family practice is a speciality of medicine that primarily focuses on providing medical treatment and care for the entire members of a family. Their expertise includes providing medical care and treatment for everyone in a family, including children.
From children to the elderly, family medicine physicians are trained medically to treat illnesses affecting all ages.
They are health professionals who are responsible for managing a variety of health issues such as chronic and acute conditions.
As primary care physicians, their expertise is to prevent diseases, see their patients for regular check-ups, and monitor their health. Family medicine doctors strive to prevent diseases, and provide treatment and care for the entire family, whether it’s an infant or an adult.
Internal Medicine vs Family Medicine: Difference between Internal Medicine and Family Medicine
The primary difference between family medicine and internal medicine is the training they focus on and the medical treatment and care offered to specific patients.
According to the American College of Physicians (ACP), internal medicine training primarily focuses on general medical conditions but also includes significant experience in internal medicine subspecialties like endocrinology, rheumatology, neurology, as well as infectious diseases.
Both internal medicine and family medicine require three years of residency training. Internal medicine is primarily focused on adults, but internists may also treat children once they acquire specific training.
For an internist to be able to treat children, they need paediatric training together with their training in internal medicine. The American College of Physicians refers to internal medicine physicians as “doctors for adults”.
The medical training for family medicine and internal medicine is done in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. However, the emphasis is different for family medicine and internal medicine.
In internal medicine, it is more of an emphasis on inpatient care and more of an emphasis on outpatient care in family medicine.
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Education and Training
Internal Medicine
If you intend to pursue a career in internal medicine and family medicine, know that it requires extensive education. To become a family medicine doctor or an internist, one must complete medical school as well as three years of residency.
Internal medicine mainly focuses on adult health, treatment and care. Internists complete residency programs that specifically specialize in offering care to hospitalized patients.
They are trained to thrive in general medicine, health promotion, disease prevention, critical care, and emergency medicine.
Internal medicine residents may choose to complete one to three years of fellowship training after residency.
They can specialize in medical concentrations like oncology, psychiatry, haematology, rheumatology, geriatrics, critical care medicine, neurology, dermatology, gynaecology, cardiovascular diseases, and pulmonary diseases.
Family Medicine
Just like internal medicine doctors, family medicine doctors also must complete a three-year residency program. Thiers specializes in providing care in an outpatient setting, like in a doctor’s office and six months of the residency programs, specially focused on providing care.
Now, residency programs may vary based on the location of the medical institution. The requirements for residency programs may be different in other states.
Family medicine residencies include training in specialities like geriatrics, urology, surgery, radiology, internal medicine, gynaecology, behavioural health, dermatology, wellness and disease prevention, adult critical care, paediatrics, in-patient hospital care, and musculoskeletal medicine.
Internal Medicine vs Family Medicine: Job Duties
Internal medicine doctors and family medicine doctors both complete three-year residency programs, but their medical duties vary. Let’s look at the differences in medical duties.
| Internal Medicine Doctors | Family Medicine Doctors |
| Family doctors are responsible for administering vaccinations to prevent sickness and provide wellness exams to judge a patient’s health. | An internist guides, counsels, and advices patients on how to prevent diseases and improve health. |
| Collect and test clinical data to make diagnoses or make decisions on treatment. | Family medicine doctors practice gynaecology, paediatrics, obstetrics, and geriatrics. |
| An internist guides, counsels, and advises patients on how to prevent diseases and improve health. | Primary care physicians can also perform minor surgery on patients. They educate patients on managing and maintaining overall health. |
| Provide comprehensive treatment and care to patients such as care for mental health conditions, chronic diseases, hormonal imbalance, and palliative care. | Family medicine doctors treat acute and chronic medical conditions. They also monitor the overall health progress of patients. |
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Internal Medicine vs Family Medicine: Choosing between Internal Medicine and Family Medicine
Both family medicine and internal medicine physicians provide medical care, diagnose, and treat patients. However, it’s important for patients to consider the unique characteristics of internal medicine and family medicine when choosing a primary care physician.
If you are seeking comprehensive care for the whole family, both children and the elderly, a family medicine physician is the perfect healthcare professional to consult.
Primary care physicians are medically trained to manage a variety of health conditions for all ages. With their expertise in family medicine, they can provide health care throughout a patient’s life.
For adult patients with complex medical health issues or those who seek specialized care for a particular disease, internal medicine doctors or internists are the health care professionals sought out.
Internal medicine doctors are trained and possess in-depth knowledge to manage adult medicine, provide care, diagnose, and treat illnesses affecting any organ within the body.
For adult patients who prefer a physician trained in a specific subspecialty, the best option is to choose internal medicine doctors with fellowship training in the specific area.
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Internal Medicine vs Family Medicine: Salaries
Healthcare professionals are among the highest earners, earning up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So, what is the average income of an internal medicine physician and a family medicine physician?
According to Indeed.com, the average annual income of an internal medicine physician is up $293,141. The average annual income of a family medicine physician is $290,860.
Being an internal medicine physician or a family medicine physician can come with benefits such as;
- Flexible spending account
- Loan repayment program
- 401 (k) matching
- Malpractice insurance
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Health savings account
Conclusion
While family medicine physicians specialize in treating patients of all ages, internal medicine physicians mainly care for adults, diagnosing and treating medical conditions affecting the internal organs.
Internal medicine physicians and family medicine physicians must complete a three-year residency and in-depth training to acquire knowledge to provide, diagnose, and treat patients.
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References
- American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine: Internal Medicine vs Family Medicine: What’s the Difference?
- American College of Physicians: Internal Medicine vs. Family Medicine
- Indeed: Internal Medicine vs. Family Medicine: Main Differences
- UniversityofMedicineandHelathSciences: Internal medicine vs Family medicine – A comprehensive comparison
- Partnermed: What’s the Difference Between Family Medicine and Internal Medicine?
- Beaumont: Choosing Between a Family Medicine Doctor and an Internal Medicine Doctor
- St. George’s University School of Medicine: Internal Medicine vs. Family Medicine: Diagnosing the Differences
