I.M. the cornerstone of comprehensive health care
Discover the unique leadership roles, career pathways and impact of internal medicine physicians.
Internal medicine physicians lead health care forward in a multitude of settings—including roles in government, research, education, administration, and beyond.
Internal medicine physicians are at the forefront of comprehensive care, no matter where they serve—from clinical to non-clinical settings, and often, a combination of both. They leverage their complex medical knowledge to assess patients, develop treatment plans, and guide patients through the health care journey. They also collaborate with other health care professionals to address complex patient cases, lead team-based care, advocate for patient welfare and safety, and share their expertise with the next generation of internal medicine physicians.
Internal medicine physicians are often involved in research, teaching, administration, and healthcare policy. As a profession, internal medicine physicians are advancing medical research and shaping policies that will improve the future of patient care and public health. They also teach and mentor the next generation of medical students and residents.
The profession offers diversity in practice areas and settings, across a range of environments including private practices, hospitals, research labs, medical technology, government offices, and more– in rural, suburban, and urban settings.
Here’s how different ACP members are embracing the ability to impact care across settings:
Exploring The Care In An Administrative Setting
Lauren Beste, MD, MSc, FACP spends the majority of her time doing administrative work in the form of overseeing a primary care department of 144 providers and over 600 staff members between 9 locations.
“Administrative work is a whole different type of complex problem-solving compared to clinical medicine, but I really enjoy it,” said Lauren Beste. “I spend about a quarter of my time seeing patients, and the remaining quarter working on data-and-analytics projects related to HIV and viral hepatitis.”
Growing Care in Rural Areas
Seger S. Morris, DO, MBA, CPE, FACOI, FACP is the fifteenth osteopathic physician in his family. He is passionate about advancing the role of internal medicine physicians forward, especially osteopathic medicine through health care policy and advocacy. His impacts extend to his community in Mississippi where he helps grow physician-led patient care teams in rural areas.
Taking a Non-Clinical Leadership Role
As a hospitalist, Nana Yaa A. Koram, MBChB, MPH thrives in the dynamic and collaborative nature of internal medicine. She spends most of her days in inpatient care, meeting with patient’s families, or coordinating care with specialists, case managers, and social workers. Nana also serves on several hospital committees which allows her to play a non-clinical role that contributes to the effective operation of the hospital.
The ability of internal medicine physicians to excel in a multitude of clinical and non-clinical domains makes them indispensable assets to the medical field and healthcare system as a whole.
Physicians specializing in internal medicine are advancing the field of health care wherever they serve. The level of flexibility to choose diverse career experiences aligned with your unique career goals is what makes internal medicine the ideal career choice for students who are looking for rewarding career opportunities. It also allows seasoned physicians the ability to engage with internal medicine in new and inspiring ways.