Healthcare Practitioners
General Internal Medicine Physicians
Also called: Doctor, Gastroenterologist, General Internal Medicine Physician, General Internist
US median pay
$256,560
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+4%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
1,900
73,100 employed
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.
What they do day to day
- Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient.
- Treat internal disorders, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or problems of the lung, brain, kidney, or gastrointestinal tract.
- Prescribe or administer medication, therapy, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.
- Manage and treat common health problems, such as infections, influenza or pneumonia, as well as serious, chronic, and complex illnesses, in adolescents, adults, and the elderly.
- Provide and manage long-term, comprehensive medical care, including diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases, for adult patients in an office or hospital.
- Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
- Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention.
- Make diagnoses when different illnesses occur together or in situations where the diagnosis may be obscure.
- Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioner when necessary.
- Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving4.0/5
- Service Orientation3.8/5
- Systems Analysis3.2/5
- Coordination3.2/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Systems Evaluation3.1/5
Knowledge
- Medicine and Dentistry4.9/5
- Biology4.5/5
- Therapy and Counseling4.4/5
- Psychology4.3/5
- Education and Training4.2/5
- English Language4.2/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 5 of 5 — Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree (master's, PhD, MD, JD) and extensive experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Doctoral or professional degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Post-doctoral training53%
- Doctoral degree47%
Who this job suits
Mostly Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.