Memorial Hospital of Union County

Internal Medicine

Most people aren’t quite sure what an internist does. Their first guess is usually a doctor who deals with internal organs. Well, that’s part of it, but the discipline of Internal Medicine involves a lot more. At Memorial Hospital we have internists who typically serve as a personal physician for adults and are skilled in disease prevention and in managing complex disorders of the body that don’t require surgery, like diabetes.

There are also ten subspecialties within Internal Medicine. If a patient is experiencing stomach problems that won’t go away, for example, a general internist might refer the patient to a gastroenterologist, an internist who specializes in disorders of the digestive system. A specialist receives up to two years of additional training in their chosen field and must pass a certification exam. These subspecialties include:

• Cardiology—the treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels
• Endocrinology—the study of glands and other structures that secrete hormones
• Gastroenterology—the care of conditions of the digestive tract, liver, and pancreas
• Hematology—the study of blood and blood-forming tissues
• Infectious Disease
• Nephrology—the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases
• Oncology—the study and treatment of cancerous tumors
• Pulmonary Medicine—concerned with disorders of the lungs and respiratory system
• Rheumatology—the treatment of disorders involving joints and connective tissues
• Geriatrics—the study of diseases affecting older adults

Practitioners: