Primary care is the first contact a person has with the health care system. It includes different types of health care, from preventive medicine to diagnosing and treating acute and chronic medical conditions. Primary care providers have a breadth of knowledge and experience, owing to the type of training they undergo to become qualified to provide primary care.
Look no further than a primary care doctor if you want someone highly experienced in treating a wide range of ailments.
What is a Primary Care Doctor?
Training to become a primary care doctor begins during residency. Primary care doctors can choose to specialize in pediatrics, which focuses on the care of pediatric patients (under the age of 18), family medicine, which focuses on the care of patients of all ages, or internal medicine, which focuses on caring for adults. Following residency training, primary care doctors may choose to specialize in a primary care subspecialty, such as adolescent medicine, infectious diseases, oncology, or pulmonary medicine.
Internal Medicine Provider Training
Adults with multiple health conditions can turn to an internal medicine doctor to meet their health care needs. Internal medicine doctors treat adults only and specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, and care of acute illnesses, injuries, and chronic conditions. These primary care practitioners are comfortable caring for patients with the most serious medical conditions.
Internal medicine training occurs in the classroom and also in a clinical setting, both inpatient and outpatient. The curriculum covers all systems of the body, which provides them with in-depth knowledge of anatomy and a strong foundation necessary to accurately diagnose and effectively treat patients.
During training, they are given the responsibility to diagnose and treat a wide spectrum of clinical problems, from young adult patients with severe illnesses to elderly patients with multiple complex comorbidities. They use diagnostic reasoning, design treatment programs for patients, and refer patients to specialists, as necessary. Internal medicine doctors receive training in many fields such as endocrinology, neurology, orthopedics, and rehabilitation, which makes them most qualified to meet the special needs of adult patients. With the scope and rigors of training, and the experience they glean from it, internal medicine doctors are highly qualified to treat patients with the rarest and most puzzling medical conditions.
In addition to learning about traditional medical treatments, internal medicine doctors can also receive training in complementary and alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic medicine. This fosters collaboration among disciplines and enables many internal medicine doctors to treat patients holistically, thereby providing higher quality, individualized treatment.
Primary Care Doctor for Adults in Tucson, AZ
Dr. Robert E. Lending is an internal medicine doctor who specializes in treating adults and elderly patients and is committed to making a difference in each of his patients’ lives. At Dr. Lending’s clinic, we provide a wide range of primary care services, from diagnostics to preventive care, and are experienced in treating patients with age-related conditions, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, lipid disorders, and respiratory diseases.
It’s quite a challenge to find a doctor that cares deeply about your overall health and treatment outcomes. Dr. Lending advocates for your health and treats you like family. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Lending, call our office today at (520) 795-4291 or use our online request form.
