According to Dr. Wallis, a family practitioner would do if a general internist was not available. The only reason he or she wouldn't be my first choice is that the family practitioner has to learn so much more about children that it could dilute the amount of time spent keeping abreast of women's health developments. And gynecologists, who many women make their first choice, actually come in third. This gives them far more to learn than the other two to become a primary care physician. Specialization is not something you want to overlook, adds Dr. Wallis.
Many internists have areas of specialization such as cardiology or hematology.
But you want to be careful that they aren't neglecting continuing education courses in women's health issues to the advantage of their other interest. The annual physical. When most people think of a checkup, they tend to picture a yearly barrage of pokes, prods and needle pricks that are done like clockwork whether they're needed or not. This has a lot to do with tradition. In this brave new world of checkups, the current medical wisdom is that for healthy people, a more tailored program of preventive services can be effective.