Avril Swan, MD · Board-certified Family MedicineWhole Family MD ↗
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Primary care basics

Family doctor, internist, or pediatrician: who should care for you?

Written by Avril Swan, MD · Family Medicine · San Francisco

All three can be an excellent primary care doctor. They are trained for different groups of patients, which can make the choice easier.

Short answer: family physicians are trained to care for people of all ages. Pediatricians care for children and teenagers. Internists, also called internal medicine doctors, care for adults. All three can serve as your primary care doctor. The right one depends on who needs care and what you want from the relationship.

Family medicine

Family medicine is built around caring for a person across the whole of life. A family physician can see a child, a parent, and a grandparent, sometimes from the same family. Training includes children, adults, and older adults, along with the way family, work, and stress affect health. This is my field. I care for children, teenagers, and adults, including geriatric care.

Pediatrics

Pediatricians focus on children, from newborns through adolescence. They have deep training in growth, development, and the conditions that are specific to childhood. For a child with a complicated medical condition, a pediatrician, sometimes working with a pediatric subspecialist, may be the best fit.

Internal medicine

Internists care for adults. Their training goes deep into the diagnosis and management of adult illness, including people with several chronic conditions. Many internists work as primary care doctors, and some pursue a subspecialty such as cardiology or endocrinology instead.

How I would think about the choice

  • You want one doctor for the whole family: family medicine is designed for that.
  • You are an adult on your own: a family physician or an internist can both be a good fit. Look for the person, not just the title.
  • You have a child with complex medical needs: ask a pediatrician, and ask your child’s specialists what they recommend.
  • You are caring for an aging parent: look for a doctor with real experience in older adults and in coordinating several specialists.

What matters more than the label

The training behind the title matters less than whether the doctor knows you, listens, and follows through. I walk through the questions I would ask in how to choose a primary care doctor in San Francisco. I also wrote about why one doctor for everyone can work in can one doctor care for your whole family?

If you are wondering whether I am the right fit for you or your family, ask about becoming a patient and we can talk.

This article is general educational information, not individual medical advice. What is appropriate for you depends on your history and circumstances.