Stephanie Smith, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)

A veterinary internal medicine specialist is a veterinarian who has completed advanced training in internal medicine (including a one-year internship and three-year residency) following graduation from their veterinary college. The residency training culminates with a comprehensive examination covering all aspects of veterinary small animal internal medicine. Once these requirements have been fulfilled, the veterinarian is considered to be a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).

The umbrella of small animal internal medicine includes many sub-disciplines including gastroenterology (esophageal, stomach and intestinal disease), hepatology (liver and pancreatic disease), endocrinology (hormonal disease), infectious diseases, urology (urinary tract disease), nephrology (kidney disease), respiratory medicine (nose, airway and lung disease), and hematology & immunology (blood cell and immune-disease). In many cases, the signs of a patient may include many of these organ systems. Due to their holistic approach, internal medicine specialists may also manage cases of patients with neurologic, cardiovascular or cancerous diseases, especially when these patients also share diseases within the scope of internal medicine.

Adapted from “What is a Board-Certified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist?” on vetspecialists.com.