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Internal Medicine Physician

Healthcare

Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.

ScienceAllied Health

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient.
  2. 2Treat internal disorders, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or problems of the lung, brain, kidney, or gastrointestinal tract.
  3. 3Prescribe or administer medication, therapy, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury.
  4. 4Manage and treat common health problems, such as infections, influenza or pneumonia, as well as serious, chronic, and complex illnesses, in adolescents, adults, and the elderly.
  5. 5Provide and manage long-term, comprehensive medical care, including diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases, for adult patients in an office or hospital.
  6. 6Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
  7. 7Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention.
  8. 8Make diagnoses when different illnesses occur together or in situations where the diagnosis may be obscure.
  9. 9Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioner when necessary.
  10. 10Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary.
  11. 11Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results.
  12. 12Provide consulting services to other doctors caring for patients with special or difficult problems.
  13. 13Advise surgeon of a patient's risk status and recommend appropriate intervention to minimize risk.
  14. 14Immunize patients to protect them from preventable diseases.
  15. 15Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, students, assistants, specialists, therapists, and other medical staff.
  16. 16Operate on patients to remove, repair, or improve functioning of diseased or injured body parts and systems.
  17. 17Conduct research to develop or test medications, treatments, or procedures to prevent or control disease or injury.
  18. 18Plan, implement, or administer health programs in hospitals, businesses, or communities for prevention and treatment of injuries or illnesses.
  19. 19Prepare government or organizational reports on birth, death, and disease statistics, workforce evaluations, or the medical status of individuals.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • MD
  • Doctor
  • Internist
  • Physician
  • Oncologist
  • DO Physician
  • Hematologist
  • IM Physician
  • Pulmonologist
  • Trauma Doctor

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationPost-doctoral training

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Medicine and Dentistry98%

    BiologyChemistry

  • Biology91%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Therapy and Counseling87%

    BiologySports Science

  • Psychology87%
  • Education and Training84%
  • English Language84%

    English

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

29%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: General Internal Medicine Physicians

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue