intensivist

noun

in·​ten·​siv·​ist in-ˈten(t)-sə-vəst How to pronounce intensivist (audio)
plural intensivists
: a physician who specializes in the care and treatment of patients in intensive care
An intensivist may also be referred to as a critical care specialist. Doctors who receive training in internal medicine, general surgery, anesthesiology or pediatrics can become board-certified intensivists with the appropriate training.R. J. Ignelzi

Examples of intensivist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Inside, one of my colleagues, a bearded intensivist named Shiraz Saleem, was treating a teen-age girl with diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication of diabetes caused by a lack of insulin. Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025 Vadim Gudzenko, an intensivist at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, became familiar with ECMO during that pandemic. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2021 At Baptist Health Lexington, in Lexington, Kentucky, a member of the housekeeping staff -- along with an intensivist, an ICU nurse, and an emergency room nursing assistant -- were among the first to receive the vaccine's first dose on Monday, according to CNN affiliate WTVQ. Leah Asmelash, CNN, 15 Dec. 2020 The irony of that struck Dr. Ali Seifi, a neuro intensivist, while checking up on a patient who was recovering from surgery for brain trauma. Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 4 Feb. 2022 Duncan now works as a consulting pediatric intensivist in Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Neil Singh, Wired, 15 June 2021 Gudzenko, the intensivist who had watched Lopez’s progress, got the news from a colleague. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2021 Those medical providers represent ICU nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory health technicians, behavioral health technicians, medical lab technicians and an intensivist, which is a critical care physician, Ptak wrote. Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 2 July 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intensivist was in 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Intensivist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intensivist. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

Medical Definition

intensivist

noun
in·​ten·​siv·​ist in-ˈten(t)-sə-vəst How to pronounce intensivist (audio)
: a physician who specializes in the care and treatment of patients in intensive care
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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