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Hospitalist |
Career OverviewHospitalist is a title first coined in an article published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 1996. Despite the relatively recent introduction of this term, doctors have warranted the title of hospitalist since the early 1970s.
The introduction of the title simply reflects the explosion in-patient care by physicians in the 1990s. By 1998, specialization in in-patient care was a very popular career choice for graduating physicians. In 1995, between 300 and 400 doctors were considered to be practicing hospitalists. By the close of the year 1998, approximately 3,000 were practicing in this capacity.
Practicing as a hospitalist became a popular choice and has remained a popular choice for graduating physicians because it offered (and continues to offer) both rewarding opportunities and a dynamic environment for graduates to practice medicine and offer inpatient care.
Unlike ambulatory care physicians, hospitalists generally get to develop relationships with patients, following through on their care. This situation offers a more stimulating environment for physicians to practice and to demonstrate a range of skills, from patient counseling to general management skills.
Many practicing hospitalists say that they feel better prepared for in-patient care, which includes diagnostic procedures, general care, and treatment solutions.
Although the job is also extremely demanding, requiring a near 24/7 commitment, it is not conducive to routine building. Hospitalists do not find themselves working to complete excessive amounts of paperwork in offices. They must generally be physically fit and very flexible to keep up with the complex schedules they are required to maintain in most instances, to meet the demands placed upon them to provide patient care.
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Career RequirementsA hospitalist must fulfil the education and experience requirements established by federal and state government to practice medicine. For entry into any education program to become a specialist in in-patient hospital care, a doctor of education degree is required from an approved school of medicine. It is often mandatory that candidates complete at least three years of graduate medical education and training in the treatment of in-patients.
The vastness of the field determines that hospitalists must have exposure to a range of different specialist fields, including general medicine, emergency medicine, critical care, pediatric care, oncology, and infectious diseases.
To work as a hosptialist, an individual must complete four years of medical school, a one-year internship, and three years of residency. Opportunities for additional fellowship training exist in critical care medicine, pain management, pediatrics, obstetrical, and cardiovascular anaesthesiology.
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Job OutlookMany health care insurance plan providers are under considerable pressure from customers and physicians to increase patient access to specialists.
That said, the job outlook for hospitalists is generally promising: the field is a diverse one and critical patients still require hospitalization, even if the stay is brief.
Specialization in in-patient care offers qualified medical doctors the opportunity to deal directly with patients, act as policy makers, consultants, and researchers for in-patient care. The field allows physicians to be at the forefront of cutting-edge research in a field that combines chemistry, pharmacology, physiology, biochemistry, and patient care.
The field looks set to remain dynamic, and open to qualified and enthusiastic graduates of medical schools, although the employment opportunities are not as numerous as they were in the mid- to late-1990s.
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Career TrackThe field is also quite accessible. Approximately 90% of hospitalists have a background in internal medicine. The remaining ten percent are from family practice or pediatrics. The vast majority of hospitalists trained in general internal medicine. Others may have trained in critical care and emergency medicine.
Most hospitalists are employed by hospitals but there are also employment opportunities with managed care organizations, local medical groups, for-profit hospitalist companies, academic hospitalist practices, and private practices.
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CompensationThe average reported salary for a typical hospitalist in the United States is approximately $180,000 per year. Depending upon their qualifications and experience, most hospitalists in the United States earn between $170,000 and $200,000 depending on their professional background and where they work.
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