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The field of hospital medicine arose in the 1990s in response to hospitals’ need for greater access to primary care physicians. Hospitalists specifically coordinate patient care from admission to discharge. The field continues to grow and requires proficiency in multiple medical disciplines. A hospitalist’s day includes tasks across the health care spectrum.

Hospitalists specialize in patient management and leadership of care personnel. They must have multiple skills on top of standard clinical expertise, including:

• The ability to communicate clearly with patients, families, and personnel
• Problem-solving skills for prompt evaluation and treatment
• Leadership of patients, staff, and hospital administrators
• Teaching skills in analyzing and interpreting medical information
• Compassion and interpersonal skills to provide comfort and care
• Stamina to work long and wide-ranging shifts

Altogether, these abilities help hospitalists balance, manage, and optimize the hospital health care system. They coordinate patients, families, residents and interns, nursing staff, healthcare professionals, and hospital administrators.

As the field grows, about a tenth of current internal medicine residents will enter hospital medicine, with specializations in Family Medicine or Pediatric Internal Medicine. The Society of Hospital Medicine details how to become a hospitalist:

• Start by attaining a Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• Complete 4 years at an accredited medical school
• Train for 3 to 9 years in a hospital residency
• Pursue post-residency fellowships if desired
• Obtain a state license to practice (standards vary)
• Pursue optional board certification for specializations

Licensing may require background checks, training, tests, or fees, and credentials must be renewed periodically. Residency programs increasingly offer hospital medicine specializations as fellowship programs grow.

Graduating hospitalists enter a growing market. Compensation reflects the need for fast decision-making in high-stress situations. Hospitalists often work 12-hour days, with shifts that can be erratic and may include nights. Typical day-shift teams may include 3–4 hospitalists, with 1 at night, caring for 15–20 patients per day. Estimated counts and earnings vary, but hospitalists commonly earn six-figure salaries depending on location, teaching status, and practice size.

Hospitalists are essential to coordinating hospital care and may take on teaching and administrative roles as the field evolves.

Would you like to join Elliot Health System as a hospitalist? Browse our open hospitalist career opportunities today.