What Does a Hospitalist Do?
Hospitalists can work at any type of hospital, including general hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, children’s hospitals and long-term care hospitals to develop and implement medical treatment plans. They often work with people who struggle with housing insecurity or are uninsured who don’t have a Primary Care Practitioner. Hospitalists can perform medical procedures, refer patients to specialists, conduct research and make recommendations to improve hospital processes. They work with patients through the entire process of being hospitalized, including patient admission and post-treatment recovery care. Hospitalists work to optimize the flow of patients and fill in gaps to support other hospital employees.
Hospitalist Skills and Qualifications
- Ability to multitask: Since a Hospitalist is located at the hospital, they should be able to handle multiple responsibilities concurrently. If they are overseeing a patient and have important committee meetings, they should be able to order the appropriate tests and focus on the meeting at the same time.
- Prioritization: The Hospitalist is a leadership role as well as a physician. The ability to evaluate what must be done and rearranging the day according to importance will enable the Hospitalist to be successful in this role.
- Professionalism: As a liaison between hospital administration and physicians as well as a practicing physician, a professional demeanor is necessary as a Hospitalist. Conveying news to a patient’s family that could be detrimental must be handled in the most professional manner.
- Superb communication skills: Relaying policy and structural changes to physicians already carrying a heavy workload must be handled with the appropriate amount of appreciation and authority. The Hospitalist must also be able to communicate via email, memos and staff notices.
Hospitalist Salary Expectations
Hospitalists have an average annual salary of $246,117. This range can be lower if the candidate has less administrative experience or the hospital they are applying with has fewer beds. Smaller medical groups hiring for a Hospitalist also tend to offer less than the average salary. To achieve a higher range of salaries, working at a larger hospital with more beds, working at a regional facility or some traveling may be involved.
Hospitalist Salary Expectations
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Common salary:
291866.34 YEARLY -
Typical salaries range from
101000.00 -579000.00 YEARLY - Find more information on Indeed Salaries
*Indeed data –
Hospitalist Education and Training Requirements
The majority of Hospitalists have a doctorate degree. In order to be a practicing physician, they must hold a degree and have completed an internship and residency. Many Hospitalists also hold graduate degrees in business administration, hospitality management, political science and foreign language. On rare occasions, a Hospitalist will hold a master’s degree. A Hospitalist must be board-certified to practice medicine.
Hospitalist Experience Requirements
A Hospitalist must have experience working with acutely ill patients. They typically work with patients who have been hospitalized due to an acute onset and not as a family practitioner, so it’s best to have experience with this type of illness. An administrative background is beneficial as well as the Hospitalist is a bridge between hospital physicians and administration. A medical background, internship and residencies are required as you must be certified to practice medicine. Experience working within a team of physicians is also helpful in the Hospitalist role as there is often a need to coordinate care between doctors and departments within the hospital.
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