HMtoPA Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Okay, I don't consider myself a medical noob, but I have only worked in military medicine, so that might explain my total unfamiliarity with certain things. Never, ever, ever have I heard the term "hospitalist," except in regard to PA's on this forum and certain other websites (postgrad residencies, etc). I'm not illiterate, so I'm able to figure out essentially what it means, and a quick check of Wikipedia reveals it's an actual (relatively new) specialty within medicine. Obviously that makes sense that it wouldn't be a PA-only specialty, but what I don't get is this: why? Isn't this just another name for an IM doc? Kind of? Please pardon my naiveté. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradopa Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Okay, I don't consider myself a medical noob, but I have only worked in military medicine, so that might explain my total unfamiliarity with certain things. Never, ever, ever have I heard the term "hospitalist," except in regard to PA's on this forum and certain other websites (postgrad residencies, etc). I'm not illiterate, so I'm able to figure out essentially what it means, and a quick check of Wikipedia reveals it's an actual (relatively new) specialty within medicine. Obviously that makes sense that it wouldn't be a PA-only specialty, but what I don't get is this: why? Isn't this just another name for an IM doc? Kind of? Please pardon my naiveté. Basically its an IM doc who only sees inpatients. They don't have any outpatient practice. There are also Pediatric hospitalists. Most of the controversy in the field surrounds whether FP can do hospital medicine (as its called). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulPA Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Yep it is IM that only does in patient care, no outpatient care. As a Doc you have pt admitted to yourself but you might be called to the bedside or RN to handle a pt issue of another doc who has left for the day. I am a hospitalist PA it is like a house-officer I am to respond to pt care issues for the non-teaching service. I don't round on pts. At my last hospitalist position I handled pt issues for the private docs who had admitting privledges but had their own clinics,office pt too. Here I did have to round on pts but I did not have to handle house-officer calls. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LIPPER Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Very appealing as well to hire, no overhead (nurses, office equipment etc) still have the usual billing needs, malpractice and so forth. Downside is patients "don't get to see their pcp"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoClinic4Me Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 check out the society of hospital medicine website. Lots of stuff on there as well as material specifically dedicated to PA's in hospital medicine. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted November 17, 2011 Moderator Share Posted November 17, 2011 using pa's as hospitalists is a growing trend with the decrease in workming hrs for residents. the advantage of a hospitalist service is that you get folks who are really good at hospital medicine instead of pcp's who admit once/mo and struggle through it every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whimsygirl Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 As a current RT and a hopeful someday PA - I love having hospitalists in a facility. They truly benefit a patient. Think about all the medications and procedures that are done in hospital. There are effects to all of those. Hospitalists know how to treat them. It's great to have someone there to tweak or change orders when you are noticing subtle changes in your patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictoriaO Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I'm excited to be joining the amazing staff at my home hospital as the first hospitalist PA at the institution. I've worked with these docs as a student, and I was constantly impressed not only by their love of teaching but their bedside manner. They call themselves the "inpatient primary care team" and consider it our job to translate what hepatology, cardiology, ID etc is saying into terms and plans the patient can understand. My role as a PA will be interesting, I will be doing much of what the regular team does, admitting, rounds, taking house-officer calls, plus ICU/CCU stepdown patients, doing medicine consults for ortho, and glycemic consults all over the hospital. I'm really excited that I'll be able to attend resident conferences, teaching rounds, and possibly contribute to glycemic research. There's definitely a difference I've noticed from my rotations in having the busy IM doc rushing through rounds before clinic vs. a dedicated hospitalist who can sit down for family conferences and answer all the questions. I think PAs have a very bright future in hospital medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMtoPA Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Thanks for all the info everyone. I guess what I still don't understand is that hospitalist seems more like a role than a distinct area of medicine. Am I wrong? Is it just a matter of semantics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted November 17, 2011 Moderator Share Posted November 17, 2011 it's doing full time what every pcp used to do as a part of their practice. it's specializing in the care of inpatients vs having an outpt ptractice and occasionally following your own pts in the hospital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoClinic4Me Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I was the first PA at a major tertiary referral center in my city. Lots of growing pains since but now they have about eight. They need you, they just don't know how much yet. Lots of fun and rewarding work to be had stomping the wards. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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