What Do Hospitalists Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Hospitalists provide inpatient care predominantly in settings such as medical wards, acute care units, intensive care units, rehabilitation centers, or emergency rooms. Manage and coordinate patient care throughout treatment. They also diagnose, treat, or provide continuous care to hospital inpatients.

Other tasks include:

• Prescribe medications or treatment regimens to hospital inpatients.
• Admit patients for hospital stays.
• Order or interpret the results of tests such as laboratory tests and radiographs (x-rays).
• Conduct discharge planning and discharge patients.
• Refer patients to medical specialists, social services, or other professionals as appropriate.
• Write patient discharge summaries and send them to primary care physicians.

We asked Hospitalists how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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74% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 82% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

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Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Hospitalists diagnose, treat, or provide continuous care to hospital inpatients. They refer patients to medical specialists, social services, or other professionals as appropriate.

A typical day for a Hospitalist will also include:

• Admit patients for hospital stays.
• Prescribe medications or treatment regimens to hospital inpatients.
• Order or interpret the results of tests such as laboratory tests and radiographs (x-rays).
• Attend inpatient consultations in areas of specialty.
• Communicate with patients’ primary care physicians upon admission, when treatment plans change, or at discharge to maintain continuity and quality of care.

We asked some Hospitalists a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	88% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	64% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	100% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	60% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	32% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	76% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Hospitalists also attend inpatient consultations in areas of specialty. They may also participate in continuing education activities to maintain or enhance knowledge and skills.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Hospitalists Train or supervise medical students, residents, or other health professionals. They might also Communicate with patients’ primary care physicians upon admission, when treatment plans change, or at discharge to maintain continuity and quality of care.

In addition, they Direct the operations of short stay or specialty units.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Direct, coordinate, or supervise the patient care activities of nursing or support staff.

To some Hospitalists, it is also their responsibility to Admit patients for hospital stays.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Hospitalist, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home.html

http://www.ama-assn.org/

http://www.abms.org/