Totally agree. While I have been back and forth all throughout medicine residency as to whether a fellowship is for me (still am), after being a hospitalist now for over 2 months (long time I know), I'm HAPPY. I have work at a nonacademic facility with amazing staff, excellent colleagues, responsive hospitalist group, updated facilities, and I am compensated better than most in the U.S. I work, 12h if on long call (sometimes more obviously for patient care), less if short call, round and go if no call. I choose to mix night and days and do mostly nights. I do full-time PRN now, but my group told me anytime I want full time just let them know and they'll convert me; they treat me like I'm full time staff in any case. I made sure to seek out this type of arrangement aggressively after residency and am on track to make considerably more that the average hospitalist- based completely on a schedule of my choosing. I come home and I'm OFF- no reading articles, research, preparing for a presentation, teaching, NONE of that. I can take a day off at a time or 2 weeks off at a time, all depends on how much I want to work. Anything I do work related outside of scheduled hours is 100% my choice. I almost feel like I will wake up and someone will say "GOTCHA", that's how sweet my gig feels sometimes. If fellowship ends up not being in the cards, I wont be unhappy about it. I would recommend hospitalist work to anyone who is considering it, provided you dont settle for the wrong gig. Most of the specialists have it good here too, but some I see work LONG hours, multiple facilities, inpatient consults, procedures, and clinic and may be called when they go home for patient care questions, which is made much worse if they are one of only 2 or 3 same-field specialists at their facility (often they are the only one).