Practicing as a Pediatric Hospitalist

[docgarr]

Hey guys, I'm an MS1 wondering what it's like practicing as a pediatric hospitalist? I have some general interest in this field. I'd want to work in the hospital, not outpatient peds. What is the practice like? Do you guys feel like you are actually providing a lot of care, or do you feel like you are simply refering everything and just sort of check in now and again and just oversee the care of the patients without actually doing much? Is it a rewarding job?

Please any of you guys that have rotated through or are practicing, give me all the info you can.

Thanks a ton!

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[mvenus929]

Peds hospitalists see a ton of pathology that does not require referring out. If nothing else, asthma, bronchiolitis and ALTEs provide that, not to mention the cellulitis, bloodstream infections, febrile seizures, and the medical management of surgery patients. Some places even have you cover the newborn and level 2 nursery.

A good Hospitalist also does a lot of counseling. Safe sleep, safe sex, proper use of medications, etc.

 

[jonb12997]

If you've seen one hospitalist department, you've seen just that, one Hospitalist department. No two groups seem to have the same structure or set up.
Sometimes I Do feel like I'm sort of the clearinghouse for all the specialists, but on the other hand that in and of itself is a skill to master....

You can have a more newborn focused job, you can be at a smaller hospital, you can be at a huge hospital where you care for one specific type of patient, you can do most of everything with very little subspecialist back up, it just varies soooo much!

 

[jlm013085]

Are more hospitalist jobs going to fellowship trained hospitalists?

 

[jl lin]

I will only say that I have only seen hospitalists that completed appropriate fellowships at a number of children's hospitals. But that is where you will see all the stuff noted by mvenus and then some. Also, some children's hospitals see pretty much everything, and others may not see anywhere near as much as the top children's hospitals in the country.