Non-clinical Skills Important for Hospitalists

August 2, 2011 Leave a Comment

Being a great hospitalist goes beyond being just an excellent clinician. While clinical skills remain the most important, there are many non-clinical skills that are essential for every hospitalist.

Leadership: Though not every hospitalist is or will be a medical director, leadership skills are still important. Hospitalists are responsible for their patients from admission to discharge, so effectively managing the care they receive, along with those who administer it, is crucial. The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) offers a specialized Leadership Academy just for hospitalists, focusing on the unique challenges they face in their field. Three levels of this course allow participants at all levels to develop their skills and bring them back to their institution.

Communication: This is a critically important skill for every hospitalist. There’s only a short period of time to establish a relationship with a patient and their family. Being able to effectively communicate with them about the patient’s condition, procedures and expectations, is essential in building rapport quickly and establishing trust. Additionally, the hospitalist is in constant communication with internal team members, as well as the patient’s primary care physician. Effective communication regarding a patient’s condition helps to reduce both error and confusion.

Teamwork: This goes hand-in-hand with effective communication. Because hospitalists work with such a variety of people on the patient care team, effective teamwork is crucial. This isn’t necessarily something that’s taught in medical school, but members of the team should always work together with the patient in mind. Everyone is working towards the same goal and everyone’s strengths should be recognized and put to good use.

Quality Improvement: Hospitalists tend to be leaders in the area of healthcare quality improvement. Health care is in a constant state of change and always in need of improvement, and hospitalists are uniquely positioned to lead a number of QI efforts for inpatients. SHM also offers numerous ways for hospitalists to get involved in QI projects.

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Hospitalist CME Opportunities Abound in ’11

March 11, 2011 Leave a Comment

 Many organizations are offering great ways for hospitalists to earn CME credit, build their skill base and network with peers. Here are a few notable events for hospitalists for 2011:

  • American College of Physician’s Internal Medicine 2011: This is a great meeting () for internal medicine trained hospitalists. This year’s event will be held April 7-9 in sunny San Diego. Be sure to take advantage of the dedicated educational track for hospitalists, featuring over 40 hospital medicine specific sessions.
  • Society of Hospital Medicine’s Hospital Medicine 2011: This is a must-attend event for all hospitalists. It’s the largest single gathering of hospital medicine physicians in the country. Happening May 10-13 in Grapevine, Texas, this meeting offers fantastic opportunities for networking with peers. Participants can choose from over 90 break-out sessions and nine pre-courses, including four that are new for 2011.
  • University of California, San Francisco’s Management of the Hospitalized Patient Meeting:  This event has grown over the years, due to the popularity of the course chairman, Robert Wachter, MD. It brings together UCSF’s top teachers, as well as guest faculty, to highlight recent advances and current controversies in hospital medicine. Courses are designed to promote interactive learning and audience participation, so attendees will get the most out of their experience.
  • Hospitalist Procedure Courses from the National Procedure Institute: Because many hospitalists come from diverse clinical backgrounds, these types of courses are vital to enhance inpatient procedural skills. Procedures such as arterial line placement, catheter insertion and intubation are reviewed in detail. Not only is this a valuable educational experience, it improves marketability for hospitalists desiring locum tenens positions. Check out their website for more details on schedules and locations.
  • Regional Events: There are a number of regional hospital medicine meetings throughout the year, such as the Southern Hospital Medicine Conference. These events provide attendees with nationally recognized speakers, but in a smaller, more intimate setting as compared to larger, national meetings.
  • On the go: For hospitalists who can’t get their CME on location, there are a number of other options.  Hospital Medicine CME self study is available through Harvard Medical School and comes in a variety of formats, such as DVD’s, CD’s and MP3’s, which is perfect for hospitalists who are short on time. QuantiaMD also offers videos on demand for web and mobile viewing. A great reason to go pick yourself up a new smart phone!

For more hospitalist CME know-how, check out this helpful tipsheet from Locum Leaders.

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