Background:
The field of Hospital Medicine continues to evolve as Hospitalists try to define themselves not only by the place they work but in terms of knowledge and skills. These areas of knowledge and skills then become the basis of educating physicians to become effective Hospitalists. Although the classic categorical Internal Medicine program effectively trains physicians in clinical care and procedures needed to care for hospitalized patients, Hospitalists should also be competent in improving the entire process of care during a hospitalization.
Purpose:
The Society of Hospital Medicine Core Curriculum Committee is defining the clinical conditions, procedures, and system based components of the practice of Hospital Medicine. This core curriculum provides the foundation upon which a Hospitalist Track within an Internal Medicine Residency can be built. The specific model chosen by an academic center Internal Medicine Residency Program is described.
Description:
Internal Medicine residents will have the opportunity to enter the Hospitalist Track at the beginning of their second year of training. The Hospitalist curriculum will include a month of palliative medicine ward service, two months of General Internal Medicine Consults, and two months working one‐on‐one with a Staff Hospitalist on a primary Hospitalist service. In addition, residents in the Hospitalist Track will receive didactic teaching and complete application exercises on risk management, business practices, financial systems, leadership, and patient safety. Residents will also be mentored through the process of research in quality improvement and patient safety.
Summary of Results:
This model of an academic center Internal Medicine Residency Hospitalist Track offers a complete training experience in clinical care including decision making and competence in procedures. In addition, this track focuses attention on the successful practice of Hospital Medicine by specifically addressing the business practice of medicine, the role of the Hospitalist as a consultant, inpatient palliative care, leadership skills, risk management, quality improvement and patient safety. Traditional Internal Medicine training has not heretofore specifically addressed these as discrete competencies. Physicians trained with these skills will not only provide excellent patient care but also improve the way hospitals care for all patients.
Author Disclosure Block:
C.D. Kroen, None.