Background: Hospital Medicine is a nuanced field that requires expertise in patient care and non-clinical health system topics. While several residency programs have now developed dedicated hospital medicine electives, there still exists a gap in education for medical students as they are only exposed to inpatient care. Additionally, many fourth-year medical students (M4s) interested in advancing their clinical independence through Sub-Internship are not guaranteed that opportunity due to a limited number of slots. These needs led to the creation of the Sophomore Hospitalist Elective for M4s.
Purpose: The Sophomore Hospitalist Elective provides M4s with a unique opportunity to explore the intricacies of Hospital Medicine that otherwise would occur less often on traditional wards rotation. This course aims to improve learners’ clinical independence by allowing direct patient care with one-on-one supervision from an Attending Physician rather than working under a resident. Learners are guaranteed ownership of six patients to help instill confidence in their ability to manage inpatient care. Additionally, non-clinical experiences are offered to garner appreciation of the complex role that hospitalists perform within the context of the healthcare system. By giving the opportunity to work with mentors within the field of hospital medicine, this course provides a unique perspective on future career opportunities.
Description: M4s work directly with a Hospitalist Attending Physician over the course of two weeks. Learners are expected to pre-round on their six patients and formulate an assessment and plan before performing bedside rounds with the attending. Learners are expected to write daily progress notes for each patient, call consultants, and provide updates to patients’ families. Additionally, M4s have a choice to focus their learning in one of two tracks: medical education or medical informatics. The medical education track introduces concepts about effective teaching and allows learners to practice these skills by supervising M3s during a simulated-based session. The medical informatics track provides exposure to the intersection between medicine and information technology. As a result of the collaborative and supportive learning environment, learners and faculty have consistently expressed positive feedback. An Attending noted, “On a teaching team there are so many people that it’s really hard to focus on a trainee’s strength[s] and weakness[es,] so this is a great place to be able to do that.”
Conclusions: The Sophomore Hospitalist Elective is a one-of-a-kind course designed to introduce the idea that hospitalists not only perform as clinicians, but also as leaders who aim to improve their hospital system. Creating opportunities for learners to interact one-on-one with Attendings and increase their clinical care responsibilities has received consistently positive feedback. The authors hope to find more ways in the future to foster interest in careers in Hospital Medicine.