Pediatric Hospitalist
What does a pediatric hospitalist do?
What are career opportunities for a Pediatric Hospitalist?
What Board, if any, certifies a Pediatric Hospitalist?
What is the lifestyle of a Pediatric Hospitalist?
What is the compensation for a Pediatric Hospitalist?
Why should I choose to become a Pediatric Hospitalist?
Where do I find out about available programs?
When do I apply?
Why should I choose to become a Pediatric Hospitalist?
Proposed Electives
What does a Pediatric Hospitalist Do?
Pediatric Hospitalists are pediatricians who work primarily in a hospital. They care for children throughout the hospital, including the pediatric acute care areas, the newborn nursery, the emergency department, labor and delivery, and sometimes the neonatal or pediatric intensive care units. Pediatric Hospitalists partner with primary care pediatricians, other subspecialists and surgeons to provide comprehensive, family centered care during an acute hospitalization. In addition to clinical care of hospitalized children, pediatric hospitalists can participate in a variety of administrative activities including teaching trainees, leading quality and safety improvement initiatives, serving in leadership roles within hospital administration and conducting research.
To learn more about pediatric hospitalists, see:
https://services.aap.org/en/community/aap-sections/hospital-medicine/
https://www.academicpeds.org/sig/hospital-medicine/
https://www.hospitalmedicine.org
Subspecialty specific journals:
What are career opportunities for a Pediatric Hospitalist?
Pediatric Hospitalists work in all types of hospital environments, including academic and community settings. Roles in hospital administration, education, quality improvement, and research are often part of the non-clinical opportunities for Pediatric Hospitalists.
What Board, if any, certifies a Pediatric Hospitalist?
Board certification for Pediatric Hospitalists is through the American Board of Pediatrics, Sub-board of Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM). To sit for this exam, applicants must have achieved certification in general pediatrics and completed a two-year PHM fellowship. The first board exam was in 2019.
What is the lifestyle of a Pediatric Hospitalist?
The lifestyle of a pediatric hospitalist is varied, depending on the structure of the program. Some hospitalists work with residents and/or advanced practice providers such as NPs and PAs, and some work as attending providers without learners. There is an adage that if you have seen one Pediatric Hospital Medicine program you have seen one Pediatric Hospital Medicine program. The variety in PHM programs is part of the excitement of this growing and dynamic field.
What is the compensation for a Pediatric Hospitalist?
Compensation for Pediatric Hospitalists is dependent on many variables—including place of employment, years of experience, and often differentials are made for day or night/weekend providers.
Why should I choose to become a Pediatric Hospitalist?
Becoming a pediatric Hospital Medicine provider may be for you if you enjoy the variety of conditions in the inpatient setting, leading a team, and working in close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team including subspecialists. Many hospitalists enjoy opportunities including Hospital Leadership and Administration, Educational leadership within undergraduate medical education and graduate medical education, and quality improvement and patient safety. The inpatient setting is also an opportunity for advocacy.
Where do I find out about available programs?
Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Directors have been meeting regularly since 2012 to collaborate and meet the training needs of PHM fellows and of the field at-large. Information about Pediatric Hospital Medicine fellowship programs is available on the website below, and also through Frieda, the ACGME and ERAS Fellowships.
https://www.aap.org/en/career-resources/fellowship-trainees/phm-fellowship-programs/
For additional information about Pediatric Hospitalists visit: https://healthychildren.org/English/family-life/health-management/pediatric-specialists/pages/What-is-a-Pediatric-Hospitalist.aspx
Pediatric Hospital Medicine is participating in the pediatric subspecialty Fall Match. Applications for programs participating in the NRMP match are generally accepted beginning in the mid-summer of the year prior to the start of fellowship, usually during the beginning of the PL-3 year. Interviews are conducted in late summer and fall.
Why should I choose to become a Pediatric Hospitalist?
Becoming a Pediatric Hospital Medicine provider may be for you if you enjoy the variety of conditions in the inpatient setting, leading a team, and working in close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team including other subspecialists. Many hospitalists enjoy opportunities including Hospital Leadership and Administration, educational leadership within undergraduate medical education and graduate medical education, and quality improvement and patient safety. The inpatient setting is also an opportunity for advocacy.
Below is a list of suggested (not mandatory) rotations that a resident could consider if they are planning to apply in this particular subspecialty. This is not meant to be an all-inclusive curriculum, but rather a list to create a program that fits a resident’s individual needs.
- Sedation
- Child Abuse
- Neurology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Complex Care
- Infectious Disease
- Palliative Care
- Transport Medicine
- Palliative Care
- Transport Medicine
Pediatric Subspecialties: the need is huge, the careers are stimulating, and the rewards are amazing.
To access a recording of the 1-hour CoPS Pediatric Subspecialties Webinar Series on 3/20/23 featuring a panel discussion about careers in Pediatric Hospital Medicine, please use this Link.