What does a Hospitalist do?
1 Answer(s)
Top Answer
Talent.com 
Answered March 04 2021
Career Expert at Talent.com
Hospitalists provide general comprehensive medical care to patients admitted to the hospital. They examine their X-rays, diagnostic tests, and other lab work to correctly diagnose the patient. They are then in charge of coordinating a medical treatment plan to get that patient back to a baseline of health and discharged. They also prescribe medications and perform procedures such as central line placement and intubation.
Because they are not specialized in a particular field of medicine, Hospitalists see all kinds of different cases, from infections to injuries to strokes. It means that they work with varying patient populations and are less limited in their knowledge scope.
Hospitalists stay with patients throughout their hospital stay, and they follow their progress. They work with a team of caseworkers, social workers, pharmacists, and nurses to ensure that patients get appropriate care. They may also request that physical therapists or occupational therapists work with their patients to help speed up their recovery. In short, they act as the team leader, which means they need to have a strong sense of delegating tasks and asking for help.
Average Day of a Hospitalist
There is some variance across the country on this, but most Hospitalists work seven days on, seven days off. Generally, they have a partner that works their opposite weeks, so there is a single point of contact for handing over the cases from week to week. When a Hospitalist is working an on-shift week, they are on call for twelve hours; usually, 7 am-7 pm.
A day usually starts with pre-rounds, where they look over their patient's charts, review any notes from the night, and any lab results that might have come in. Suppose a Hospitalist anticipates needing the input information from a specialist such as an endocrinologist or a cardiologist. In that case, they will put in their requests for consultation in the mornings to give their specialized colleagues time to review the patient cases and prepare.
After that, the Hospitalist will do the rounds and speak to patients and their families. They may perform procedures or adjust medication doses.
The Hospitalist will then do more extensive rounds with case managers, social workers, nurses, pharmacists, and specialist doctors.
After that, the Hospitalist needs to fill in all the medical charts, reviews any new intakes, and fills out the paperwork for any discharges.
Because they are not specialized in a particular field of medicine, Hospitalists see all kinds of different cases, from infections to injuries to strokes. It means that they work with varying patient populations and are less limited in their knowledge scope.
Hospitalists stay with patients throughout their hospital stay, and they follow their progress. They work with a team of caseworkers, social workers, pharmacists, and nurses to ensure that patients get appropriate care. They may also request that physical therapists or occupational therapists work with their patients to help speed up their recovery. In short, they act as the team leader, which means they need to have a strong sense of delegating tasks and asking for help.
Average Day of a Hospitalist
There is some variance across the country on this, but most Hospitalists work seven days on, seven days off. Generally, they have a partner that works their opposite weeks, so there is a single point of contact for handing over the cases from week to week. When a Hospitalist is working an on-shift week, they are on call for twelve hours; usually, 7 am-7 pm.
A day usually starts with pre-rounds, where they look over their patient's charts, review any notes from the night, and any lab results that might have come in. Suppose a Hospitalist anticipates needing the input information from a specialist such as an endocrinologist or a cardiologist. In that case, they will put in their requests for consultation in the mornings to give their specialized colleagues time to review the patient cases and prepare.
After that, the Hospitalist will do the rounds and speak to patients and their families. They may perform procedures or adjust medication doses.
The Hospitalist will then do more extensive rounds with case managers, social workers, nurses, pharmacists, and specialist doctors.
After that, the Hospitalist needs to fill in all the medical charts, reviews any new intakes, and fills out the paperwork for any discharges.
