Family medicine (FM) hospitalists are increasingly finding jobs in community hospitals and suburban/urban areas. The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) support the opportunity to participate as a hospitalist, stating that it should be open to all interested individuals. Family physicians are typically trained as family physicians, pediatricians, or internal medicine physicians. However, there is a catch-22 for family practice doctors: they can work as a hospitalist once they have experience, but they won’t be hired until they have the experience.
IPC has hired family medicine hospitalists since its founding in 1995. The debate about whether family physicians should be hospitalists raises questions about differences in training, general outlook on the practice of medicine, and other factors affecting their roles. Family-medicine-trained hospital medicine practitioners may only represent 10 to 15 of practicing hospitalists, but they are a growing subgroup in the specialty.
A nationwide shortage of intensivists has more hospitalists stepping into the critical care arena, but not all with the level of preparation and comfort. Family medicine can definitely work as a hospitalist, as long as they stay up-to-date on hospital medicine. Traditional practices still see outpatients and admit their own patients.
Both SHM and AAFP urge equity in hiring practices and support hospitalists with certifications in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine. Hospitalists are physicians whose primary professional focus is the general medical care of hospitalized patients without the responsibility for care. Family physicians can choose to be dedicated inpatient physicians or hospitalists on a full-time or rotating basis, depending on the demand and level of experience.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Can a family medicine doctor be a hospitalist? | Sure, as long as they have stayed up on hospital medicine or can get back up to date on it. I have a close friend who did just that and went … | quora.com |
| Hiring Family Medicine Physicians as Hospitalists | Hiring family medicine physicians for hospitalist positions is a growing trend in today’s hospital medicine environment. | teamhealth.com |
| Family practice and hospital medicine | There are plenty of excellent FP doctors out there who could fill our current hospitalist shortage after a year of intensive inpatient training. | todayshospitalist.com |
📹 I’m changing jobs… Comparing primary care vs hospitalist careers
Deciding between primary care and hospitalist careers? These are two very different jobs! One could say they’re rather opposite.
Which State Pays Hospitalists The Most?
The highest-paying cities for hospitalists in the United States include Bangor, ME, with an annual salary of $413, 229, followed by Terre Haute, IN, at $390, 816, and Springfield, MA, at $388, 057. Other notable cities are Massena, NY ($351, 146) and Birmingham, AL ($316, 756). Washington state tops the list as the highest-paying state for hospitalist jobs, while Florida ranks as the lowest. The Pacific region offers the best compensation, averaging $360, 449 for hospitalists, with California, New York, and Massachusetts being top payers, all exceeding $260, 000.
Arizona also provides significantly higher salaries, particularly in cities like Mesa and Lake Havasu City. For 2024, the best states for hospitalists to work and live are Wisconsin, Alaska, North Dakota, and Wyoming, with North Dakota being particularly rewarding for hospitalists. Nationally, the average salary for a hospitalist is approximately $255, 115, with typical salaries ranging from $224, 341 to $288, 983. Overall, the Northeast is the lowest-paying region, while various cities and states offer competitive compensation and benefits for hospitalists across the country.
Do Hospitalists Go To Med School?
To become a hospitalist, the journey begins with obtaining a four-year bachelor's degree, typically in a science-related field such as biology or chemistry, which serves as a prerequisite for medical school. After earning the bachelor’s degree, aspiring hospitalists must then complete four years of medical school. This is followed by residency training, commonly lasting three years in internal medicine. Additionally, passing the medical licensing exam is essential to practice.
Hospitalists are specialized internal medicine doctors, pediatricians, or obstetricians who oversee the care of hospitalized patients. While primary care physicians generally see patients in outpatient settings, hospitalists focus on in-hospital care. In total, prospective hospitalists require at least nine years of education and training, which may extend to ten years if opting for a fellowship program.
Despite the competitive nature of medical school admissions—where, for instance, only 42 percent of applicants were accepted in the 2020-2021 academic year—determination in fulfilling pre-med prerequisites and gaining relevant experience enhances one’s prospects. Overall, the pathway to becoming a hospitalist involves rigorous academic dedication and professional training.
What Is The Difference Between MD And Family Medicine?
Family physicians and internal medicine doctors both serve as primary care providers, but they cater to different patient populations. Family physicians care for individuals of all ages, including infants, children, and adults, while internal medicine doctors focus solely on adults aged 18 and older. Both MDs (Doctor of Medicine) and DOs (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) are allopathic doctors who utilize standard medical practices such as X-rays and prescription medications to diagnose and treat conditions.
Family medicine encompasses training in various areas, including pediatrics, adult medicine, and obstetrics, enabling these physicians to provide comprehensive care across the lifespan. In contrast, internal medicine physicians typically specialize in adult patients, often emphasizing the management of chronic diseases and inpatient care.
While both family medicine and internal medicine aim to deliver essential healthcare services, their primary differences lie in the breadth of age they treat and their specific focus. Family medicine is geared towards outpatient care for a diverse age range, whereas internal medicine tends to emphasize inpatient care primarily for adults. Understanding these distinctions can assist patients in choosing which type of primary care doctor aligns best with their healthcare needs.
What Does A Family Physician Do?
Family medicine focuses on community health, enabling family physicians to assess and address various community needs. These physicians, trained in obstetrics, provide a range of maternity care services, including prenatal and postnatal care and deliveries. Family practitioners diagnose and treat medical conditions across all ages while emphasizing preventative care. They manage serious health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, helping patients understand and navigate the healthcare system.
Family physicians customize their care based on individual and community needs, often serving as primary care providers. Their broad training allows them to address diverse health issues, including chronic illnesses and routine health checks, while also offering obstetrics and gynecological services. Family medicine encompasses the comprehensive care of patients from newborns to seniors, focusing on holistic well-being.
These physicians prescribe treatments, conduct health assessments, and provide vaccinations, ensuring ongoing health management and preventive care for families. In summary, family physicians play a critical role in delivering accessible, continuous healthcare.
What Doctors Make Millions A Year?
In 2024, the Doximity Physician Compensation Report highlights the highest-paying medical specialties, with neurosurgery at the top, earning an average of $920, 500 annually, followed by orthopedic surgery ($788, 600) and dermatology ($655, 200). Each year, nearly 60% of doctors report net worths exceeding $1 million, driven by ongoing physician shortages that lead to increased salaries across the board. The median wage for physicians stands at $208, 000, while pediatric infectious disease doctors average $221, 126 and vascular surgeons see rapid growth at $534, 508.
Family medicine and internal medicine specialists earn average salaries of $300, 813 and $312, 526, respectively. In 2022, the median annual wage for physicians was $229, 300, nearly five times the national average. The average income for all MD doctors, including specialists, reaches $352, 000 per year. While primary care physicians saw an increase of 4%, specialists gained even more. Notably, some physicians earn millions not through practice but through business and investments.
Other high-earning specialties include cardiac surgery ($607, 300), ophthalmology ($597, 000), and pediatric surgery ($449, 320). The report urges upcoming doctors to consider specialty choices based on potential earnings.
Should A Family Physician Practice Part-Time?
Family physicians often opt for part-time practice to balance their professional responsibilities with family care, personal interests, or retirement preparation. While this arrangement can be financially viable for many, it poses challenges for some. Part-time work allows flexibility for physicians managing studies, family, or other commitments. However, "part-time" can equate to 40 hours weekly for physicians, contrasting with the more typical 20-30 hours seen in other professions.
Setting realistic goals and clear communication with colleagues and patients is essential for success in part-time roles. A survey revealed that a significant number of physicians are open to part-time work, with many expressing a desire for reduced hours. Approximately a quarter of family physicians have practiced part-time throughout their careers. Although part-time schedules are becoming more accepted in primary care, concerns arise regarding access, continuity of care, and patient satisfaction, despite evidence that part-time physicians may experience greater work satisfaction and lower burnout levels.
Ultimately, family physicians report high professional satisfaction, favorable work-life balance, and a comfortable lifestyle, although many still struggle to prioritize their personal lives amidst demanding workloads. Emphasizing self-care and community engagement, alongside family responsibilities, can facilitate a successful transition to part-time practice for family physicians.
What Is The Difference Between Hospitalist And Family Medicine?
The primary distinction between a hospitalist and a primary care physician lies in the doctor-patient relationship. A primary care physician builds long-term connections with patients, often over many years, whereas a hospitalist typically sees a patient only once during hospitalization. Family medicine doctors provide ongoing care for common health issues, while hospitalists focus on the care of inpatients, often after a referral from a primary care physician.
Hospitalists are usually trained in internal medicine, family practice, or pediatrics and specialize in patient care within the hospital setting. Their role involves coordinating care and ensuring safety during hospitalization, and they frequently communicate with primary care doctors to minimize readmissions. Unlike family physicians who treat families across all ages, hospitalists mainly serve adults, often receiving residency training in internal medicine and gaining expertise in managing critically ill patients.
Although hospitalists and internists may seem similar, hospitalists exclusively care for hospitalized patients. The hospitalist's job includes managing teams and coordinating care among various specialties in the hospital, focusing on high-quality, patient-centered healthcare. While family practice doctors provide lifelong care, hospitalists concentrate on the illness management during hospital stays, utilizing hospital resources efficiently to enhance patient outcomes.
Is Family Medicine A Good Career Choice?
Family Medicine stands out as an ideal specialty for physicians seeking a challenging and rewarding career. Its appeal lies in several key attributes, making it a preferred choice for aspiring doctors. The average income for Family Physicians is approximately $203, 217, highlighting the potential for a lucrative career. This specialty allows practitioners to shape their careers around personal values and interests, with the possibility for diverse clinical experiences, particularly in rural settings.
Family physicians report high professional satisfaction and enjoy a favorable work-life balance, with adaptable hours and schedules. Moreover, the demand for family physicians is rising due to an aging population focused on primary care. Despite some perceptions regarding lower income compared to specialties like dermatology or orthopedic surgery, the benefits include job stability, career flexibility, and the opportunity for impactful patient relationships.
Medical schools should provide quality family medicine experiences and accurate information on this specialty. For those who appreciate variety in their work, enjoy problem-solving, and excel at communication, family medicine could be a perfect fit. Overall, choosing Family Medicine offers significant advantages for long-term career satisfaction and personal fulfillment.
Can Family Med Doctors Be Hospitalists On Reddit?
La discusión sobre la posibilidad de que los médicos de Medicina Familiar (FM) trabajen como hospitalistas revela diversas opiniones y experiencias. Muchos argumentan que la calidad del médico, más que su especialidad, determina su éxito en estos roles. Los hospitalistas de FM parecen tener buenas oportunidades laborales, especialmente en hospitales comunitarios, donde pueden manejar una carga de pacientes significativa. Sin embargo, en hospitales académicos, la contratación de médicos de FM como hospitalistas sigue siendo limitada.
Aunque los programas de Medicina Interna (IM) tienden a ofrecer más formación en atención hospitalaria, hay un creciente reconocimiento del valor que los médicos de FM pueden aportar. Recientes discusiones en comunidades profesionales, como las de la Sociedad de Medicina Hospitalaria (SHM) y la Academia Americana de Médicos de Familia (AAFP), defienden la inclusión de médicos de FM en el cuidado hospitalario.
En áreas rurales, los médicos de FM frecuentemente combinan la atención clínica con labores hospitalarias, partos y procedimientos quirúrgicos, mostrando su versatilidad. La demanda de hospitalistas está en aumento, y algunos, como el Dr. David Aymond, destacan que los médicos de FM pueden desenvolverse incluso en cuidados críticos. La falta de formación adecuada en servicios de hospitalización puede ser un reto, pero muchos pueden triunfar sin realizar una fellowship específica.
Where Do Family Medicine Doctors Make The Most Money?
According to the BLS, the highest-paying states for family medicine physicians include Idaho ($305, 960), Alaska ($297, 130), and New Hampshire ($294, 830). North Dakota has a median salary of $202, 317, while Vermont offers the highest median salary among all states for family medicine specialists. Nationally, family doctors earn an average salary of $290, 116 annually, influenced significantly by work experience, as those with less than a year of experience typically earn lower salaries.
The top-paying sectors for family medicine physicians vary by location and employment statistics. In 2022, family medicine doctors earned an average of $273, 040, while internal medicine specialists garnered $293, 894.
Notably, among all medical specialties, neurosurgery leads with an average pay of $763, 908, while other areas, such as pediatrics and general internal medicine, have lower average earnings compared to family medicine practitioners. Reports indicate male physicians earn, on average, 29% more than their female counterparts. The highest average annual salary for primary care physicians is in California, at $358, 000, surpassing the national average of $339, 000. Despite disparities, family practice remains a critical field, with a significant portion of active physicians in the U. S. specializing in it.
📹 The Role of a Family Medicine Physician
Family Medicine physicians such as John McConaghy, MD, of The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, provide a broad spectrum …
Great article! It took me going through burnout over a year ago to learn how to be better at my job as a primary care attending. So I wanted to make some comments. Love the part about being an introvert, it can definitely get tiring, but one thing to learn especially for residents transitioning into attending roles or even current attendings that are struggling with this is to learn to direct conversations with patients in order to stay on track but still in a way that patients feel heard. It makes a huge difference. Admin stuff is a beast, totally agree. I had to put some time aside to come up with a workflow that works well. I’m actually creating a couple of articles on this specific topic soon, discussing time management and how I manage my inbasket to reduce risk for burnout but ensure that work gets done. Truly free after work? I think this is a decision each provider has to make for themselves. If you want to do work outside of your work hours, that’s fine. But if you don’t, you don’t have to. A big thing for primary care physicians is to create a strong workflow that works for you and helps you get work done before leaving clinic, so that you create that freedom outside of work. And if you’re out, you can have a colleague/s cover any urgent messages for you. Anything that’s non-urgent you can address when you get back. Compensation is also a big topic in primary care. You definitely want to be well compensated for your work. A couple of things to take into account (this is not all inclusive): 1) the type of work setting you go into – academic, private practice, employed by a large healthcare system, outpatient v inpatient, etc as there is likely to be a difference in pay in each of those, some lower, some higher.
We do need good PCPs, but it is so draining! You are right that the admin is endless, and you are never really off. I took my own overnight call during the week and weekend call for the group once a month. I spent every Saturday finishing up notes. I hope you are as happy as a hospitalist as I am. I love giving report and going home feeling completely free.
Just started IM PGY1 year at a major academic hospital. I’m sooo tired haha, these inpatient wards are seriously tough. But I’m so glad that you’re going to have more time to be making articles! I always found your articles super duper helpful!!! Would really appreciate a article where you talk about how you navigate ancillary services and discharge planning, since I was shielded from that aspect as a medstudent.
NP here. I spent 1.5 years in primary care and it was so draining. The paperwork what ridiculous, too much time in the phone. I spent all my time just trying to help my patients afford medication’s or get access to community resources. I felt like I was a social worker more than a nurse practitioner. I prefer the hospital environment because all your resources are available.
That is, in my opinion, the only reason to 1) go into medicine, and 2) go into a specific specialty: because you love what medicine/the specialty entails. Don’t go into medicine or a specific specialty because of money. That is a surefire recipe for burnout. If the reason you are going into medicine is money, there are many easier ways to make money.
As soon as a Dr. Jeong article came out I clicked immediately!!! Welcome to the dark side… er I mean hospitalist side hehe 🙂 I’m going to be applying very soon and also excited to start work hopefully as an academic hospitalist. Like you said, primary care is still an excellent field to go into and I still am leaving it open for my career in the future, and that longitudinal patient care really can’t be beat. But hospital medicine still has a lot of advantages as you described which is why I agree it’s the more flexible field at this time! Really looking forward to your future articles, love your edits too! 🙂
MD here. She forgot to mention pay. But mentioning pay as a physician is looked down upon, especially if you’re at an academic place (Hence why she likely left that part out). Nocturnists probably on average make 50-150 K more which is also why many individuals choose the field (the real unfiltered reason, including the other reasons). However nocturnist medicine is typically short term gig for some due to potential sleep/health issues it may cause over time (the switching of circadian rhythm and overall slightly less total sleep which leads to other downstream health effects). Some factors to consider before considering to do it long term, at least from what nocturnists have told me. Good vid overall though. Best of luck.
Hello, Dr. Jeong! If you have time, I would love to learn your stepwise process of how you structure your inpatient admission note (particularly the assessment and plan). Different attendings have instructed me to format my assessment and plan differently, but I’m curious as to how you structure yours. Also, another topic that I’m interested to learn about is how you handle patient handoffs. Taking over a hospitalized patient’s care sometimes seems more time-consuming than admitting the patient in the first place. I find myself re-litigating the case and feeling like I’m unable to get through several days of notes fast enough during the pre-rounding period. There must be a more efficient way! Though, admittedly, I probably just need more practice. Any tips are appreciated. Thank you for your website! I send your articles to my classmates.
I am interested in become an internist/hsopitalist. I am confused on the residency length. I could not find proper info on the admissions for my uni. I think I remember a article where you sad you did two years of internal medicine and then could specialize in something else after that. Do you have pick a specialty after the two years or can you just go straight to hospital work after the two years of residency? I know the requirements depend on the location. I will find out more details from my uni, but I wanted to see how many years you did.
Hello! Im a general physician from the philippines. And im planning to take the USMLE and hopefully be matched for IM residency (but its still a long way to go), anyway, the system of residency in the Philippines is slightly different. after training for Internal Medicine for 3 years, youre already considered a consultant, you can have a clinic and you do your rounds for your admitted patients. Is this system the same in the US? I mean, what if you see a patient in the clinics that has to be admitted, do you refer the patient to a hospitalist and they do the referrals to consultants? Hehe i dont have USCE yet, and i hope you can enlighten me… thank you.